Comprehensive Sex Education

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

All three of these sex educators also spoke to different elements that make the current high school sex education system damaging to its students. Ms. Corrado related: " I think one of the big things is fear mongering around STIs. Which leads to higher incident rates instead of actually reducing incident rates, because fear will not actually stop them from "doing it", but it just leads to people not knowing safer sex techniques and not knowing they are transmitting [STIs].” This supports the CDC report mentioned earlier, about the increasing number of students engaging in sexual activity and becoming infected with STIs, despite being in abstinence-based programs. For Ms. Basler-Francis the main issue was something else entirely: she believes

Comprehensive sexuality education has always been a focal point of the debate across the United States. Any topics related to sexuality education would make tremendous amount of people feel embarrassed and uncomfortable because sex education is fallaciously perceived as a stigma of the society on an increase rate of unintended pregnancy, the outbreak of sexual transmitted diseases, and other social ethical issues. From a U.S. review, however, “the overwhelming weight of evidence shows that sex education that discusses contraception does not increase sexual activity.” The understanding of sex education not only covers simply a part in reproduction, or how babies are conceived and born but also helps the teenager to have some basis understanding of virtually every aspect of sex by the time he or she reaches full maturity, and more importantly, it encourages confidence and improves communication skills, the social issues surrounding sexuality and reproduction as well as cultural norms, family

According to the Journal of Adolescent Health, “when comparing adolescents who reported receiving a comprehensive sex education with those who received an abstinence-only education, comprehensive sex education was associated with a 50% lower risk of teen pregnancy;” and “abstinence-only education did not reduce the likelihood of engaging in vaginal intercourse.” A sexually active teenaged girl that does not utilize contraception has a ninety percent chance of becoming pregnant within a year. Three out of ten American girls will get pregnant at least once by the age of twenty with nearly 750,000 teen pregnancies each year (Do Something). A great percent of these annual pregnancies are not the fault of the students directly involved, but rather the ignorance placed onto them by an abstinence only curriculum. According to Columbia University researchers, virginity pledge platforms increase pledge-takers’ risk of pregnancy. The study determined that 88 percent of pledge-takers instigated sex prior to marriage. Pledge-takers were less expected to use contraception when they did commence in sex (McKeon). If these young adults do not know how to protect themselves, while being taught that sex is a wrongful act out of wedlock and going against basic human nature, then they cannot protect

More than 20 million cases of teen pregnancies and STD’s appear in one year. Comprehensive sexual education is a form of sexual education that teaches students about reproduction health, contraception, childbirth, and sexually transmitted diseases. Schools that have sexual education usually teach abstinence-only methods so students are not being informed on how to avoid the risks of sex if they decide to become sexually active. The average age for people to become sexually active is 17 so there are many pregnant teens or teens with an STD because they are not being informed on how to protect themselves. Comprehensive sexual education is extremely helpful because it can prevent negative effects of sex.

The debate surrounding sex education in America’s public schools system has been a heated one, especially since the early days of the 1980’s and identification of AIDS. The misinformation that surrounded AIDS in those days is still prevalent in the arguments that are being used to promote abstinence only sex education in the American public school system. In this paper you will be introduced to three of the key abstinence only until marriage sex education supporters. You will learn what they are basing their platforms on and you will see it contrasted to the comprehensive sex education programs that are proposed and supported by many educators, medical professionals and child advocates.

There is much controversy over which form of sex education should be taught, comprehensive sex education, or abstinence-only sex education. The definition for comprehensive sex education is responsible and balanced sexuality education that seeks to assist young people in understanding a positive view of sexuality, provide them with information and skills about caring for their sexual health, and help them acquire skills to make decisions now and in the future. It is medically accurate and provides information about abstinence and contraceptives as tools to prevent unintended pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases. On the other hand, abstinence only sex education is a form of sex education that teaches abstinence from sex. This type of sex education promotes sexual abstinence until marriage and avoids discussion of use of contraceptives. Comprehensive sex education goes against some family morals and encourages teenagers to have sex. But abstinence only sex education does not teach students enough about sex or how to protect themselves from STDs and pregnancy. Comprehensive sex education should be mandatory in all of our nation’s schools.

I first learned about the birds and the bees by my grandmother giving me “the talk”! It was completely horrible and embarrassing at the time but in the long run it was better to know than to be completely in the dark about the situation. My parents never talked to me about sex. In middle school, I remember having to complete a comprehensive sex education program. Hopefully, sex education programs have become more effective today. I felt at the time it wasn’t a very informative program and could have used more structure. The key is to provide students/teens with as much information as possible on the subject matter.

AUTHOR BOB SMITH ONCE SAID, “IN AMERICA, WHEN WE DECIDE TO IGNORE A SUBJECT, OUR FAVORITE FORM OF DENIAL IS TO TEACH IT INCOMPETENTLY. FAMILIARITY WITHOUT TRUE UNDERSTANDING IS NOT ONLY THE BASIS OF OUR FAMILIES BUT OF OUR EDUCATIONAL SYSTEM AS WELL.” SMITH REFERS TO THE INADEQUATE SEXUAL EDUCATION OF TEENAGERS IN AMERICA. Sexual education is the instruction on issues about bodily development, sex, sexuality, and relationships. Comprehensive sex education teaches about abstinence, condoms, and contraceptives to avoid sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) and unplanned pregnancies. As well as, the skills needed to help young people explore their own values and options. Comprehensive sexual education should be taught in public schools in the United States to provide teenagers with an evidence-based approach to healthy decision making in their sexual lives.

It also teaches interpersonal and communication skills and helps young people explore their own values, goals, and options (Advocates for Youth, 2001). This method shows various ways to prevent unplanned pregnancies and ways to avoid STD’s unlike the abstinence-only education programs. Abstinence-only method finds faults within the contraceptives, which then pushes those faults into the children. This approach instills fear into children so they see all of the bad that comes with sex before marriage. Now comprehensive sex education provides values-based education and offers students the opportunity to explore and define their individual values as well as the values of their families and communities, and includes a wide variety of sexuality related topics, such as human development, relationships, interpersonal skills, sexual expression, sexual health, and society and culture (Advocates for Youth, 2001). In addition, it includes accurate, factual information on abortion, masturbation, and sexual orientation, provides positive messages about sexuality and sexual expression, including the benefits of abstinence and teaches that proper use of latex condoms, along with water-based lubricants, can greatly reduce, but not eliminate, the

For years now, there has been a controversial issue about sex education being taught in public school systems. Although sex education is considered taboo, it is necessary for it to be taught in schools because it promotes safe sex, it limits the spread of sexually transmitted disease and early teen pregnancies. Government sponsored programs such as the Abstinence-only program promotes teens to wait until marriage to have sex. But according to Planned Parenthood President Cecile Richards “abstinence-only programs keep teens in the dark and does nothing to help parents protect their children's health”. Education programs that include information about abstinence as well as contraception, healthy communication, responsible decision-making, and

Abstinence Only programs are ineffective because they are censoring and excluding important information to students. While Comprehensive Sex Education programs have been proven to be more effective. There was 1.5 billion dollars going into Abstinence Only programs when there was no funding for Comprehensive Sex Education programs until the Obama Administration proposed a budget that removed funding for Abstinence Only programs.

The girl looked down at the pregnancy test, seeing those two straight lines, almost staring into the scared eyes of the sophomore in high school. One time, one mistake, and the girl’s life would be changed forever. In order to prevent devastating situations like this from happening, students need to be properly educated. If this girl would have learned how to safely use a condom or alternate forms of birth control, this crisis may have been averted. Teenage pregnancy and STD’s can be prevented if educated properly. Since comprehensive sex education leads to declining pregnancy and STD rates, school’s sex education curriculum must incorporate a more comprehensive based focus.

Comprehensive sexual education informs students to make healthy choices regarding their health. Many students who receive an comprehensive sex education “were 50% less likely to experience pregnancy than those who received abstinence-only education” (“Comprehensive”). The majority of

Since comprehensive sex education has little funding but a plethora of support, it could be alleviated through advocates spreading awareness through the community through social media and communication to enlighten individuals on the topic. Therefore, developing a potential curriculum could become possible for local school boards to approve. Many supporters of comprehensive sex education believe that it should start from kindergarten until 12th grade. By doing so, instructors can use behavioral goals and age-appropriate language that is understandable and coherent for the respective age group. Also, there is a large amount of time to cover the necessary topics on sexuality, reproduction, sexual organs since this curriculum would occur for nearly thirteen years of the student’s life. As mentioned earlier, the state and school board direct the type