Sex Education Should be Taught in Schools Comprehensive sex-ed should be required in all schools is because it teaches young adults about safe sex. There is research stating that teenagers and young adults are ignorant to the ways and meanings of safe sex. Abstinence only sex-ed is insufficient when it comes to teaching youth about STD’s and the harms of having unsafe sex. Dr. Ted Feinberg, assistant executive director of the National Association of School Psychologists states that schools aren’t teaching sex ed which is making teenagers ignorant and we need to help them (Masland, 2013). Also, the writers at the Philadelphia Inquirer write, “The abstinence-only message has proven costly and ineffective. It offers only one narrow …show more content…
Providing students with the opportunity to learn about healthy relationships opposed what they view as a ‘healthy’ relationship is crucial. Learning about what a healthy relationship should look like is important to the children whose parents do not have a healthy relationship with one another, or for the teenagers who may not be in a healthy relationship at the current moment. Such education can also help youth to enhance the quality of their relationships and to develop decision-making skills that will prove invaluable over life. Giving the youth this knowledge will help them in the future make better decisions on who to be in a relationship with, or to even be friends with. As written in the Washington times, “A core sex-ed theme is to promote responsibility and respect in intimate relationships. Other goals are to avoid making children feel shame, fear or guilt when discussing sexuality; promote gender equality; teach decision-making skills; acknowledge diversity of sexual orientation; and acknowledge the existence of sexual deviancy and resources to help people who are victimized, sex-ed proponents say. In other words, boldly end American children's ignorance about this crucial topic”(Washington Times, 2009). Why do people say it's okay for schools to teach our children about math, science, history, and many other subjects, yet then get high and mighty with righteous indignation when biology is taken a step further to focus on sex? Some young adults are not getting the message when it comes to sex-ed, or healthy relationships. The core of providing a sex-ed class that promotes healthy relationships, decision making and responsibility is very important to install in a young person's mind. American children are ignorant to the idea of what a real healthy relationship looks like from what they
Many different elements contribute to the controversy of abstinence vs. comprehensive, including the recent gay and lesbian equal rights controversy (in which the gay and lesbian community are fighting for and sometimes denied the right to marry), contradictory studies, and the religious beliefs of those involved. So what is the right way to teach teens about sex? As a huge factor in how teens see themselves, those around them, and intimate relationships, that is a question in need of an answer. Patrick Malone, director of communications for Sexuality Information and Education Council of the United States (SIECUS), and Monica Rodriguez, president and CEO of SIECUS, (2013) state that:
From a young age, children are bombarded by images of the rich and the famous engaging in torrid public affairs or publicly discussing their increasingly active sex lives. No longer is sex education left to teachers and parents to explain, it is constantly in our faces at the forefront of our society. Regardless of sex education curriculums and debates about possible changes, children and teenagers are still learning everything they think there is to know about sex from very early on in their young lives. However, without responsible adults instructing them on the facts about sex, there are more likely to treat sex in a cavalier and offhanded fashion. According to Anna Quindlen’s essay Sex Ed, the responsibility of to education children about sex is evenly distributed between teachers and parents.
Sex can be traced back as far as Adam and Eve, the first two people on this planet. Today, all age groups encounter things associated with sex, but it is not a problem that concerns everyone. The problem that has been at hand for more than thirty years is should sex education classes be offered in Public Schools? (1.Teaching Fear; 1996)
encompasses sexual development, reproductive health, interpersonal relationships, affection, intimacy, body image, and gender roles.” Sex education discusses important aspects of reproduction, sexuality, and just growing up in general in a physical and emotional sense. One would have to wonder though; does sex education actually serve its purpose? Does it enlighten teens enough about sex and the consequences, to the point where you can actually tell the difference between those who are sexually educated and those who are not? According to a study done bye Coyle (1999) sex education no matter where, at home or in school, and no matter the program does indeed help decrease the amount of teens having unsafe sex. Based on information from that same study about 3 million teenagers a year get an STD, and roughly 10% of adolescent females ages 15-19 get pregnant every year unintentionally. In an article from The Alan Guttmacher Institute (1999) there has been a 20% drop in female pregnancies between n 1990 and 1997 and the drop has continued, they have stated that the reason for this i...
...pe of sex education have the highest birth rates among teens. . Also indisputable is the increase economic drain in treating teenage pregnancy and sexually transmitted disease in a country already overwhelmed by debt. In my opinion I firmly believe preventative education is a must, the statistics speak for themselves school age teenagers are sexually active. Which makes it a social responsibility to assist them in understanding the means to minimize the risk that entails. "sticking our head in the sand" and saying it does not exists is simply socially irresponsible.
This curriculum focuses on teaching young people that they have sexual rights, which include saying no, and only doing what they feel is comfortable when they feel it’s comfortable. In addition, this curriculum takes a look at gender norms, sexual orientation, dating violence, as well as the rights and responsibilities that come along with both intimate and friendly relationships. Rights-based curriculum also goes into detail and takes a look at what happens if someone was to contract a sexually transmitted disease (STD), HIV, or become pregnant. The curriculum completely deviates away from the traditional sex education topics, giving students a more comprehensive and complete idea about their bodies, without sugar coating the truth due to the fear of rejection and controversy
Across the country, sexual education classes take on varying forms. Some schools only teach about abstinence, eliminating critical information about student safety and well-being, leaving them at risk for sexually transmitted diseases, unplanned pregnancy, and dating and relationship violence. Others teach comprehensive sex education (CSE), a holistic approach to sex education that gives youth the proper foundation to make the choices right for them. CSE includes the expected content on pregnancy and STD prevention, but it also teaches about violence prevention, healthy relationships, diversity, and self-advocacy. Comprehensive sexual education is the best way to prepare youth not only for a healthy and positive relationship with sexuality
In the United States, there is a rising problem that is not going anywhere anytime soon, that is if we, as citizens, don 't change it. This problem is causing billions of dollars and people 's futures all because schools would rather teach ignorance than the truth. What’s the problem? Sex education. Although sex education may not seem like a rising conflict, it is actually one of the top controversial topics in our country regarding education. According to Brigid McKeon, “Each year, U.S. teens experience as many as 850,000 pregnancies, and youth under age 25 experience about 9.1 million sexually transmitted infections (STIs)” (McKeon). This number is so unbelievable to any sane person, but somehow schools still won 't take the initiative to teach realistic sex education. Sex education can be taught in two different procedures- comprehensive or abstinence only. The difference between the two methods is that comprehensive sex education teaches abstinence as a secondary choice, so that teens who decide not to wait are well educated on how to keep themselves protected. Comprehensive sex education should be required in every single public school because it is the most effective method on how to keep teenagers well informed and prepared.
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.
This provides a chance for adolescents to engage in interactive discussion with each other. Some of their peers may ask questions that others are afraid to ask or questions that may have not been brought to their attention. For example, inside a classroom many adolescents are taunted because they do not know a particular slang term for sex such as “smash” or “knocking boots.” Interactive discussions among their peers provide a sense of comfort and universality. Different misconceptions of sex are most likely to surface during these discussions, and teachers will have the opportunity to address and correct any false beliefs and misconceptions. All the students will be provided with the same basic information about sex, reproductive systems, and reproduction, which will eliminate myths and help the students effectively practice what they have learned. This leads to the next benefit of sex education in school which is promoting healthy
Having comprehensive sex education in the schools gives teens safe place to discuss these issues in fact it has been shown that. Seeing that some teens are shy about asking the important questions from their parents, and the parents themselves are not always comfortable or brave enough to answer these questions which can be harmful the child. Having this be taught at the schools wil...
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...
The need for sex education is very questionable in today’s society. An article by Pamela DeCarlo, from the Centre for AIDS Prevention Studies, discusses why sex education is needed in schools. She asks why education on this subject is needed and if will help or hurt today’s children. Her view of the issue is that kids do need to have education to help to protect them but that it isn’t enough to prevent them from receiving STD’s and becoming pregnant. “Knowledge alone is not enough to change behaviors.” DeCarlo also says that, “Programs that rely mainly on conveying information about sex or moral precepts-how...
“Forty-one percent of teens ages 18-19 said they know nothing about condoms, and seventy-five percent said they know nothing about the contraceptive pill” (Facts on American Teens). Even if schools taught just abstinence it still would not be enough. “In 2007, a study showed that abstinence only programs have no beneficial impact on the sexual behavior of young people” (Facts on American Teens). Sex education is not taken as seriously as it should be in schools, it is treated like it is not a big deal. Schools should require a sex education class that specifically teaches students about sex and goes into depth of all the possible consequences because of the high pregnancy, abortion, and virus rates.
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).