Persuasive Essay On Sex Education

While sexual education is mandatory in almost all secondary schools across Australia, the level of depth at which it is taught varies throughout every school. Many highly important areas of sex ed, such as learning about consent, contraceptive options and violence in relationships, are less commonly taught in high school, with puberty typically being the prime topic taught in PDHPE lessons instead. But when we look at the increase in things such as sexual assault, sexual violence, Sexually Transmitted Infections and teenage pregnancy among today’s youth, we must wonder why such imperative subjects to educate teenagers on are discussed so minimally.

Human sexuality can be fascinating, complex, contradictory, and sometimes frustrating. Sexuality is interwoven into every aspect of being human; therefore, having knowledge about sex is as essential as having education about human anatomy. However, it is highly recommended to pay close attention when sex education is delivered to youths. (Donatelle 171)

Did you know that 24 states in the US require their public schools to teach sex education and HIV education to their students (NCL.org)? Do they even need to understand sex or STDs? Well of course not. That’s why schools should not even teach these students sex because it’s just going to be too much for the high school students’ young mind, sex education will definitely motivate the students to have sex—regardless of their sexuality--, and it’s up to their not so busy parents to explain sex—and all its glory—to their children who are attending high school.

I think it is safe to say that no two words elicit more feelings of concern, anxiety, and anger in parents, and stirs up more controversy and debate than the words “sexual education”. This especially true with the implementation of the new, revised sexual education curriculum in Ontario schools. Consequently, this controversy has strongly divided individuals, families, and organizations between those who approved of and those who opposed and protested against school-based programs that providee sexual health education to children. But why so much opposition? This is due to the significant changes made to the sexual education curriculum and the sensitive nature of the topics being taught to children regarding sexuality as a whole, changes which are seen as both radical and “even more explicit and more age-inappropriate than before…” (“Ontario’s Radical,” n.d.).

One of the main reasons for high rates of teenage pregnancy in the U.S. is the continuation of ineffective abstinence based education (Bell, 2009) and not allowing teenagers to make abortion related decisions. In the U.S. Eighty two percent of the teenage pregnancy is unintended and 37 % of total unintended pregnancies result in abortion. Teenagers choose to abort babies because of shame, staying focused on career, unstable financial status to support babies and not getting emotional and economic support from parents. Twenty two percent of pregnant teenagers choose not to tell their parents (ACLU, 2001).

As Coach Carr from Mean Girls once said, "Don't have sex, because you will get pregnant and die! Don't have sex in the missionary position, don't have sex standing up, just don't do it, OK, promise? OK, now everybody take some rubbers. . . . At your age, you're going to have a lot of urges. You're going to want to take off your clothes, and touch each other. But if you do touch each other, you *will* get chlamydia... and die." While Coach Carr is supposed to be a satirical representation of the average abstinence-only high school sex education teacher, many real sex ed. classes are run similarly to his. The idea that high school students should only be taught abstinence-only sex education has been a debate since it was legally established

“Arizona is rated the fourth highest state for teen pregnancy for ages 15-19 years old. For every 1,000 girls 70 teens are pregnant. Also, Arizona is ranked 16th highest state for syphilis, as well as 11th highest state for chlamydia. In the state of Arizona, 406 people out of 100,000 have reported consuming an STD. The average national rate of STD cases reported for every 100,000 people is 348” (Innes). From the look of these statistics the state of Arizona has a problem with teen pregnancy and STD’s. Lowering these rates will not only help the economy, but as well as help the lives of the younger generation. A proven way to lower these terribly high rates is sex education. Sex education not only informs students of the consequences from

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

Many people believe that sex education is a taboo topic but it is far from that it is a topic that is very important and impactful to one's life and it plays a huge step in how children will grow up. A child is an adult when they can understand about sexual education and how they can fully protect themselves against it. I believe that an adult that understand this are prepare to protect them and their love ones. Because sometimes parents underestimate the importance of it, and because religion makes teaching it inaccurately. Signs such as a child having the knowledge of contraceptives and how sex is an act of love is signs of a child blossoming to a young adult with far more knowledge in sexual education than their previous self. I believe that is something as important as this should be taught in school.

“Don't have sex, because you will get pregnant and die! Don't have sex in the missionary position, don't have sex standing up, just don't do it, OK, promise? ” (Mean Girls). When thinking about sex-ed this quote is normally what one thinks of. For some teenagers in the American public school system, this lesson from Coach Karr was the gist of their sexual education in high school. Remain abstinent, but if you don’t listen to us, here are some condoms. There will always be those who try to force their ideas down your throat, Mormons, kiosk workers, vegans, Sex Ed enthusiasts; so where do we draw the line on what information should be taught as common knowledge? Making Sexual Education a mandatory standard completely discredits the idea of what public education is about, and therefore, must remain an optional program. The indoctrination of sex to children undermines the rights of parents by forcing a highly personal conversation in the impersonal setting of a classroom. Enforcing mandatory sex education would be no different than the state preventing people from honoring their personal religious obligations.

It is evident by this list that there are distinct differences in the topics emphasized in Louisiana and in California. The most noticeable differences regarding the percentage of schools that emphasize certain sex education topics are the efficacy in condom use, the importance of using condoms accurately, and how to correctly use a condom. This is arguably a major public health issue because these topics are crucial to encourage healthy sexual behaviors and it has been long established that consistent and proper condom use can reduce the risk of HIV and STD transmission (JAMA network). More specifically, according to the World Health Organization (WHO), proper condom use can reduce the risk of HIV infection by about 80% (WHO, 2009). As the average age of sexual debut in the United States is about 17 years old, it is crucial that youth learn about the importance of consistent and correct condom use as a way to prevent HIV and STD infection (Santelli, 2006). One could argue that Louisiana is an anomaly regarding their high adolescent HIV and STD rates. However, studies have shown that of the states that choose to implement abstinence-based sex curricula, many of those states are in the south, such as Mississippi, Alabama, and Texas, and tend to have high adolescent HIV and STD rates (citation needed). Therefore, there is arguably, a relationship between the type of sex education curricula and adolescent HIV and STD rates.

Faces blush, pupils cringe and minds zone out as the teacher brings out the ‘red’ box. The contents inside so horrifying that it makes even the most intrepid of learners escape from the classrooms. What is the fuss all about? It’s sex education - of course – the funniest and most pointless lessons. Yes, boys, you will learn how to put a condom on a plastic penis, and yes girls we will discuss your periods because we have to… sound familiar? It seems like teachers are forced to put up with this and in all honesty, a middle-aged married women with two kids teaching such a subject shouldn’t bother. The reality is your children know more than you think they do. Your young innocent angels have passed the age of holding hands, now love to them is more than romance, to which the middle-aged teacher is oblivious to. Children are having sexual experiences and the lack of understanding is dumbfounding.

Equality is a general issue with our world, whether it’s based upon your religion, sexuality, or gender. These factors go into sex education, which makes it difficult for some minorities to learn about their bodies. People such as LGBT citizens don’t learn about homosexuality, and how they can keep safe during sex. Women don’t learn about pregnancy preventatives, such as birth control and Plan B. No matter of the teacher’s political view, they should teach the students everything they need to know about abortion. Sex education seems to be a laughing matter to adolescents all around America, even though topics such as pregnancy prevention, abortion, and homosexuality are being completely ignored. If these topics aren’t taught, teen pregnancy will become even more common.

Sex education should be increased in schools. Nearly one million women under the age of 20 get pregnant each year. That means 2800 women get pregnant each day. If students are educated about the effects sex has on their lives, it lessens their chance of having children at an early age. Knowledge about sex can also lessen the chance of kids receiving STDS.

from an early age, and continuing the education throughout their teen years, students are aware of their choices and more importantly, aware of how to protect themselves.