Why High Schools Need To Provide Sex/Contraceptive Classes

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There has always been a lot of controversy over the education of contraceptives and sex being included in the high school curriculum. However, as parents, mentors, and leaders that these children look up to we have an obligation to these children. Providing a contraceptive/sex education class to high schoo students would be so beneficial. It would ensure that they are being educated correctly and not by other kids their same age.

The United States has one of the highest rates when it comes to teen pregnancy, and one of the highest rates of teen births. It is also a known fact that one in four teenage girls in the U.S. has a sexually transmitted infection (Richards1). In order to lower these pregnancy rates and STD rates, teens need to be better educated on how to take care of themselves and how to prevent pregnancy. This is why it is so important to have our children take a contraceptive/sex education class in high school.

As a teenager, one tends to rely on information they hear from their friends. Most of the time your children’s friends do not know anymore than they do. When it comes to sex and contraceptives as a parent or guardian you want your teenager to have correct information. According to Carrera, Kaye, Philliber, and West data collected has shown that 44% of teenagers interviewed had correct knowledge of contraceptives.

By providing contraceptive/sex education classes in high schools the rate of sexually transmitted diseases would decrease. Did you know that “about 9.1 million teens and young adults (aged 15 – 24) got an STD in 2000” (“Common Sexually Tranmitted Disease”1). Results show that only 53% of teenagers interviewed answered correctly when asked about sexually transmitted infections (...

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... not to have sex. This social experiment failed by all measures, and we continue to lead the Western world in teen pregnancy and now have teen birth rates on the rise.” This is why as adults we need to reach out to our teenagers and provide them with a program that will make a difference, which is to have contraceptives/sex education taught in high schools.

Works Cited
Black, Susan. “Children Having Children.” American School Journal 196.5 (2009): 40-41. EBSCOhost. Web. 21 Nov.2009.

Carrera, Michael, Jacqueline Kaye Williams, Susan Philliber, Emily West. “Knowledge About Reproduction, Contraception, and Sexually Transmitted Infections Among Young Adolescents in American Cities.” Social Policy 30.3 (2000): 41-50. EBSCOhost. Web. 21.Nov.2009

Richards, Cecile. “The Agenda for Women’s Health Care.” Social Policy 39.1 (2009): 32-33. EBSCOhost. Web. 21 Nov.2009

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