Mandatory Sex Education Classes Essay

The US teen pregnancy rate is at 72.2%, which is larger than any rate in Western European countries. Sex education can solve the problem that we see, and possibly lower that rate. It can benefit kids by informing them about everything involving sex instead of sheltering them from the truth. Abstinence-only education is the other option that is typically used, but creating a program to cover everything and not exclude some children who have different beliefs is the overall goal. This program should be offered for all students as a mandatory course because of the amount of information that is to be gained by teaching about sex, relationships, protection, STD’s, and sexual orientation.

During 1920s, U.S. schools began to incorporate sex education to their courses. A 2002 study conducted by the Kaiser Family Foundation found that “58% of secondary school principals describe their sex education curriculum as comprehensive programs provide factual information about birth control, sexual transmitted disease, and continue the message to children about waiting to have sex.” (Johannah)

Sexual education in schools has become a highly controversial topic over the past few years. Some people believe students should be taught abstinence-only education, while others believe students need the full on “sex talk”. While the sex education controversy may seem silly, it is very important that students receive the most efficient education possible. When it comes to education parents want their children to receive the most effective kind. This is also very true in terms of sex education. Sex education is very debatable right now as to whether students should be taught abstinence-only education or comprehensive sex education.

Sex education should be implemented at an early age beginning at the middle school level. A discussion of contraception, the risks of diseases, the risk of becoming an unwed teen parent and the disadvantages of not having an education will help decrease the number of teen pregnancies with future generations. Parents should not feel threatened of having their children learning about sex in class. Parents should feel empowered; it will allow their children opportunities to feel they are able to discuss future topics of sex at home to help promote

Sex education and abstinence needs to be taken more seriously in the educational system and in the homes of young adolescents. This subject is extremely important to me and is prevalent today because sex ed is an issue that many men and women fail to comprehend, whether it is sex education or abstinence. Throughout many middle schools , high schools and adulthood sex education is “sugar-coated.” When you don’t call it what it is, it seems unimportant an example is “The birds and the bees” when the bee’s get the pollen and puts it in flowers and how birds lay eggs which is pretty explanatory but not enough seriousness is being put into account. An issue that still prevails is that the school system wants students to know about it in as early as the sixth grade for preventative measures; avoidance of teenage pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases. In my experience the sixth grade is a bit too young. I was only twelve years old learning about sex education and I had no idea what was happening since they just “dropped” the subject on us all at once and did not really ease it on too us bit by bit.

As much money Texas spends on abstinence programs there still seems to be little to no change in the number of teen pregnancies. “Texas ranks number one in teenage births, costing taxpayers there over 1 billion a year, And of those 24 percent of those births are not the girl’s first delivery.(Altermann).” With 1 billion dollars currently being spent on abstinence programs percentages will remain the same if there is no change in curriculum. With that kind of money and the right programs that show actual change Texas could make a huge impact on

Sex education has always been a controversial topic, especially to the extent that it is taught to. Under the early years of the Reagan administration, the Adolescent Family Life Act was passed for abstinence-only education based on the presumption that talking about sex in school would promote sexual activities among teenagers. The two-point act was quietly passed in 1981, as it was not voted on by the House and was coded under Title XX of the Public Service Health Act. The first point was to provide at least two-thirds of funds to support pregnant teenagers, while the second point’s purpose was to use the remaining one-third or less to discourage sexual acts until marriage. Lawrence (2007) asserted that teenage pregnancy rates at the time of passing were rising, so the government wanted to stop everything all together. Since then, billions of dollars have been spent and more laws have been passed to promote abstinence-only education. Pregnancies, sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), and sexually transmitted infections (STIs) in the U.S. actually continued to rise, despite what was believed that the acts and funding could accomplish (p. 2). Though scientists and accredited researchers saw this coming, they continued with research to finalize conclusions with the majority hypothesis that comprehensive sex education would show the greatest improvement among teenage pregnancy. Comprehensive sex education

Students will be provided with scientifically accurate, curriculum based information about human development, anatomy and pregnancy. Students will learn the very basic information about contraception and sexually transmitted infections such us STIs, including HIV/AIDS. Just as a young student’ life gets more sophisticated, the risks also get higher such as heartbreak, STDs, and pregnancy. In addition, preventive solutions will also be taught regarding to safe sex practices which are paramount to vulnerability of the exposure of sexual transmitted diseases and unintended pregnancy. According to CBSNEWS, young adults those who commit romantic sex are using more contraception, and pregnancy among teenagers is down 30% over the past decade. and STDs cost the U.S health care system $16 billion every

Sex education is a major cause of arguments among parents and their school’s board of directors. Some parents argue that sex education should be taught at home or in their religious institution based upon their values. Should the public education system teach sex education to students? There has not been a solution that can be agreed upon unanimously. Sex education isn’t yet a necessity in every school but community support for it is slowly increasing. Sex education needs to be implemented in schools throughout the nation for the protection of today’s youth and further generations from the dangers of unsafe sex and to teach them to understand what sex means.

Abstinence-only sex education courses do not inform students of the functions and efficacy of contraceptives, as evidenced in a poll of 1,800 young men and women, which showed that “six in 10 underestimated the effectiveness of oral contraceptives.” (Frost, Lindberg, et al.). Unintended pregnancies from lack of understanding of contraceptives is the most prominent impact the current sex education curriculum is having. With the highest proportion of unplanned pregnancies being 98% and belonging to teenagers, the impact the improper sex education has is straightforward (Unintended Pregnancy Prevention). Unplanned teenage pregnancies can inhibit the mother’s ability to continue her education, ostracize her from society, and be a significant financial burden on, not only the mother and her family, but American taxpayers, as “teen childbearing costs . . . between $9.4 and $28 billion a year.” (Negative Impacts of Teen Childbearing). Moreover, contraceptive use, specifically condoms, are crucial in preventing the contraction of sexually transmitted diseases. Due to the fact that “nearly half of the 20 million new cases of STD's each year” are attributed to teens and young adults, the teaching of the methods of contraceptive use are not reaching the standard at which they should be (Adolescent Development and STDs). It is vital to the well-being of the students of America’s public school system that they are instructed with accurate information that will protect them from unintended pregnancies and contracting sexually transmitted

Often, sexual education can go against an individual's moral or religious beliefs. Many schools do not teach abstinence only but teach safe sex, whereas many religious groups and families do not value intercourse before marriage. Teachers may input their own beliefs or morals into the subject matter rather than stick with the facts if they are not properly trained on how to conduct a sex education course. Sex education classes are briefly focused on during a health class or physical education. This is not a long enough period to educate students on such serious material. These arguments does not take into account the fact that students will be taught on subjects such as, sexually transmitted diseases, the reproductive system, sexually and birthing issues rather than the stuff they learn through peers, television or the internet. Many of the myths learned by students about sex swill also are discussed, such as not being able to get pregnant the first time. Classes for those of a younger group are separated by gender, saving embarrassment amongst students and teachers. Teaching sex education can have a major impact on preventing unplanned pregnancy and other sexual problems in adulthood.

“While the teen birth rate is declining nationwide, that isn't the case for conservative states such as Mississippi, in which 55 out of every 1,000 teen girls gives birth. Compare that to New Hampshire, which offers comprehensive, medically accurate sex-ed: just 16 births out of every 1,000 teens” (Rudulph). In America, teens are often encouraged to postpone sex until marriage in place of being taught about sexual intercourse and the need for change is evident. Although the teen pregnancy rates have continuously been dropping each year, many states, such as Mississippi, teach abstinence in place of sex-education. As a result, students have no information on STDs and have no idea how to practice safe sex. While encouraging abstinence is not

According to the Department of Health and Human Services in 2014, 76% of US public and private high schools taught students abstinence as the most effective method to avoid pregnancy, HIV, and other STDs (American 1). In ¾ of US high schools, just saying “no” remains getting taught as the most effective way to avoid pregnancy and STDs. Abstinence programs are not effective in delaying pregnancy and STDs. If the way this program continues to be taught remains so ineffective, schools need to discontinue teaching this subject that way. If students do not know how to use a condom or how to get on birth control, teens are at an increased risk of STDs. STDs, sexually transmitted diseases, are an extremely serious issue. While some STDs, like herpes, can be cured with treatment, other STDs, like HIV, can turn into a bigger problem and lead to death. If teenagers get educated about how dangerous, and disgusting, these STDs can be, adolescents will avoid STDs at all

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

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