The human brain is crucial for human life. Although there is still much to learn about the brain, there is also many facts that have been determined. For example, research has found that the back of the brain develops faster than the front of the brain (Wallis). Also, the prefrontal cortex, which is located in the front part of the cranium, has been found to be the part of the brain that deals with decision making and setting priorities (Baumgardner). Throughout childhood and adolescence, the development of the brain can be altered by various experiences. Every person is bound to make mistakes throughout his or her life, however the consequences of certain mistakes may be everlasting. Sexual intercoure during adolesence, for example, is being examined to determine if it has a negative, if any, effect on the development of the human brain. Because the brain is not fully formed in the area that helps a person make good decisions in risky situations until about age twenty-five, a person under the age of about twenty-five should not have sexual intercourse without knowing what consequences might occur.
Ongoing research suggests that sexual intercourse during the adolescent years may have a negative effect on the brain’s development. According to Julie Baumgardner, “research indicates that multiple partners can damage an individual’s ability to develop healthy... relationships” (Baumgardner). Similarly, multiple sex partners may also lead to a drop in grades at school (Preidt). Julie Baumgardner also expresses her concerns of a possible correlation between teenage sex and depression (Baumgardner). Mrs. Baumgardner further explains that teenagers who have had sex are almost three times more at risk to develop depression than teenage...
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... along with future underlying relationship problems or emotional baggage (Baumgardner). On the contrary, research concluding that sexual intercourse during adolescent years has not been proven to be accurate and there are some benefits of sex, like for instance to relieve stress (Scott).
Works Cited
Abbasi, Jennifer. "Teen Sex May Affect Brain Development, Study Suggests." . LiveScience, 1 Dec. 2011. Web. 25 Apr. 2014. <>.
Baumgardner, Julie. "The Brain and Teen Sex." . First Things First, 1 Jan. 2014. Web. 25 Apr. 2014. <>.
“Inside the Teenage Brain.” Frontline. PBS, 2004. DVD.
Kallen, Derek. Personal Interview. 25 April. 2014.
Preidt, Robert. "How Teen Sex Affects Education." . HealthDay, 15 Aug. 2010. Web. 25 Apr. 2014. <>.
Scott, Brandon. Personal Interview. 25 April. 2014.
Wallis, Claudia. "What Makes Teens Tick." Time 10 May 2004: n. pag. Print.
Elliott, Emma. "Abstinence Sex Education Reduces Teen Sexual Activity." Teens at Risk. Ed. Auriana Ojeda. San Diego: Greenhaven Press, 2009. Opposing Viewpoints.
Today’s young Americans face strong peer pressure to be sexually active and engage themselves in risky behaviors (Merino 100-109). Anyone deciding to have sex must first think about all the risks involved. Kekla Magoon, author of Sex Education in Schools, says that “half of all teens aged 15 to 19 years old in the United States have had sex” (Magoon 64-65). It is currently not required by federal law for schools to teach Sex education and those few schools that do teach Sex education have the decision to determine how much information is allowed. Advocates from both sides of the Sex education debate agree that teens need positive influences in order to make practical decisions (Magoon 88-89). Opponents of Abstinence-only education believe it fails because it does not prepare teens for all the risks of sex (Magoon 64-65).
Communication: A Series of National Surveys of Teens about Sex. Menlo Park, CA: Henry J. Kaiser
Brakman, Anita, Kaiyti Duffy, and Melanie Gold. "New Data Emerge on Teen Sexual Health." Teen Topics. EBSCOhost. Web. 19 Apr. 2011.
... is the direct effect of teens and young adults not being educated on the things that come with sex and the consequences of their actions. Teens need sex education because the knowledge will give them an insight on the subject and help them think about the proper precautions to take in order to be a responsible person insuring that they use the right contraception and/or abstinence in order for them not to have children as a teen. Other factors play into why teens become pregnant as well. In the results for my interviews, parent/child relationships should be established and upheld as a relationship that is strictly parent and child. Teens who do not have a true parent/parents in their lives to care about the important thing that contribute to the child’s well being such a becoming pregnant at a young age, tend to make decisions that are not healthy in their lives.
A report published by the U.S Department of Health and Human Accommodations “suggests that as many as 50% of all adolescents are sexually active” (White, 2008, p. 349). A portion of those are puerile women who will become pregnant, adolescent men who will contract a sexually transmitted disease (STD) and teenagers who will suffer from emotional distress and regret. Albeit the majority concurs inculcation is the solution to this dilemma, one q...
Teen sex leads to teen pregnancy early teen pregnancy is very common worldwide. I strongly disagree with this activity because although teen pregnancy leads to many consequences, it’s also very harmful on their bodies, and most teen parents don’t have the right financial support.
In 1995 a study was conducted to see how many teenagers were sexually active or had been involved sexually in any way. The study revealed that, by the age of sixteen, 50% of teenagers in the U.S have had been involved in sexual intercourse (Oberman, 1994). There was another study that was conducted statewide surveying young girls from 8th grade to 12th grade. The survey asked about what age was the young girls when they first had sex and the age of their sexual partners. The survey excluded intercourse that was by force. Girls who were between the ages thirteen to eighteen did not have a partner that was much older than them. However younger girls between the ages of eleven to twelve said that their partners were five or more years older (Leitenberg, 2000).
encompasses sexual development, reproductive health, interpersonal relationships, affection, intimacy, body image, and gender roles.” Sex education discusses important aspects of reproduction, sexuality, and just growing up in general in a physical and emotional sense. One would have to wonder though; does sex education actually serve its purpose? Does it enlighten teens enough about sex and the consequences, to the point where you can actually tell the difference between those who are sexually educated and those who are not? According to a study done bye Coyle (1999) sex education no matter where, at home or in school, and no matter the program does indeed help decrease the amount of teens having unsafe sex. Based on information from that same study about 3 million teenagers a year get an STD, and roughly 10% of adolescent females ages 15-19 get pregnant every year unintentionally. In an article from The Alan Guttmacher Institute (1999) there has been a 20% drop in female pregnancies between n 1990 and 1997 and the drop has continued, they have stated that the reason for this i...
A study conducted on teens in Sweden and the Netherlands showed that teens in those countries were just as sexually active, but the teen pregnancy and sexually transmitted disease rate was much lower. Researchers say this is due to sex education that begins in elementary school and continues on(Bender p.13). Only ten percent of American school-age youth participate in a comprehensive program lasting at least forty hours(deMauro p.89). Teens in America also score low on questionnaires based on sexual knowledge(Gordon p.
There has been a heated debate over the years on whether sex education should be taught at schools instead of abstinence-only. Many believe that talking about sex in the classroom raises the initiation of such behavior, and by stressing discipline, self-control, and self-respect, advocates argue, abstinence-only programs build character in students. Others believe that ignoring the subject keeps teens in the dark which leads them to make unsafe decisions when they become sexually active. In order to fix this problem schools should teach Sex Education, but emphasize that abstinence is the only 100 percent effective way to prevent pregnancy or sexually transmitted diseases.
Sex among teenagers is one of the most controversial topics of our time. The teen pregnancy and STD rates in the United States alone have become a major problem over the years. Despite these skyrocketing sex cases, sexual education is not being taught in some schools, and the ones that do are extremely limited. Parents, the government, organizations, and school boards do not teach the proper curriculum necessary for students to thoroughly understand sexual behavior. This essay will explain the need for proper sexual education in our schools.
Aggleton shows teens the truth about sex instead of something seen as romantic and a risk, and they seeing themselves as people who are experimenting with new things. However, to others it is not a sign of romance but a risk that keeps haunting teenagers with AIDS and pregnancy. Even though young people are stereotyped as being more negative when it comes to the issue of sex, not all teenagers are that concerned with it. The author states more teenagers are looking at the outcome of having sex and thinking about the STD issue. Another issue is sex when it comes to parties and drugs. It seems that more and more girls are not getting the necessary understandings of the risks of sex, therefore having it at a younger age. While males are having sex for reasons just to try it out, or because they think they are cool. So the problem is teens are having sex for the wrong reasons without looking into the consequences.
According to the Advocates for Youth organization, “sex education is the cause of healthy sexual behavior and results in the decline of teen pregnancy.” This could be because sex education teaches young people about sex from a biological and scientific standpoint. Thus, explaining why teens physically feel a certain way when puberty happens. It answers lingering questions about the b...
All things considered, including a comprehensive sex education curriculum in our schools is needed for the health and well-being of our children. Comprehensive sex education programs do not encourage teens to have sexual intercourse but it does allow young people to make educated decisions about sex, sexual health and relationships. Young people will make up their own minds about whether or not to have sex no matter the opinions expressed by teachers, parents, politicians or religious leaders so let us at least arm with the knowledge to protect themselves.