Achieving Safe Sex In The United States

Comprehensive education teaches students about contraception, including emergency contraception, reproductive choices, LGBT issues, anatomy, and other traditional topics, including abstinence, as part of the curriculum, because of this comprehensive education is referred to by some as abstinence plus. (“Comprehensive Sex Education vs. Abstinence-Only-Until-Marriage-Programs”) Comprehensive education focuses on giving student options on how to manage if they do choose to have sex. As the average age at which Americans start having sex drops, teaching students about how to prevent or deal with sexually transmitted diseases and avoid unplanned pregnancy becomes increasingly important. (“Sex Education Promotes Understanding and Safety”) 34% of sexually active students said they didn’t use a condom the last time they had sex, which is what increases the odds of getting an STD or becoming

There is a strong need for greater access to current and evidence-based sex education in American public schools. Concurrent with access to information and education about human sexuality, schools should also be offering students safe, anonymous ways of receiving condoms. Condoms are crucial for preventing unwanted pregnancy: and it can easily be said that all teen pregnancies in the United States will be classified as unwanted. Moreover, condoms will prevent the spread of sexually transmitted diseases. When they are used properly, condoms can become lifesavers. However, adolescents are often woefully ignorant about when and how to use condoms. Few adolescents in the United States have ready access to condoms, either at home or in schools. Because of the general prudishness embedded in Bible Belt America, states like Georgia must take a strong stance on the issue. Georgia should follow suit with states like Massachusetts, who have implemented successful condom distribution programs in their schools.

College campuses have seen a rise, in the epidemic of Sexually transmitted diseases. Sexually transmitted diseases have quickly become a household name amongst Americans. The dangers and health issues related to acquiring a STD has been the reason why more attention has been brought to the STD epidemic. The reason for this attention is to hopefully, slow down the rate of STD’S amongst students. There is a very astonishing fact stated by the Agape Pregnancy Resource Center, “Nearly 80% percent of people that are infected with STD’s do not know it. ("Agape Pregnancy Resource Center") The use of condoms, knowing your status, and the practice of abstinence are very effective ways of avoiding contracting STD’s. If we do not make students

"Approximately four million teens get a sexually transmitted disease every year" (Scripps 1). Today’s numbers of sexually active teens differ greatly from that of just a few years ago. Which in return, projects that not only the risk of being infected with a sexually transmitted disease (STD) has risen, but the actual numbers of those infected rise each year as well. These changes have not gone unnoticed. In fact have produced adaptations as to how society educates its young adults about sex, using special programs, various advertising, and regulating sexual education courses in public schools. One major adaptation is the advancement and availability of

Master of Professional Health Debra Hauser states that sexual education is an essential part of the development and growth of teenagers. In her article “Youth Health and Rights in Sex Education”, MPH Hauser provides a report of teenage pregnancies and STDs incidences, which points out that each year in the United States, about 750,000 teens become pregnant, with up to 82 percent of those pregnancies being unintended. Young people ages 15-24 account for 25 percent of all new HIV infections in the U.S (Hauser). According to Hauser, “sex education teaches young people the skills they need to protect themselves”, such as the ability to recognize patterns of a toxic relationships, learning to value and have control over their bodies, understanding

We have all heard the stories about the rise in teenage pregnancies, girls dropping out of school to care for their newborns, and even those who get pregnant on purpose. This new trend is everywhere. Most parents fail to have the “talk” with their children and are left without the proper education regarding sex until its too late. With the current rates of teenage pregnancy correlated with the current rates of spreading epidemics of STD’s and HIV/AIDS, steps should be taken in an effort to aid the situation. Schools are a main source of information and education for teens, and are in a unique position that can provide adolescents with knowledgeable skills and understanding that promote sexual health. With consistent speculation surrounding

Imagine if the United States said “Okay, we’re banning driver’s Education in schools. We don’t think a sixteen year old is mentally and physically prepared to drive safely, and we don’t want to encourage that”. So of course, schools start pulling driver’s ed classes, but also say “Wait wait wait, sixteen year olds may not be ready to drive, but they’re going to anyway. Why not make it safer for them instead of putting them out on the road with no safety knowledge?” But, the country continues to say “They’re not ready so we’re not going to encourage that in schools” Sex education isn't just about pregnancy, it's about avoiding STDs and other health issues. The highest teenage STD rates are normally associated with abstinence-only education. Some STDs will cause life-long problems, and should be taught about to teens. Although there is an attempt to minimize teen pregnancy and stds, the rate of teen pregnancy is higher in the U.S. than other Western countries, Among teens aged 18–19, 41% report that they know little or nothing about condoms, and 1 in 4 teens in the US receives information about abstinence without receiving any information or instructions about birth control.

Five years ago, the Center for Controlled Disease (CDC) reported that 79.5% of college students are sexually active (The Daily Barometer Staff). Seeing that nearly all students are having sex, it seems plausible that every university would have the proper education and health resources to insure that students are being safe and smart in their activities. Declining to provide these resources is similar to letting an inexperienced driver take the wheel of a automobile. Most teens would jump at the opportunity to speed down the streets at first chance. But quickly after putting the car into drive, the excitement would soon fade as panic starts to kick in. This speeding driver, much like an uneducated sexually active college student, would not

Opposition of the Abstinence-Plus program centers around the belief that by comprehensively informing students about sex, and responsible practices, in addition to supplying contraceptives, will send a message that not only is it okay to have sex but here have a condom to do it with. In some cases, they actually suggest the importance of telling students that condoms are “ineffective and do not work“ (Teenage Sexuality 205). Over the past few decades, several attempts have been made to “scare” teenagers away from sex. “In the sex-education video No Second Chance, a young man asks the teacher what if he does not to wait until marriage to have sex. She replies, “Well, I guess you’ll just have to be prepared to die” (Talk About Sex 117). The intended message was that condoms do not work in effectively preventing HIV. This is

Half of all new human immunodeficiency virus, also known as HIV infections in the United States and two thirds of all sexually transmitted diseases (STD) occur among young people under the age of 25 (Starkman, Rajani). It’s estimated that by the end of high school, nearly two thirds of American’s youth are sexually active, and one in five has had four or more sexual partners (Starkman, Rajani). Despite these alarming statistics, less than half of all public schools in the United States offer information on how to obtain contraceptives and most schools teach "abstinence only" education (Starkman, Rajani). Even more alarmingly there is little evidence that abstinence only curriculums are successful in encouraging teenagers from delaying

The reason why high-risk sex still occurs among the well-educated reasonably affluent Americans is because in the heat of the moment they tend not to think about it. It’s more that they think about the lust and passion they’re having for the other person that is distracting their mind even if they’re knowledgeable on the subject of safe sex. I believe that people should really focus on protecting themselves from diseases by keeping protection always on you if you feel that it’s likely that you will end up in a ‘eventful’ night that day. Education plays a huge role in educating children around their teen years and above about how they can protect themselves from sexual transmitted diseases, and what they are. Studies has shown that a well implemented

How would it feel to be a 17 year old teen that is having to go home and tell their parents that they are pregnant, or that they have contracted a sexually transmitted disease (STD)? It does not sound very pleasant, does it? If teens were to have easy access to condoms these things may not be a problem. A condom is a thin latex sheath that acts as a barrier device (Bedsider, 2014). Condoms are used during intercourse as a barrier to protect from unwanted pregnancy and contracting STDs (Bedsider, 2014). Condoms are not only for use by males but there are also female variations of condoms. Some parents believe this kind of program will increase sexually activity among teens, but others believe that it only increases the use of condoms, not the number of sexually active teens. Condoms can also go against religious beliefs, such as the beliefs of Catholicism. The following are arguments why condoms should be distributed in schools: (a) having condoms easily obtained would increase use, (b) to help lower teen pregnancy rates, (c) help prevent the spread of sexually transmitted diseases among adolescents, and (d) increase condom use among teens.

Sex education in schools teach children about safe sex and contraceptive methods for teen girls. Teens learn about sex in school, and they believe it is safe to have sex if they use condoms. Sex is safer with condoms, but teens don’t realize they can be at risk for sexually transmitted diseases if the condom fail. Teens are not aware of all the ways they can get STDs. “Annually, 3 million teenagers contract STDs; STDs afflict roughly one in four teens who are sexually active” (Rector). Teens can contact STDs by oral, anal, and vaginal sex, but teens believe oral sex is safe. Children have oral sex and contract STDs because they oral sex is safe. Most males refuse to wear condoms because they take the feeling away. In high school, children are more mature and less likely to engage in sexual activity because others are doing it. Middle school children are immature, and they think it is funny to learn about sex; sex education class makes them

A few teenagers stray from the crowds by not allowing pressure and temptation to put them at risk for sexual diseases. Others enter the dangerous world of sex by engaging in sexual activities, which is normally triggered by curiosity and peer pressure. Having sex, however, does not necessary result in a person contracting a sexually transmitted disease, but the risk is higher. Using latex condoms decrease the participants’ chances of infection (Centers 1). By being aware of the benefits and proper usage of condoms, the protection for teens is in full effect. Students having knowledge and access to condoms should lead him to make the choice of protecting themselves. Consistently using condoms will allow teenagers the ability to express themselves sexually in a safer way. By using condoms, students are securing themselves from later life-changing events, like a disease that can occur if not using protection. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention identify that “latex condoms can reduce the risk of other sexually transmitted diseases”, which is why students having access to condoms and information about sex can change pregnancy and sexual infection rates among teens (2).

Coinciding with the onslaught of the new millennium, schools are beginning to realize that the parents are not doing their job when it comes to sexual education. The school system already has classes on sexual education; these classes are based mainly on human anatomy. Most schools do not teach their students about relationships, morals, respect, self-discipline, self-respect, and most importantly contraceptives. Everyday students engage in sexual activity, many of them with out condoms. This simple act jeopardizes these students' futures and possibly their lives. An increasing amount of school systems are starting to combine messages involving abstinence from sexual activity,