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Sexual education should be taught in school, but as an abstinence-only program. According to Robert Rector, a researcher for the Heritage Foundation, abstinence-based sexual education reduced teen sexual activity. In fact, it has helped to reduce the amount of teen pregnancy (Teens at Risk, 1). Some may say that comprehensive sexual education is better because it “prepares” the teens for what might happen during sexual activity, but here it will be shown that is not always the truth. Abstinence-only sexual education law has a single goal: to discourage teens from having premarital sex because in the future, single parent households have greater hurdles to overcome than the couples who are married (Seagren, 4). Because making sure teens do not participate in sexual activity is our number one priority. There are just so many problems that can arise out of having sex too early. One of the problems caused by early sexual activity is sexual transmitted diseases (STDs). Sexually transmitted diseases, including incurable viral infections, have reached …show more content…
Teaching our young teens to abstain from sex until marriage seems hopelessly obsolescent when television and other media are repetitively reinforcing the widespread notion that promiscuity is acceptable because “everyone is doing it.” (Seagren, 2002). So to teach anything but abstinence is crazy. Comprehensive sexual education is sending teens mixed messages at best and at worst it is unknowingly condones promiscuity. It is does not set a clear understanding of what the consequences are for premarital sex. Comprehensive sexual education is proven affective in the decrease of teenage pregnancy but at the same time it is encouraging the teens to engage in premarital sex, which most of the teens are really not ready
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).
Since the HIV/AIDS epidemic began in the U.S. in the early 1980s the issue of sex education for American youth has had the attention of the nation. There are about 400,000 teen births every year in the U.S, with about 9 billion in associated public costs. STI contraction in general, as well as teen pregnancy, have put the subject even more so on the forefront of the nation’s leading issues. The approach and method for proper and effective sex education has been hotly debated. Some believe that teaching abstinence-only until marriage is the best method while others believe that a more comprehensive approach, which includes abstinence promotion as well as contraceptive information, is necessary. Abstinence-only program curriculums disregard medical ethics and scientific accuracy, and have been empirically proven to be ineffective; therefore, comprehensive sex education programs which are medically accurate, science-based and empirically proven should be the standard method of sex education for students/children in the U.S.
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).
One of the most popular views comes from a moral standpoint, from this stance it is suggested that abstinence only programs are the best and most morally correct way of educating students about sex. In the early eighties the Adolescent Family Life Act (AFLA) was put into the action, it was also known as “The Chastity Act.” “AFLA focuses on developing programs that promote abstinence as the only option to help young people avoid sexually transmitted diseases including HIV/AIDS and teen pregnancy.” (Perrin and DeJoy 446-47). AFLA caused a lot of controversy over whether this was the best way to educate children about sex. Those opposed to AFLA argue that this method of sex education offers no safe alternative to having sex and is not actually educating students on sex. It is only focused on encouraging students to refrain from sexual activity.
Kirby, Douglas. "Abstinence, Sex, And STD/HIV Education Programs For Teens: Their Impact On Sexual Behavior, Pregnancy, And Sexually Transmitted Disease." Annual Review Of Sex Research 18 (2007): 143-177. OmniFile Full Text Mega (H.W. Wilson). Web. 1 Apr. 2013.
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...
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...
Comprehensive sex education has had major effectiveness in encouraging youth to participate in sexual acts later than usual. This course teaches them how to be responsible with their sex life and control their urges. Research strongly backs this idea by examining current sexual education programs. Of the 23 classes, 40 percent of them are responsible for delaying sexual initiation and 14 classes showed a significant delay in the timing of first sex (Comprehensive). The component responsible for this is the curriculum for sexual education. The class helps students understand the importance of marriage and stable relationships as the main focus for progressive development in community and society (Sawyer). Delaying the initiation and amount of youth participating in sexual acts is just one small, but important, effect of sexual education.
Many parents and teachers are against teaching sex education to students because they think it should be taught from home and also they believe this will only encourage teenagers to engage in sex. It is said that instead of continuing with the promotion of safe sex, why schools don’t just offer teenagers sex education on abstinence and the importance of abstinence. Some parents believe the most secure option to prevent teen pregnancies and STD's is by abstinence. The question is "why don’t schools start by promoting that?" My answer to that question is because society shows that sex is good, it's pleasurable and acceptable. Teenagers lack the knowledge to make w...
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.
I believe that schools should teach sexual education. I think this because kids that are in school during this age do know or respect the dangers of being sexual active. They don 't know what it means to be protected, They will know about their own bodies and that of other genders. I believe they will have a new found respect for themselves and others. Teaching about it encourages students to develop themselves into better people. Anyone who values themselves and others are better equipped to develop great relationships with others. Pupils are able to take great positive approaches to managing their lives and develop skills that are needed to prepare them for the challenges that lay ahead. Not all parents inform their children about sexual
The glamorous side of sex is everywhere; music, tv shows, movies and social media. To a mature adult, it is easy to ignore the sexual messages in those outlets. However, to a teenager, going through mental and physical changes and peer pressure, it is extremely easy to fall for what is shown to “cool.” Everyone has fallen for half truths to be cool in their teenage life. It just so happens that teen pregnancies and STDs are not one of those things that one can simply walk away from. Babies and STDs leave a lasting effect on everyone involved. The National Conference of State Legislatures states:
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).
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...