A Research Study On Sex Education

The role of educating students about the importance of healthy sexual relationships has fallen hard and fast on public schools. School aged boys and girls are not receiving information from their parents on what decisions they should make in regards to sex. Parents are finding this topic of conversation too taboo to breach and as a result, students are getting what little information they are receiving from school. Less then half of school aged adolescents talk to their parents about sex and abstinence (Smith, 2005).

There are many problems facing teenagers these days. None are bigger than the issue of underage sex, and all the issues stemming from it. The number of teenagers becoming sexually active, pregnant, and contracting sexually transmitted diseases are rapidly on the rise. There is no simple fix, or easy solution to this problem. Sex education should begin at home, and extend to include an effective program in schools that reinforce a clear message of abstaining from sexual activity in addition to informing students of the risks posed by engaging in sexual activity. The political, and religious dissension on this issue has resulted in a procedural stalemate preventing schools from effectively addressing the problem, and implement a

Rather than implementing these standard curriculum checkpoints as a reflection of social and scientific research just like any fundamental education program should be, these eight-points are founded upon a “values” agenda invoked by radically conservative members of Congress with the specific intent of applying these ideals using hetero-normative, homophobic, and appallingly misogynistic teaching methods. A 2004 investigation by the staff of the House Government Reform Committee revealed that many abstinence-based lessons contain “false, misleading, or distorted information”, with instructors teaching things like “pregnancy can result from touching another person's genitals”, “women who have an abortion are 'more prone to suicide'”, and “half of gay males in in the US have tested positive for HIV” (Henry A. Waxman). In addition to these falsifications, the curriculum goals are worded in a way that would explicitly disallow any information of alternative contraception methods—except for the sole purpose of emphasizing their rates of failure—while at the same time labeling sexually active teens as

Human nature has shaped and developed many different social norms in our society, however, they also create many social problems when conflicting views come under scrutinization. Sexual education in America has been problematic since the late 1900’s because there is simply a lack of it. Sexual education has transformed over a hundred years, abated by the effect of religious upbringings and conservative outlooks. However, as evolved as it is today, it is still a national issue because of the ongoing struggle of comprehensive sexual education against abstinence, and in the midst of the two, students are still not being exposed to proper sexual health.

Teens are using the internet and the media to learn about sex, if they are not getting the information from credible sources at school. The perpetuation of sexual objectification in the media can influence young adults, especially young girls. Half naked women are all over magazines, internet and television. This images along with shows such as Teen Mom, can add to the confusion and curiosity about sexual behavior. If these young students are bombarded with all of these over sexualized ideas in the media, but only are told to abstain from sex, it can cause many issues for the students. One side of society tells these students that sex is a positive act, while abstinence only programs tell them that sex is bad and to avoid

When people of today’s world turn on the television, it is easy to see why modesty is out the window. A good portion of the television shows aired have sexualized content, from sexual innuendos in jokes to portraying characters in the act. With this being a known fact, there is no doubt that sex education is important. However, schools are teaching more on the abstinence spectrum. Preaching abstinence does not teach students safe-sex practices or a clear understanding of contraception. Abstinence-only programs have the best intentions, however they are flawed due to a biased perspective.

In the United States, 61.6% of high school seniors have had sexual intercourse (Kittleson and Howard-Barr 115) and the rates of teenage pregnancy are the highest among developed nations (Weaver, Smith and Kippax 179). Despite the prevalence of teenage sexual activity, there is still wide support for abstinence only sex education programs, which teach that marriage is the only context within which it is appropriate and acceptable to have sex. These programs began in the late 1970s “as a way for conservative Christians to counter the spread of ‘comprehensive’ sex education” and have since come to receive federal funding, first from the Adolescent Family Life Act in 1981 and later from Title V, Section 510 of the Social Security Act (Greslé-Favier

There are bouncy bosoms on television, Mary Boo Peep’s seductive behavior towards Woody in Toy Story, and lyrics that promote promiscuity blaring on pop radio. The fact that sex sells is something we cannot avoid, it’s fed to us from all media outlets. Parents and caregivers have the option to shelter or to educate children on what they will face. “Many parents are rather shocked at how early I suggest they should start talking to their kids about sex,” states Hickling, “But what I also hear from parents is ‘I want to be first.’ If you want to be first, you have to make sure you’re first; otherwise, kids will get their information and attitudes from other children and the media” (Buni). While conservative abstinence-only supporters have stated “Why on Earth would you talk to your kids about sex? Kids aren’t sexual. The information is useless to them at best. At worst, it robs them of their innocence and makes them curious about sex when they shouldn’t be. Sex is a topic for adults, not teens, and certainly not little kids” (Buni). Still, over eighty percent of high schools teach abstinence as the most effective method of safe sex (HRF) and according to the National Abstinence Education Association, there is a growing body of research that confirms that abstinence-centered education decreases sexual initiation. According to conservatives, these social conventions of refraining from sexual talk would provide young people with

After addressing that abstinence-only education alienates students of various sexualities and genders, I will point out some of the possible consequences that could occur because of this to promote the importance of incorporating comprehensive sex education in middle/high schools. Specifically, I note that during “puberty is when a majority of adolescents participate in sexual encounters”. Therefore, teenaged students who do not conform into traditional heteronormative identities that learn about their reproductive health from an exclusive, heterosexual point of view, are more likely to contract STIs, HIV, and have unintended pregnancies. To prevent teens from these minority populations from facing harmful health consequences, it’s important to spread awareness on treatments, medication, contraception, and places to receive medical attention on all sexual matters.

In a busy and complicated landscape of sexuality and gender, it is generally recognized that children need instruction in how to behave. Unfortunately, the way that adults wish young people to be introduced to sexuality is governed by diverse worldviews and values, and the subject is seen as so important that this disparity leaves little room for neutrality, much less reasoned compromise. In many cases, the education of children in sexuality is regarded on all sides as a life-and-death issue, involving fundamental assumptions about the role of public and private institutions and even the very stability of society, to say nothing of the potential risks to individuals. As When Sex Goes to School puts it, there is very little within the domain of American politics and the infamous “culture wars” that is not touched by or based in the realm of sexuality and gender, and sex education is an arena where each side seeks to have its values publicly established for the benefit of students.

In a busy and complicated landscape of sexuality and gender, it is generally recognized that children need instruction in how to behave. Unfortunately, the way that adults wish young people to be introduced to sexuality is governed by diverse worldviews and values, and the subject is seen as so important that this disparity leaves little room for neutrality, much less reasoned compromise. In many cases, the education of children in sexuality is regarded on all sides as a life-and-death issue, involving fundamental assumptions about the role of public and private institutions and even the very stability of society, to say nothing of the potential risks to individuals. As When Sex Goes to School puts it, there is very little within the domain of American politics and the infamous “culture wars” that is not touched by or based in the realm of sexuality and gender, and sex education is an arena where each side seeks to have its values publicly established for the benefit of students.

Several reasons have been put forward for the various and often opposing approaches to sex education. For example, Paechter (2004) proposes that

Understanding the issues that come with sexual education in the classroom is the first step in being a comprehensive sex education advocate. To this day, we see classrooms in middle and high schools preaching about abstinence, shaming children and not being able to give proper, thorough, and informative resources and guidelines on how to approach healthy, body-positive, accessible information about sexual activity. The ideal image abstinence curriculum advocates are hoping for is all adolescents will not have sex prior to marriage, that there will be no STI’s flowing from person A to B, and that the risk of unplanned teen pregnancies will just disappear. The realistic comprehensive approach to sex education states that we are aware that no matter how many ‘do not have sex’ programs we fund and promote, there will always be the handful or more of the population who won’t follow through.

The curricula in these programs do not give students the information they need to have a healthy sexuality. 75% of teens aged 18 to 19 have little or no knowledge of the contraceptive pill, and 41% have little or no knowledge of condoms (“Abstinence-Only Education”). This means that when these teens do engage in sex, they have barely any knowledge on how to protect themselves from pregnancy and STDs. The curricula in abstinence-only education programs also reinforce harmful, sexist gender stereotypes. They often emphasize that females dislike sex and that it is their burden to help tame male’s sexual impulses. They also promote the stereotype that women are naturally submissive and sexually passive, which contributes to the social stigma regarding women’s sexuality and sexual agency. One curriculum teaches that men are sexually aggressive and lack deep emotions. These programs offer excuses for sexual violence and abuse, and validate victim-blaming attitudes. One common abstinence-only program is CBAE (Community-Based Abstinence Education), and its guidelines devalue single motherhood, encourage abstinent young people to avoid socializing with sexually active peers, and discourage contraceptive use. Abstinence-only education curricula also have detrimental effects on LGBTQ+ youth. CBAE guidelines require that abstinence-only sex education programs define marriage “only as

When someone hears the word “sex”, or talks about sex, there is usually awkwardness that follows. Sex was a topic that is not supposed to be discussed publicly. Why is something so natural illegal to discuss or educate? Today, 1 in 4 teenagers acquire a sexually transmitted disease/infection. In 2015, 13,828 youth males were diagnosed with HIV. These statistics are so high because of the insufficient amount and the lack of information being taught to teens. With the media’s lack of discretion, teens are now relying on it to learn about sex and its effects. Sex education, not abstinence, should be inclusive for everybody, regardless of sexual orientation. Not only should sex between a heterosexual couple be taught in schools, but also sex