Pros And Cons Of Sex Education

Texas currently does not have mandated sexual education for students. In a deeply conservative state, sexual education is extremely taboo because many parents feel as though sexual education can promote sexual activity in young adults. When tracking the history of sexual education in Texas, it is evident that there is an overwhelming amount of programs that encourage abstinence as the only method of contraception. Although Texas does not require sexual education to be taught, it does have limitations as to what can be taught. Legally, sexual education programs have to stress abstinence as the primary method of contraception. When taught, it is not legally required that medically accurate information about contraception be taught. In addition to this, there is no law requiring sexual education to be culturally appropriate or unbiased and it is perfectly legal to promote religion while providing sexual education. Parents must be notified and have the option to refuse to suscept their child to sexual education. Additionally, any sexuality other than heterosexuality must be portrayed in a negative light in Texas as Texas law prevents sexual education from being inclusive of LGBTQ people. In 2014, Texas received over $5.1 million dollars in federal funding to

These programs focus on teaching teens and youth to just say no. These programs are so focused on keeping teens ignorant about sex and conforming to standards of heteronormativity, that according to Planned Parenthood, they purposely exclude information on “…birth control, safer sex and sex orientation” (“Planned Parenthood: Implementing Sex Education”, n.d.). As Planned Parenthood also states, although abstinence is the only method that fully prevents pregnancy and STDs (“Planned Parenthood: What is Abstinence?”, n.d.), the belief that abstinence education is sufficient in guiding decisions on sexual behavior is erroneous. According to the Texas Freedom Network, sex education in the state of Texas can be broken up into two subcategories of abstinence education; “Abstinence-only 74.6% (Abstinence Programs: 27.2%, Textbook only: 47.4%), Abstinence Plus: 25.4% (Worth the Wait 19.5%, Big Decision: 4.1%, Other Programs: 1.8%)” (TFN, 2011). The lack of informed discussion prevents young women from having the knowledge to make informed decisions about their sexual health, and thus limits their reproductive

In 2005, nearly half of all high school students have had sexual intercourse. Plainly stating that abstinence programs do not work (USA Today). Abstinence programs were beneficial many years ago, but since they are ineffective in delaying teen pregnancy, then teen pregnancy rate has increased. Abstinence programs teach the “no sex until marriage” clause, but they don’t teach teens about birth control and the consequences of having sex at before they’ve matured. Although many studies argue that abstinence programs are educational and beneficial, other studies will show that they don’t delay teen sex, they don’t prevent the spread of Sexually Transmitted Diseases (STDs), and are a waste of taxpayers’

The constant pressure that the Texas government apply on the teenage population about sex before marriage makes them think that their only solution when a teenage girl gets pregnant is abortion. Abortion is legal and accessible in Texas, and the majority of Texas metropolitan areas have abortion clinics. This kind of education would work better if the state chooses to teach about contraception methods, and the importance of abstinence. The only proven method for reducing pregnancy and sexually transmitted disease, the studies say, is to combine the abstinence message with one that teaches young people how to protect themselves against pregnancy and disease . However, the state opposes to teach about contraception because they do not want to give the impression that the state supports premarital sex. This conclusion from the Texas government is completely awful, because if the state teaches the teenage population about the importance and usage of contraception methods many teenage pregnancies could be prevented. Contraception can be extremely effective at preventing unwanted pregnancies when it is used consistently and correctly. Abstinence only is not a realistic approach for everyone, because what about those teenagers that have been sexually assaulted

Multiple factors influence the rate of teen pregnancy. Some of the most important factors influencing pregnancy rates are socioeconomic status, education, and family income. With low socioeconomic status and income, parents may not always be present in their children’s lives in order to educate them on sex. School districts, then, take on the responsibility to educate teenagers on sexual intercourse and safe practices, but some fail. Stanger-Hall, K. F., & Hall, D. W. provided statistics showing that while many schools push abstinence-only programs, they show little to no positive impact on preventing teen pregnancies (Stanger-Hall, K. F., & Hall, D. W. (n.d.)). While abstinence may work for some, it is not realistic to believe that all teens will abide by it. Teens need a comprehensive sexual education with emphasis on safe sex practices, which is where Be Safe, Not Sorry comes into play. The comprehensive program will cover all

Sex education for American youth has been a topic of discussion across the nation since the early 1980s. Teen pregnancies and sexually transmitted disease are two major problems throughout the U.S.. Sexually transmitted infections have been an ongoing problem for American people since World War I. To combat the growing teen pregnancy and STI rates, the U.S. established organized sex education. Since sex education has been integrated in schools across the nation, it has been heavily influenced by religion. The federal government has funded abstinence-only education programs for over a quarter century. Abstinence-only

Since the HIV/AIDS epidemic began in the U.S. in the early 1980s the issue of sex education for American youth has had the attention of the nation. There are about 400,000 teen births every year in the U.S, with about 9 billion in associated public costs. STI contraction in general, as well as teen pregnancy, have put the subject even more so on the forefront of the nation’s leading issues. The approach and method for proper and effective sex education has been hotly debated. Some believe that teaching abstinence-only until marriage is the best method while others believe that a more comprehensive approach, which includes abstinence promotion as well as contraceptive information, is necessary. Abstinence-only program curriculums disregard

Clemmitt (2010) states that currently the most effective approach to prevent teenage pregnancy is evidence-based sex education programs. The primary debate about the best method of preventing teenage pregnancy is between abstinence-only courses and comprehensive sex education. The author says that after operating comprehensive sex education, the Obama approach, many communities and county areas have drastically reduced the rate of teenage pregnancy. Studies and statistics suggested that abstinence-only courses have not contributed to reduce teenage pregnancy rates. The author points out that the abstinence-only courses also include sexually transmitted diseases classes and discussions of unhealthy relationship and making decisions, and abstinence

Schools receiving money from the government, in sponsorship of the program, must teach the students to “just say no” to sex until legally married. The schools are also not permissible to teach students safe sex and “may not mention contraception except to point out failure rates of various methods” (Brody). There are a few states that have stood up to the government and refused funds, so the state has the option to determine their own ways to teach sex education. However, 43 states still take part of the program and promote it. Millions of dollars are pulled from the government each year for the program and many schools support the abstinence-only movement. The programs have encouraging titles, such as “Teens in Control” and “ReCapturing the Vision” (Impacts). Students are greatly encouraged take virginity vows until marriage, carry an ATM card (abstinence till marriage), and conceitedly wear “purity” rings (Kelly). Programs, such as these, are used to develop a strong self-worth and to teach about the negative consequences that could occur from sexual activity, but there is a major flaw: abstinence-only programs are inefficient.

In the United States, 61.6% of high school seniors have had sexual intercourse (Kittleson and Howard-Barr 115) and the rates of teenage pregnancy are the highest among developed nations (Weaver, Smith and Kippax 179). Despite the prevalence of teenage sexual activity, there is still wide support for abstinence only sex education programs, which teach that marriage is the only context within which it is appropriate and acceptable to have sex. These programs began in the late 1970s “as a way for conservative Christians to counter the spread of ‘comprehensive’ sex education” and have since come to receive federal funding, first from the Adolescent Family Life Act in 1981 and later from Title V, Section 510 of the Social Security Act (Greslé-Favier

Programs that encourage abstinence have become a vital part of school systems in the US. These programs are usually referred to as abstinence-only or value-based programs while other programs are called as safer-sex, comprehensive, secular or abstinence-plus programs which on the contrary promote the usage of effective contraception. Although abstinence-only and safer-sex programs disagree with one another, their core values and stand on the aims of sex education is to help teens develop problem-solving skills and the skill of good decision-making. They believe that adolescents will be better prepared to “act responsibly in the heat of the moment” (Silva). Most programs that have been currently implemented in the US have seen a delay in the initiation of sex among teens which proves to be a positive and desirable outcome (Silva).

Picture a young couple being on the verge of exploring their sexual desires for the first time. The question is does this young couple have the proper education to make this life changing decision? They most likely were given their education from the school they attend. Hopefully the school taught them what they needed to know to make such a decision. Should sex education be taught at school by teachers or by the parents?

As kids, we all have our fair share of questions about the birds in the bees. In most of our cases, you probably took a class and watched a video about it and if you had any questions at the end the teacher would answer them for you. From that class, you probably learned or at least got somewhat of an idea about what’s going on to your body along with your peers around you. This information is actually, believe it or not, very vital. Over 99% of americans have sex but that doesn't mean all of them know the risks involved in the act.

In 2014, there were 249,078 babies born to teen mothers with ages ranging from fifteen to nineteen years old, and eighty-nine percent of those babies were conceived out of wedlock (trends in Teen Pregnancy).an easy way to combat teen pregnancy would be to combat teen pregnancy would to reform sexual education in high school and middles school settings. Sexual education in the school system, specifically in Tennessee, is very underfunded and not taken serious by the students or teachers. Sexual education bills in the state that are and have been previously passed contained words like "abstinence" and "sexual risk avoidance" flood the pages. Instead of preaching no sex, they should be teaching safe sex. Sexual education in Tennessee should include safe sex, birth control and information for LGBTQIA youth instead of religion-soaked abstinence lectures and pictures of sexually transmitted diseases (STD).

Could there possibly be a better solution to teach students about sexual intercourse? There are many arguments about whether or not sex education should be taught in school. Sex education should not be taught at school, because parents should teach their children about sex, it causes students to be more curious about sex, and some children are not mature enough to learn about sex. Perhaps some students could possibly have a different idea about sex if it were not taught in school. The majority of parents would prefer their child not to be required to learn the teacher's interpretation of sex, because they may have some disagreements. Schools always feel they have to teach it, because it will benefit students in a positive way, but learning about sexual intercourse in school is not always the best solution for every child, because every child is different.