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Comprehensive sexual education vs abstinence
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Importance of sexual education in schools
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We are all sexual creatures. At some point, we engage in sexual activity. In order to make sex enjoyable for both partners, learning about our own bodies is important. But, should sex be taught in school? People argue that sex should not be taught in school because informing teenagers about sex lead to them to having more sex. Over the years, schools have used their sex education courses as a way to prevent students from not having sex. In California, Governor Jerry Brown signed a bill that requires grades 7-12 to have a comprehensive sex education and HIV/STD prevention education (California). Educating students about how the anatomy of their bodies works, how to have a sexual relationship, and how to use contraceptions to protect themselves
It’s important the schools educate students about sex, however there is a wrong way of teaching it. Schools often exaggerate information about STD’s and pregnancy to their students as a way to scare them from having sex. Emily Dawson, an 18-year-old high school student, filed a complaint against the sex education being taught at her school. Dawson’s teacher was known from making demonizing comments to the class such as, “Gonorrhea could kill you within three days” and “Girls should watch what they wear because boys don 't have self-control.” She stated that the teacher shamed students for having sex and refused to discuss topics about sexual orientation (Valenti). The abstinence only programs emphasize only on the consequence of sex and students smart enough realize it. Scaring students does nothing to decrease the number of unprotected sex because students don 't take what is being taught to them serious. The misinformation is a violation of the students’ right to be educated about their bodies. So students, like Emily, will not take precautions when they have sex. The abstinence-only programs are reinforcing negative attitudes towards sex instead of promoting safe
The problem with abstinence-only sex education is that it limits their education on topics about contraceptives, sexual orientation, and pleasure. Sure, students can turn to their parents for answers. We all have heard of the dreaded “talk” from our parents. However, not all parents are willing to talk to their child about sex or preach a similar abstinence-only sex life. Having unanswered questions, most students’ understanding of sex comes from media or the internet. Obliviously, the media does not set the right example of how young adults should be engaging in sex. If we want to lower the numbers of teen pregnancies and the numbers teens contracting STD’s, it begins with having open conversations about sex. We are only damaging students by making sex seem sinful and having any thought or desire for sex seem wrong. When in actuality, the sexual needs are part of the human development. By educating students about sex they can have healthy and happy sexual
The primary argument which most advocates for abstinence only education have is that sex before marriage is immoral, not appropriate and that abstinence is the only completely effective method of preventing teen pregnancy and STI contraction. These advocates also emphasize that condoms are not a sure-fire way of preventing pregnancy and STI contraction. Many of the proponents for abstinence-only education believe that educating youth with information concerning sex and contraception will embolden them to become to begin or increase sexual activity. Such advocates accredit the lowering of teenage pregnancy to abstinence only education (Collins, Alagira, and Summers 12-13).
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).
Students should be informed about more than just “don’t have sex” because eventually it is going to happen and they need to be educated on the proper way to handle the situations. Because students are mostly taught abstinence it has created the situation to where researchers find” Abstinence-only education, instead of reducing the spread of sexually transmitted diseases, has made teenagers and young adults more vulnerable to ST...
Sex education in public schools has been a controversial issue in the United States for over a decade. With the HIV and teen pregnancy crises growing, sex education is needed.
A vast majority of Americans feel as though there is a need for sex education, however, the topics discussed in the course, such as contraceptives are always controversial. Some of the states believe that teaching about abstinence is the only way to prevent pregnancies, while others only limit themselves to educate on condom usage. “Urging teenagers to abstain from sex has always been the default course of action.” (Bainbridge, Jane) In a perfect world, teens would remain abstinent until marriage, but that is not always the case in today’s society.
As beautifully stated from the well-known group Salt-N-Peppa, “Let’s talk about sex.” More so, let’s talk about sex in our schools. Abstinence-only sex education is sex education based off the belief that teenagers should not have sex until they are married, and this education focuses on shaming teens into not having sex, as opposed to educating teens on safe sex involving the use of contraceptives. It is necessary to teach teenagers about safe sex; therefore, schools should abstain from teaching abstinence-only sex education in schools due to the lack of effectiveness and actual sex education because of the present bias. Abstinence-only sex education should not be taught in schools because it is useless.
Sexual Education Every year, teens in the U.S. experience as many as 850,000 pregnancies. By the age of 18, 62 percent of U.S. males and 70 percent of U.S. females have lost their virginity. Thousands of high school students are thrown into the real world on their own, unprepared to live a sexually healthy life. With the absence of sexual education being taught in high schools, teens do not have healthy sexual behaviors and only hurt themselves. Comprehensive sex education has been proven effective at assisting younger students to make healthy decisions based on sex and adopt much healthier sexual behaviors.
Sex education should begin at home,and there should be a mandatory program in schools that supports a strong message of abstaining from sexual activity in addition to informing students of the risks posed by engaging in sexual activity. In the United States there is the highest pregnancy rate in the world (“Relationship Under Construction”). The implementation across the nation of a comprehensive Abstinence-Plus program teaching: abstinence, health risks, birth control, teen pregnancy, and providing students with information and birth control is exactly what is needed ( “Benefits of Teen
Hence comprehensive sexual education will create educational equity, allowing students access to information regarding safe sex practices. In Utah, a typical abstinence only bill “defines sex education in Utah as abstinence-only and bans instruction in sexual intercourse, homosexuality, contraceptive methods and sexual activity outside of marriage,”(Ring). Declining to educate on safe sex and contraception chastises sexually active students, subjecting them to higher rates of pregnancy and STIs. Of unmarried teenagers ages 13-19, 44% of females and 49% of males have had sexual intercourse (Fl). Disregarding sexually active students, abstinence only education is unable to educate almost half of students on how to practice safe sex.
Having comprehensive sex education in the schools gives teens safe place to discuss these issues in fact it has been shown that. Seeing that some teens are shy about asking the important questions from their parents, and the parents themselves are not always comfortable or brave enough to answer these questions which can be harmful the child. Having this be taught at the schools wil...
“Sex sells.” This is a common phrase used very often in social media and entertainment industries. Today, the youth generation is highly exposed to social media and products of entertainment industries from music to movies on the big screen. Most of the products produced by these industries are sexually explicit, and they tend to send the wrong messages about sexual behavior. Adolescents almost spend the same amount of time watching television and engaging with social media as they do in an educational environment. Therefore, the best way to tackle the misconceptions of sex among adolescents is to provide sex education in school. Sex education should be taught in school in order to provide a mutual learning experience for adolescents among
First of all, the main reason children have sex prematurely is because they are curious. Students lack knowledge about sex because they haven’t been taught about it, however, when children know the consequences behind their actions and the risks they are taking they less likely to want to have sex. If we take the time to show kids what it is like to take care of a child as a teenager or show them AIDS victims; they may be much less likely to want to indulge in sexual activities. Sex education probably can’t prevent teenage sex, but it can ensure students have the knowledge they need so they’ll be aware of what they are getting themselves into.
Sex education in our schools has been a hot topic of debate for decades. The main point in question has been whether to utilize comprehensive sex education or abstinence-only curriculum to educate our youth. The popularity of abstinence-only curriculum over the last couple of decades has grown largely due to the United States government passing a law to give funding to states that teach the abstinence-only approach to sex education. But not teaching our children about sex and sexuality is not giving them the information they need to make well educated decisions. Sex education in our schools should teach more than just abstinence-only because these programs are not proven to prevent teens from having sex. Children need to be educated on how to prevent contracting sexually transmitted diseases and unwanted pregnancies and be given the knowledge to understand the changes to their bodies during puberty. According to the Guidelines for Comprehensive Sexuality Education: Kindergarten-12th Grade from the Sexuality Information and Education Council of the United States (SIECUS), comprehensive sex education “should be appropriate to age, developmental level, and cultural background of students and respect the diversity of values and beliefs represented in the community” (SIECUS).
“Forty-one percent of teens ages 18-19 said they know nothing about condoms, and seventy-five percent said they know nothing about the contraceptive pill” (Facts on American Teens). Even if schools taught just abstinence it still would not be enough. “In 2007, a study showed that abstinence only programs have no beneficial impact on the sexual behavior of young people” (Facts on American Teens). Sex education is not taken as seriously as it should be in schools, it is treated like it is not a big deal. Schools should require a sex education class that specifically teaches students about sex and goes into depth of all the possible consequences because of the high pregnancy, abortion, and virus rates.
Before moving on, one must know that sex education is about, but not limited to the discussion of sexual intercourse. As a Buzzle article states, it involves a multitude of topics that introduce human sexual behaviors such as puberty, sexual health, sexual reproduction, sexuality, and more (Iyer). If formally received in school, these topics are brought up and discussed at age-appropriate times over the course of children’s junior high and high school education. Moreover, as I have introduced earlier, the way sex education should be taught is divided into two approaches. It is between taking either a conservative, abstinence-only approach or a more liberal, comprehensive approach. Abstinence-only education, approaches students by stressing the importance of “no sex before marriage” as be...