Rebecca Hagelin's Argument Analysis

They see the overwhelming importance given to sexual attractiveness in the media-one study estimated that the average teenager ahs witnessed nearly 14,000 sexual encounters on television- yet they also hear their parents and religious advisers telling them that sex is wrong. As a result, many young people begin having sex without really intending to and without taking precautions against pregnancy.

Oliver’s next line sums up why we need accurate and authentic comprehensive sex education in schools: “Kids have good questions that need good answers.” Oliver goes on to deliver startling statistics such as only 22 states have laws in place to mandate sex education and with only 13 of those states requiring the curriculum being taught to be medically accurate (LastWeekTonight, 2015; Avery, Carvell, Gondelman, Gurewitch, Haggerty, Maurer, Oliver, Sherman, Tracy, Twiss, Weiner, 2015). Oliver continues to spew forth important reasons why abstinence only sex education can be detrimental to adolescence. Some abstinence only sex education programs compares people that engage in pre-marital sex as “used toothbrushes” or “chewed up gum” (LastWeekTonight, 2015; Avery et al. 2015). A video clip of Elizabeth Smart, a well-known rape survivor, discussed how detrimental abstinence only education affected her mentally because all she could think of was being a piece of chewed up gum even though it was not her choice to have sex before marriage (LastWeekTonight, 2015; Avery et al. 2015). Before signing off with a celebrity filled sex education video, Oliver articulates another quote that is difficult to argue against; “Human sexuality, unlike calculus, is something you actually need to know about” (LastWeekTonight, 2015; Avery et al.

Policies should be put in place to make the young adults better educated, in all areas of physical intimacy. Under the abstinence-only approach students are given no information about contraception, and other ways of preventing pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases. We should educate the best habits of prevention, and state that abstinence is the best way to prevent unplanned pregnancy or the spread of STD’s.

Five years ago, the Center for Controlled Disease (CDC) reported that 79.5% of college students are sexually active (The Daily Barometer Staff). Seeing that nearly all students are having sex, it seems plausible that every university would have the proper education and health resources to insure that students are being safe and smart in their activities. Declining to provide these resources is similar to letting an inexperienced driver take the wheel of a automobile. Most teens would jump at the opportunity to speed down the streets at first chance. But quickly after putting the car into drive, the excitement would soon fade as panic starts to kick in. This speeding driver, much like an uneducated sexually active college student, would not

Teenagers are notorious for being curious. Not every teenager has, but there are many who have tried drugs and alcohol despite all of the school’s and parent’s warnings. Why is sex any different? A study in 2015 reported that 41% of high school students have had sexual intercourse (Child Trends Data Bank). That number isn’t extremely concerning but what is the legitimate likelihood that all of those students were honest? Schools such as MCPS teach about contraceptives, but stress abstinence more than anything. By withdrawing information such as a minor’s rights when it comes to abortion or contraception, students could ruin their entire future. Everyone has made mistakes and has regrets, but withdrawing information from students in the hopes that they practice abstinence is not worth a student’s future. School systems should be teaching students their rights when it comes to sex.

When reading the article by Jackson and Scott, it was interesting to see the different ways that sex is portrayed in a society that so often preaches about sexual broad-mindedness. Jackson and Scott talk about how we see ourselves as sexually liberated but can’t see a child as someone that will eventually have sex. They say that this leads to a lack of education when it comes to adolescents and sexual information. Children are seen as “antithetical” being defined as special and distanced from the real world. This creates anxiety around children and young peoples access to sexual knowledge. Even parents who say that they are open with their children about sex, usually have a narrow view about what openness really is.

Teenage sexual activity has sparked an outcry within the nation. With such activity comes a high price. Studies have shown that there has been a significant rise in the number of children with sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), emotional and psychological problems, and out-of-wedlock childbearing. Sex has always been discussed publically by the media, television shows, music and occasionally by parents and teachers in educational context. Teens hear them, and as the saying goes, “monkey see, monkey do”, they are tempted to experiment with it. Therefore, it is important for every teenager to be aware of the outcome associated with premature-sex. If students are educated about the impact of

“Don't have sex, because you will get pregnant and die!” (Mean Girls). This is how most Sexual Education courses are taught to High School students in the United States, scaring students into not having sex at all and then not teaching them how to be safe about it if they decide to engage in it. Sexual Education is generally “…Instruction in the process and consequences of sexual activity, ordinarily given to children and adolescents” (“Sex Education”). Teaching students to refrain from sex is a commonly taught form of Sexual Education called abstinence. If teens are being taught abstinence why are there so many teen pregnancies in the United States? This question is discussed when it comes to what to teach to students in sexual education

“U.S. teens have the highest rate of premarital pregnancy in the industrial world” (Thio and Taylor 184). Being such a large issue in our nation, it is important to incorporate sexual education curriculum into schools. Some parents feel that teaching their children about the subject will make them want to participate in sex, but it is more important to not leave the students unaware of the consequences and facts that come with sexual activity. Parents refusing to let their children gain knowledge on the subject are forcing their children to be less aware of potential dangers that come with participating in sexual activity. Premarital sex has become more prevalent in today’s society than it has ever

Sex education is quite a controversial topic in the world of education today. The act of informing young adults about sexual orientation, sexual health, sexual reproduction and the safety precautions in order to stay safe are all things that these young adults should know, but the problem is, who should have to teach them such a controversial topic? Should parents have to overcome the uneasy and uncomfortable feelings they face when mentioning such a topic to their children, or should the responsibility of such a task be confronted by well educated individuals in the school setting? The importance of highlighting the issue of sexual education being a mandatory course necessary for young adults only grows as the pregnancy rate continues increasing, and the age of young adults facing this issue decreases.

Because condoms are available, students will be more likely to use them. They hear lectures on the importance of using condoms in state-required sexual education classes. They see the dispensers every time they walk into the bathrooms. This makes the idea of sex ever-present in their daily environment. So students will be more likely to choose to engage in “safe sex”. After that, they may start to underestimate the risk and build up the feeling of invincibility that is commonly felt among teenagers. However, even if they were to continue using condoms, “safe sex” is truly nothing more than an illusion.

Teen pregnancy is one of the most impactful, nonreversible events in a human’s life that can alter it forever. Bringing a child into the world is a blessing but at the same time it can also be a setback in the lives of teenagers who have experienced pregnancy at a young age. Sex education has been taken away from the curriculum in schools in the United States and replaced it with electives such as art, drama, dance etc. Being well educated on safe sex and the consequences that comes with poor decision making is just as important as core classes that are taught on a regular basis. I believe it will be interesting to discover the impact of sex education courses on the perspective of adolescence and how it may affect their decision in engaging in sexual activities. Several researchers analyzed data from 4691 men and women aged 15 to 19 who participated in the 2006-2008 National Survey of Family Growth (NSFG). National Survey of Family Growth young people questioning whether they received formal instruction before age 18 on "how to say no to sex" and / or "methods of birth control." Results show that sixty-six to one hundred of women's sexual experience and Fifty-five percent of men reported sexual experience that she received information about both abstinence and birth control before the first time they had sex. By sexually experienced both genders remaining nineteen percent of women and twenty-one percent of men received abstinence instruction, and sixteen percent of women and

A parent’s main concern has always been --and always will be--what is best for their child. Parents attempt to raise their children so that they can learn to make the best possible decisions in any given situation. However, is blatantly avoiding the topic of sex, simply because it may be awkward, the best choice that parents’ make for their children? The controversial issue of sex education in public schools has been a main concern in communities throughout the United States. There has been increasingly more discussion about sexual education programs and whether or not they should be included in the school’s curriculum. The truth is, if sex education is avoided in schools, teenagers—many of whom already lack expertise in the sexual

There are many states that do not provide the kind of sex education that New Jersey strives to convey to its students. It more often than not ties in with the religious right proclaiming that students are too young to be exposed to sexual material, and thus sexualized as a result. These fundamental groups oppose any suggestion towards a comprehensive approach. Instead, they ask that their children be taught after grade school and additionally, they steer towards ‘abstinence-only’ education. Instead of teaching students how to protect themselves, they teach that the only way to protect oneself is by abstaining from sex. The problem arises, then, when these students decide to have sex. They are unaware of how to conduct themselves responsibly, how to take precautions to prevent against unwanted pregnancy and disease. What kind of ‘education’ are students receiving when they are withheld crucial information?

Coinciding with the onslaught of the new millennium, schools are beginning to realize that the parents are not doing their job when it comes to sexual education. The school system already has classes on sexual education; these classes are based mainly on human anatomy. Most schools do not teach their students about relationships, morals, respect, self-discipline, self-respect, and most importantly contraceptives. Everyday students engage in sexual activity, many of them with out condoms. This simple act jeopardizes these students' futures and possibly their lives. An increasing amount of school systems are starting to combine messages involving abstinence from sexual activity,