Sexual Education in Public Schools

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Sex education has been an ongoing debate for decades. In the early 1970’s, twenty states voted restricting sex education from the school curriculum, leaving the District of Columbia and only three states (Maryland, Kentucky, New Jersey), requiring schools to teach sex education. By the mid 1980’s, a deadly disease permitted through sexual intercourse was recognized; the fear of catching a disease sex education quickly became accepted. In 1986, Surgeon General C. Everett Koop felt sex education should start as early as third grade stating, ‘“There is now no doubt … that we need sex education in schools and that it [should] include information on heterosexual and homosexual relationships. The lives of our young people depend on our fulfilling our responsibility”’ (qtd. in Donovan). December 1997, the District of Columbia and nineteen states provided sex education in school. Sex education covers a range of topics and concerns about safe sex, abstinence, gender, development and human growth, human reproduction, sexual anatomy and physiology, pregnancy, relationships, body image, sexual attitudes, value and morals, sexual behavior, sexual health, sexual orientation, and sexual pleasure. Parents and religious groups believe abstinence should only be taught in school. The teaching of sex education, to many, only encourages student to engage in sexual activity, and for that the parent should only teach reason if they choose to do so. Sex education provides information and answer questions for students whom are scared or shy to ask a parent. Information provided for students in this course will help decrease pregnancy, and disease, provide information and help for any situation; and change the mind of some students about having sex. Sex ... ... middle of paper ... ...Daily. Web. 13 Apr. 2011 “Many Who Pledge Abstinence at Risk for STDs. Study: Teens Who Remain Virgins More Likely to Take Other Chances: Mar. 15th, 2005.” www.MSNBC.com. MSNBC, 15 Mar. 2005. Web. 13 Apr 2011. “Public Schools and Sex Education: Sept. 20th, 2008.” www.publicschoolreview.com. Public School Review. Web 13 Apr 2011. Waxman, Senator Henry A. “New Federally Funded Abstinence Program Guidelines Based on Ideology, Not Science.” Committee on Oversight and Government Reform. Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, 111th Congress, 16 Feb. 2006. Web. 13 Apr 2011. United States Dept. of Health and Human Services. Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation. Impacts of Four Title V, Section 510 Abstinence Education Programs: Executive Summary. By Christopher Trenholm, et al. Apr. 2007. Mathematica Policy Research. Web. 13 Apr. 2011.

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