Sex Education Programs in Schools in the United States

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Recommended: Pros of teaching sexual education to teenagers

Nineteen-fifty five marked the debut of sex education programs in schools in the United States. Along the years, many have argued whether or not sex education should be taught in schools. Many believe that the education of sex encourages students to engage in sexual activities which lead to a higher number of pregnancies and sexual transmitted diseases (STD’s). As the number of unplanned pregnancies and sexually transmitted diseases climbs higher and higher every day in our country, one can only think that sexual education is a necessity in our school systems. Teens as young as fourteen years old have admitted to already engaging in sexual activities. No teen should be engaging in such acts at that age. Many schools give parents the choice to have their child opt out of the lesson or class. Few states are required to teach sex education to students in secondary schools unless they were withdrawn from the class by their parents.
As a teenager, I firmly believe that sex education should be taught in schools because students need to be educated. Many parents don’t address this topic at home, so school is the best opportunity. States that require sex education programs mandate that all students participate in these programs unless their parents decide to opt them out. How can parents do that? The parents have the right to have a say in whether or not their child is going to participate in these sorts of programs because “parental rights are derived from parental duty and exist only so long as they are needed for the protection ... of the child”. Sex education should be mandated in all public schools because it is a right to every student, the knowledge that they have about sex affects the student, not the parents.
Students need to...

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...t. from "'Let's Talk About Sex': Balancing Children's Rights and Parental Responsibilities." Legal Studies 26.1 (Mar. 2006): 88-108. Opposing Viewpoints In Context. Web. 23 Oct. 2013.
Kasun, Jacqueline R. "Condom nation: government sex education promotes teen pregnancy." Policy Review 68 (1994): 79+. Opposing Viewpoints In Context. Web. 9 Oct. 2013.
Parker, Alison Mia. "Dude! Your Browser Doesn't Allow Iframes? Bummer." YOUniversityTV. YOUniversityTV, 22 Apr. 2011. Web. 30 Oct. 2013
Pardini, Priscilla. "Federal Law Mandates 'Abstinence-Only' Sex Ed." Rethinking Schools Online. Rethinking Schools, n.d. Web. 30 Oct. 2013.
Paul, Regina. "10 Reasons We Need Comprehensive Sex Education in Our Schools." Yahoo Contributor Network. Yahoo, 03 Feb. 2007. Web. 30 Oct. 2013.
Unknown. "Sex Education Should Be Taught in Public Schools." Debate Issue:. N/a, n.d. Web. 30 Oct. 2013.

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