Sex! No Longer a Dirty Word

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Recommended: Demerit of sexual education in school

Sex! No Longer a Dirty Word

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.

Although some educators believe abstinence is the best way to teach sexual education to high school students, it often lacks the necessary information to help the teen make good decisions with their sex life. We should be giving the youth of today a complete sexual education curriculum and trust them to make the right decision on contraceptive and “staying safe”. Students should be taught the information concerning the different types of contraceptives available, the sexually transmitted diseases that can be contracted, and the effects. Having this information will allow the student to evaluate their decisions and make an educated decision about having sex.

Sexual Education while attending high school is an advantage that children need in today’s society. By having a ...

... middle of paper ...

...dults to make this education a reality. If not, stop having children and putting them in no-win situations.

Works Cited

Clemmitt, Marcia. "Teen Pregnancy." CQ Researcher 26 Mar. 2010: 265-88. Web. 15 April 2014.

Delvin, Dr David. "Choosing a Contraceptive Method." Netdoctor. N.p., n.d. Web. 2 April. 2014.

Glazer, Sarah. "Birth Control Choices." CQ Researcher 29 July 1994: 649-72. Web. 2 April 2014.

Glazer, Sarah. "Sexually Transmitted Diseases." CQ Researcher 3 Dec. 2004: 997-1020. Web. 3 April 2014.

"Mission." Mission. Advocates for Youth, n.d. Web. 1 April 2014.

"Sexually Transmitted Diseases: MedlinePlus." U.S National Library of Medicine. U.S. National Library of Medicine, n.d. Web. 5 April 2014.

"Statistics." ReCAPP. ReCAPP, n.d. Web. 2April 2014.

"Teen Sex." CQ Researcher 15 June 2013. Web. 15 April 2014.

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