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)

Sex education has been a hot debate topic for decades with people coming down on all sides of the argument. Should schools have sex ed, which is a class or session that educates kids on sexually transmitted diseases, birth control and the risk of pregnancy? Should they instead focus on abstinence from sexual intercourse instead of education on making teenage intercourse safe? Which is right? Both? Neither? Well, according to many worldwide studies, sex ed isn’t as effective as many would hope. This is especially true in the case of traditional sex education and how it relates to teen pregnancy numbers.

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.

Sex education, arguably one of the most controversial topics to surface in American politics over the past half century, poses a complicated problem to citizens and lawmakers alike. Following the AIDS epidemic and spike in teen pregnancy in the 1980s, lawmakers and educators began drafting and implementing more sex education classes and courses in public schools in an attempt to remedy the ever-growing issue. While few object to the idea in itself, the method and content of its teaching is highly controversial. Should we teach abstinence or safe sex? How early should children be exposed to this material? How effective are these classes? These are just a few questions surrounding the issue, which are often disputed.

Sexuality is one of the most powerful and universal forces for human-kind. Whether before or after marriage, everyone engages in it at one point in their lives. Unlike calculus, sex education is something you are going to use in the future. When I took a class survey, most of you either agreed or strongly agreed that sex education was important for teens to learn about. However, many people in America, specifically parents, believe that sex education should not be taught in schools and boycott any measures to educate teens. These people have led me to create this speech. I am up here today to persuade the audience that a fundamental lack of comprehensive sex education can lead misinformation, teen pregnancies, and negative views about sex.

1. Sex education should be taught in school for students to learn how to protect themselves against STDs and unwanted pregnancies.

This is a familiar story that far too many young people go through every day. If she would have received more education about sex and pregnancy prevention, would this story have had a different outcome? We will never know, but can educate other young girls to prevent them from following in her footsteps. To accomplish this, we must incorporate comprehensive sex education into our school’s curriculum nationwide; that way the largest population of students possible is reached to ensure that they will have accurate information about protection and pregnancy prevention.

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

In this paper I will address virginity, first sexual experiences, sex education in public schools, and abortion. The first two topics, virginity and first sexual experiences, coming from a personal perspective as well as some credible sources. I will also include the historical aspects of virginity, the creation and use of the concept, and why it’s in our society. The last topic is my concern for the lack of sex education in public schools and mentioning the harm of abstinence only sex education and the importance to provide comprehensive education for our youth for protection and lifelong sexual satisfaction. I will also include my experience with sex education and how limited or censored topics can be detrimental to children by second-guessing their understanding of necessary and critical sexual information.

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.

Many argue that a person’s sex and gender can be changed or up to that person. Times have changed where people can now change body parts and look almost exactly like the opposite sex. The thing is, gender and sex are not the same thing but both have different meanings which has also changed throughout the years. I will be refuted on why sex cannot be change but gender can.

The majority educational facilities require the enrollment of middle school or early high school students in a necessary health class educators teach students about all of the “horrible” events that will happen to them if they have sex. Sexual education should not scare adolescents out of participating in sexual activities, it should teach them about their bodies and their bodies abilities. Adolescents are curious and some even become curious before they hit middle school. It is not worth it to bear the risk of not teaching the teenagers the safe way to perform a sexual activity in order to not corrupt their innocent minds. Teaching adolescents to avoid sex all together is only giving them additional drive to find out what it is like themselves. Therefore, sexual education is important in order to prevent unwanted pregnancies and sexually transmitted diseases, to allow the adolescent to learn about their body, and to give the adolescent the knowledge needed to make educated judgements about participating in sexual activities.

Sex education is something that is often overlooked in educational institutions. For the developing student, they need to understand the importance and dangers of sex education. Shelby Knox, a native of Lubbock, Texas, realized that her high school was plagued with STD’s and accidental teenage pregnancies as a result of complete lack of sex education in her school. As chronicled in her documentary “The Education of Shelby Knox,” it follows her journey pushing for reform in her school system for sex education.

Sex education is more than just teaching about sexual behaviours, and can be a very beneficial class when taught correctly. Sexual education should begin at home, and parents should be the primary instructors of sex education for their children. However, teachers play a crucial role in a child’s understanding of health and sexuality. Through increased knowledge or resources available, different topics, increased comfort in teaching, and lesson planing skills, the teacher can be set up for a successful teaching environment for sexual education. There are many myths and misconceptions about sex, thus teachers providing accurate information about sex education, can give the children the tools they need to make healthy choices regarding their bodies and sexuality throughout their lives.