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Comprehensive sexual education vs abstinence
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Our children are growing up quicker than they ever have in the past; consequently their minds are growing more and more curious. Teenage pregnancy has been a key topic for discussion for far too long with little to no action being taken to prevent such pregnancies. Many people consider that something different needs to be done in regards to the way our children perceive sexual education. There have always been disputes about which type of sexual education should be taught in U.S. public schools. There have been many studies conducted to determine which courses are more effective in preventing teenage pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases (STD’s). Though there are hundreds of curriculums out there only two major options have been utilized in our schools; comprehensive sex education (CSE) and abstinence-only education (AOE). These two alternatives differ from each other greatly, as do the people who support them. Though these are the two most popular courses, the one that has been favored for a very long time is abstinence-only education. Being federally funded for well over a few decades; AOE has had a number of advantages over CSE programs. The results however, have not been so prodigious. You see, every day more and more teenagers become sexually active, and every day you hear more about “teen moms”. It is apparent that teenage pregnancy is becoming a vastly growing "fad" in today's society, and many people including myself, suspect that this can be blamed on the lack of comprehensive sex education in schools. Teenage pregnancy went up by nearly five percent from 2005 to 2007. This is a big deal because when an adolescent becomes pregnant it is a huge health risk for her, the baby, and society in general. Many cases of ST... ... middle of paper ... ... Follow-Up." Journal of School Health 76.8 (ND): 414-422. Academic Search Premier. Web. 20 Nov. 2013. Frits, Gregory K. "Teenage Pregnancy: a Disturbing Trend." Brown University Child & Adolescent Behavior Letter26.1 (2010): 8. Academic Search Premier. Web. 20 Nov. 2013. Hall, David W., and Kathrin F. Stanger-Hall. "Abstinence-Only Education and Teen Pregnancy Rates: Why We Need Comprehensive Sex Education in the U.S." PLoS ONE 6.10 (2011): 1-11. Academic Search Premier. Web. 20 Nov. 2013. Miller, Monica K., and Dana A. Weiser. "Barack Obama vs Bristol Palin: Why the President's Sex Education Policy Wins." Contemporary Justice Review 13.4 (2010): 411-424. Academic Search Premier. Web. 20 Nov. 2013. Rajani, Nicole, and Naomi Starkman. "The Case for Comprehensive Sex Education." AIDS Patient Care & STDs 16.7 (2002): 313-318. Academic Search Premier. Web. 20 Nov. 2013.
It has been almost thirty three years since the first federal funding was put to use in “. . . sex education programs that promote abstinence-only-until-marriage to the exclusion of all other approaches . . .” according to the article “Sex education” (2010) published by “Opposing Viewpoints in Context;” a website that specializes in covering social issues. Since then a muddy controversy has arisen over whether that is the best approach. On one hand is the traditional approach of abstinence (not having sex before marriage), and on the other is the idea that what is being done is not enough, and that there needs to be a more comprehensive approach. This entails not only warning against sex, but also teaching teens about how to have “Safe Sex” (“Sex Education,” 2010).
"Teen Pregnancy Prevention Focusing on Evidence: Ineffective Abstinence-Only Lessons Being Replaced with Science." The Nation's Health Apr. 2010: 1+. Academic OneFile. Web. 4 Apr. 2012.
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).
Sex in America’s high schools is a reality that must be faced head on. Many high school students today are struggling with the decision to have sex. As a society, are we letting today’s teens down by not having a full sexual education curriculum available in all high schools? In a study conducted in 2007, detailing the sexual activity of high school students, between grades ninth and twelfth showed that 48% of students had sexual intercourse (46% girls 50% boys) (ReCAPP). So why is it that our schools teach abstinence to the students? It is made clear by the study that half of the students are still having sexual contact with their partners. After personally experiencing sex at an early age, the discovery sex was foreign to me because of the lack of knowledge that was available in the 80’s. This is something that can be eliminated in this decade due to the knowledge of sex and the problems that can arise from a bad sexual experience.
National Abstinence Education Association. “Comprehensive Sex Education Is Inappropriate And Harmful.” Do Abstinence Programs Work?. Christina Fisanick. Michigan. Greenhaven Press, 2010. 33-42. Print.
Collins, Chris, Priya Alagiri, and Todd Summers. "Abstinence Only vs. Comprehensive Sex Education: What Are the Arguments? What Is the Evidence?" AIDS Research Institute. University of California, San Francisco, Mar. 2002. Web. 19 Feb. 2011. .
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...
Kohler et al. (2008)“Abstinence-only and Comprehensive Sex Education and the Initiation of Sexual Activity and Teen Pregnancy.” Journal of Adolescent Health, 42(4): 344-351.
Stanger-Hall, K. & Hall, D. (2011). Abstinence-Only Education and Teen Pregnancy Rates: Why We Need Comprehensive Sex Education in the U.S. PLoS ONE 6(10).
The government likes to pretend that if high school students get taught the “abstinence-only” method they would never think of taking part in sexual activities. Statistically this is incorrect. According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, “56 percent of high school students are virgins”(Martin). For the 56 percent abstinence only is doing them well, but there are still 44 percent of high school students engaging in sex without knowing the precau...
Let’s Talk About Sex Abstaining from sexual activity is morally correct in preventing pregnancy and controlling transmitted diseases, but programs that advocate for abstinence only, such as public schools, often fail to prevent young students from having sex and the proper knowledge of their actions. Teaching abstinence-only based sexual education in a public school is ineffective because it does not delay the initiation of sexual activity, it does not prevent sexually transmitted diseases or pregnancy, and it promotes a socially conservative value. The two types of approaches to teaching sex education include comprehensive and abstinence-only. The Comprehensive approach teaches that sexuality is a normal, healthy part of life and stresses
Martinez, Gladys, Joyce Abma, and Casey Copen. “Educating Teenagers About Sex In The United States”. CDC.GOV. Center of Disease Control and Prevention, 15 Sept. 2010. Web. 09 Feb.2014
Today many teenagers are very sexually active. In fact, According to the Center of Disease Control, 47% of teenagers have reported being sexually active (http://www.cdc.gov 2013). These statistics illustrate the vital need for sexual education to be taught in all types of schools, and the importance of informing the teens on the risk of their behaviors, since this is where teenagers spend most of their time. In January 2014, over half of the states are required by the federal government to teach sexual education (http://www.ncsl.org 2014). Unfortunately, in many religious based schools, students are not instructed in sexual education. In fact they promote abstinence until marriage. According to “School-Based Health Clinics and Sex Education - A Christian View of Sex Education in Schools” The students are taught on a “government-funded abstinence-only-until-marriage education curricula”, and it’s said to “contain false and misleading "medical" statements and teach religious propaganda and theologically driven gender stereotypes to our children.” (http://www.probe.org 2012). Consequently the importance of such curriculum being present in religious based schools is shown through the teenager’s general knowledge of the risk of being sexually active, Sexually Transmitted diseases and Pregnancy prevention , and the studies on the effectiveness of sexual education in schools are topics that are often not taught in religion based schools thus leaving the students at risk.
Sex education should be increased in schools. Nearly one million women under the age of 20 get pregnant each year. That means 2800 women get pregnant each day. If students are educated about the effects sex has on their lives, it lessens their chance of having children at an early age. Knowledge about sex can also lessen the chance of kids receiving STDS.
Weiser, Dana A., and Monica K. Miller. "Barack Obama Vs Bristol Palin: Why The President's