Importance Of Sex Education In Schools

However, controversy arises when the discussion as to what the proper method of teaching sexual education should be. In the school system of the United States sex education is taught in two main forms: abstinence-only sex education, which focuses on abstaining from sexual activity prior to marriage and does not provide contraceptive knowledge, and comprehensive sex education, which focuses on sexual health as a whole including knowledge about contraceptives and how to avoid STDs. Currently the only federally funded programs implemented in public schools are abstinence-only. But does Abstinence-only sex education work? In order to provide an answer this paper will discuss the basic principles and practices which constitute abstinence-only sex education, the proponents argument for abstinence-only sex education and how abstinence-only education affects teen pregnancy and STD

Sexual education teaches adolescents about the use of birth control, their bodies, STD’s, and pregnancy. Due to the awareness of sexual education, adolescents are more careful about sexual intercourse. The pregnancy rate has reached the lowest in modern era between 1990-2010. It declined to 51% pregnancies per 1000 females ages 14-19 to 57.4%. This is the lowest recorded since 1973. Sexual education was not offered in schools until 1983 and many people had close to no knowledge about the options. Even though teens today are aware of their options today, they do not take proper precautions.

In an article entitled, “Comprehensive Sex Education for Teens is More Effective than Abstinence only programs,” from the American Journal of Nursing, emphasized that there is a need for qualified sex educators to provide sex education to students in secondary schools. The article highlighted that the current laws, on sex

“Sex Education Has Succeeded” article by William Finger argues that sex education programs have been an achievement for youths on safe sex. Sex education has increased the knowledge on youth’s on taking better decisions about sex. He mentions that it helps youth make better decisions about sexual activities and for those who are not sexually active it delays intercourse. It reduces pregnancy rates and STD rates. This article is prescriptive issue because the author is stating that sex education is a success and we should continue providing this programs to the youth so they can be informed and have knowledge of sex education.

Secondly, when sexual education is taught in schools there are fewer health consequences. Teenagers are curious and thus, will not understand the effects that sex can have emotionally, physically and psychologically. Teen pregnancy is a disquieting reality for many teens. Not surprisingly, as pregnancy has a large impact on adults, but how much more so for naive teenagers? Sexual education empowers teens by providing them with solutions to epidemics such as teen pregnancy. In fact, pregnancy rates decrease when teenagers are being taught comprehensive sexual education. According to SIECUS.org, “comprehensive sex education [is] associated with a 50% lower risk of teen pregnancy”. This is because sexual education programs teach about contraceptives and birth controls. Some parents do not teach their children about

Several educational programs provide students with information about to prevent an unwanted pregnancy. As the author of The effectiveness of school-based sex education programs in the promotion of abstinent behavior: a meta-analysis added “Even though abstinence is a valued outcome of school-based sex education programs, the effectiveness of such interventions in promoting abstinent behavior is still far from settled”. In addition, as much as school would like to prevent teen pregnancy is up to the younger girls to decide. One of the programs about sex education is teaching students to abstain from having sex. The safest way to avoid any sexual transmitted diseases or unwanted pregnancy is by teaching students to refrain from sexual activities. In most cases parents would want that the sexual education programs offered in school teach students to avoid having sexual relations until older or married. As stated in the article Abstinence-Only Education: Are abstinence-only sex education courses effective? that “by stressing discipline, self-control, and self-respect” the “abstinence-only programs build character in students”.

Comprehensive sex education gives people the knowledge to make responsible choices about sexual relationships. It consists of age appropriate, medically accurate content about sex, puberty, contraceptive use, and human development. In many forms, it can be categorized as a helpful way to teach young children about choices they can take in order to prevent many sexually transmitted diseases, teenage unwanted pregnancy, and delay sexual intercourse. On the dark side, comprehensive sex education can arise many controversies and disagreements between people with distinct cultural and religious views, and the person that should take responsibility in teaching young people. In this paper I will discuss the positive and negative sides on teaching comprehensive sex education in schools.

Sex education is on issues identifying with human sexuality, including human sexual life systems, sexual propagation, sexual action, regenerative wellbeing, passionate relations, conceptive rights and obligations, sexual restraint, and contraception. Numerous gatherings of individuals accept that in terms of sex education, the cons exceed the pros, for one extremely straightforward reason. They accept, without question, that their children ought not to be presented to something as unrefined as sex, in their school days on the grounds that their religion does not allow it. It goes against their religious convictions and suppositions, and they don't acknowledge it, on standard. Normal methods for sex education are parents or guardians, formal school projects, and public wellbeing crusades. Generally, teenagers in numerous societies were not given any data on sexual matters, with examination of these issues being viewed as unthinkable. Such direction as was given was customarily left to a youngster's parents, and frequently this was put off until just before a kid's marriage. In this paper I will examine the sex education in the public

Over the decade, the teen pregnancy rate in America has gone down as well transmission of sexual transmitted diseases, or STDs (Cite), while the use of contraceptives, such as condoms and birth control has gone up. Sex education is an important lesson in the United States school system. A powerful and successful program will inform students on how to prevent the transmission of STDs, pregnancy and to recognize and understand the signs of abuse in a relationship.

As children grow, they accumulate knowledge over the years about a variety of subjects to prepare them for the future. Children learn from parents, schools, life experiences, what they watch and other influences around them, and it can be either positive learning or negative learning. There is one subject that is difficult to teach and have control over because of misunderstandings, lack of teaching, and publicity. Sex education has been a major debate for children under eighteen, because there are some parents that want it taught in schools and others that do not because of different reasons. There are currently eighteen states and the District of Columbia that require schools to provide sex education and thirty-two that do not require

Talking to young people about sex will not encourage them to experiment sexually. Instead, it will educate students on the dangers of having unprotected sex and actions to keep themselves safe (AVERT.org, n.d.). For instance, sex education in schools will teach students the various birth control methods. It is important to teach students the use and the cost of birth control as well as the suitable health condition to use a birth control method (Epigee Women’s Health, n.d.). The aim here is not to encourage students to be involved in sexual activities but to prevent unwanted pregnancy among adolescents and school going children. Statistics from the World Health Organization (2012) reported that pregnancy and other childbirth related problems is the number one killer of young women. Most youngsters stated that they did not know that there are ways to prevent pregnancy in the first place. Thus, it is important to keep children educated about their sexuality so that they will not get themselves into tough situations at a very young age that will not only ruin their live but also put their own lives in

Sex education helps people gain information, skills and motivation to make healthy decisions about sex and sexuality, but also helps teach about the abstinence as the best method for avoiding sexual transmitted disease and unintended pregnancy. (What is sex education?). Research has identified highly effective sex education and HIV prevention programs that affect multiple behaviors or achieve positive health impacts. Behavioral outcomes have included delaying initiation of sex as well as reducing the frequency of sex, the number of new partners, and the incidence of unprotected sex. The most successful programs aimed at the reducing teen pregnancy are those targeting younger adolescents who are not yet seually experienced. (Sex Education can help prevent teen pregnancy.).

What would our society be like if we didn’t have sex education given to our youth to this day? If some of our public schools don’t ever teach young people about the right and wrong doings of sex or be given the information they need surely it would lead to problems. Teachers are given the great power to guide their students into a better direction by giving them the essential knowledge. Many young people don’t feel comfortable or might not possibly get the right facts from their parents. Some feel that they think it is awkward to have “The Birds and the bees talk” that they need so they should be getting this source from classes at school instead. There is relevant evidence that sex education serves a great importance in our society and it has a big influence on the youths’ future.

In our culture, sex is a taboo subject and our youth is an example of the effects of sexual ignorance. Sexual education in schools is often responded with apprehension from parents because the line between sexual education and lechery can easily be crossed, especially with minors. Sexual education is sex education about sexuality, contraception, prevention of sexually transmitted diseases, and attitudes and principles about sex. Currently, the United States has the highest rate of teenage pregnancy and abortion compared to other western countries. Interestingly, the United States has the weakest sexual education curriculum compared to developed European countries. On the same note, cases of rape are staggering in the US, a result of sexual misinformation about consent. Teenage misinformation about sex is on the rise due to the increasing accessibility of inappropriate sources for sexual education that distort sexual behavior, like pornography. A sexual education class can help dispel myths surrounding sex. Therefore, the underlying question is – should sexual education be required in public schools, without the option to opt-out? Sexual education should be obligatory rather than optional in schools because schools are a safer and reliable source for sex information, sexual education can reduce teen pregnancy, and it can protect children and educate teenagers about proper practices and social views regarding consent and child sexual abuse.

One way sex education is beneficial in schools is it helps in minimizing early teen pregnancy rates. Teenage pregnancy is unbridled in today’s society hence sex education teaches the students the importance use of utilizing different contraceptive techniques. Unfortunately, there are a lot of teenagers who are sexually active and are involved in sexual relationships. Therefore, it is imperative for teens to be equipped with vast information on how to handle their sexual relations responsibly by applying assorted contraceptive techniques. If the students were well conversant on the topic of sex education, they would know the causes of pregnancy and ways to prevent it until the time comes for them to be ready to start a family. Possessing this knowledge does not mean that they would not experiment