Sex Education During The United States

What is realistic is the sex education of all students which includes topics such as: contraceptives, abstinence, sexual orientation, STD awareness and prevention, building healthy relationships, and where to find help for specific situations students may be going through. Sex education offers a variety of information to students, and it could affect students globally. Starting out teaching children at a young age the “birds and the bees” may prepare them for when they get themselves into those situations, and also prevent certain outcomes. Programs regarding sex education tend to focus solely on positivity, which means no one is left out or different in class. There are many benefits of sex education, which is one of the main reasons all schools, or almost all schools, should have a program regarding sex. Research shows that abstinence-only education has no long-term method of preventing sex in young adults. It has also showed that sex education has benefited kids, teaching them what they want based on their beliefs of their family and themselves. Teaching students what to do based on themselves instead of what society sees as morally correct, can overall benefit young adults positively. Whether that might be showing the student where to go if issues arise, teaching them the correct way to deal with a situation, or showing them that abstinence or not is right for

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)

Due to the lack comprehensive sex education, they are left in the dark about how to be properly prepared for a situation that may arise regarding sexual activity and how to protect them against sexually transmitted diseases and unplanned pregnancy. It is a great down fall the lack of education on contraceptives, which only leaves American teens at a greater risk for long-term consequences.

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

While in high school, most teenagers between the ages 13-17, will have attended at least one sex education class. Instead of using the “Abstinence- Only” approach, schools should consider on teaching students the “Safe- Sex” approach to increase their knowledge on potential health risks involving sex. Increasing their knowledge not only increases their awareness, but lets them use their knowledge in the real world and let them form their own decisions, whether they be bad or good.

This documentary is about Shelby Knox who wants to change the sex education system in Lubbox. Lubbox is a town that has the highest teen pregnancy and STI rates in the country. Lubbox teaches abstinence only sex education which is clearly not working. Shelby tried to convince the school and others to teach kids a comprehensive sex education.

However, many of our nation's current programs do not provide these two characteristics. The best sexual education program is comprehensive sex education due to the knowledge presented. This raises the question: What is comprehensive sex education and why is it the best? According to the Planned Parenthood article "Implementing Sex Education", comprehensive sex education provides information on many topics. The curriculum includes knowledge on body image, contraception, safer sex, sexual behaviors, relationships, sexual health, and sexual orientation. This program covers the taboo topics that other curriculums do not. Moreover, comprehensive sex education teaches all ages how to care for mature relationships. Phi Delta Kappan's journal, on the importance of factual comprehensive sex education, declares "...sexual education would be far more meaningful and productive if it focused on developing, maintaining, and ending romantic and sexual relationships with integrity and care” (Peterson, Weinstein, and Weissbourd). Teaching teenagers to have mature relationships can fix many future problems. For instance, it could lower rates of divorce, mental health diseases, and bullying. Planned Parenthood’s article goes on to tell that comprehensive sex education programs are scientifically correct and ethical. They are designed to be taught from kindergarten to 12th grade. The goal of this program is to teach adolescents about how to communicate with one another. Although comprehensive sex education mentions that abstinence is the safest way to avoid unintended pregnancies and sexually transmitted infections (STIs), it does not stress abstinence in its curriculum, nor does the program teach that sex before marriage is evil and

Endersbe, “Almost 500,000 babies are born to teen mothers each year.”(Endersbe,1) but many teen parents do not plan for a child or even consider wanting one. There are more girls getting pregnant now than there was 20 years ago and most schools in the US have a course that can inform them on the precautions in having sex at a young age and that teen pregnancy is something that they can prevent. These courses or programs teach young adults to be safe and hold off on sex. However, schools are enforcing the use of contraceptives if teens do choose to engage in sex. Because Americans encourage safe sex they want to teach young minds to be safe and use protection. With the knowledge that teens developed about safe sex, there are now “78% of teens using contraceptives during sexuual intercourse.” (Endersbe, 6) which is a good

These types of programs use a holistic approach to provide young people with complete, accurate, and age-appropriate sex education that helps them reduce their risk of unintended pregnancy, and sexually transmitted infections and diseases. Comprehensive sex education programs are focused around providing medically accurate information on a board variety of topics related to sexuality including human development, relationships, decision making, abstinence, contraception, and disease prevention. These programs provide students with opportunities for developing skills as well as learning about all aspects of sex. Comprehensive sexual educational programs assist young adults with the tools to make informed decisions and build healthy relations. Also, they stress the value of abstinence without shaming sexual interactions and preparing young adults for when they do eventually become sexually active. Furthermore, these programs provide youth with accurate information about the health benefits and side effects of all contraceptives, including condoms, as a means to prevent unwanted pregnancies and reduce the risk of contracting sexually transmitted infections and diseases. These programs also encourage communication about sexuality between parent and child. In addition, comprehensive sexual education programs teach young adults the

To further understand sex issues facing adolescents today; let’s take a general look on what issues are being taught in schools. 69% of schools say there is a policy on sex education. The Alan Guttmacher Institute, which is a nonprofit organization that is focused on sexual reproductive health research, policy and analysis on public education, studied sex education today and compared it to a decade ago. 23% of schools in 2000 taught abstinence-only education, which was up 2% from 1988. The study also found that classes today are less likely to talk about birth control, abortion, obtaining and using contraception, ad sexual orientation, compared to the late 1980’s (The Alan Guttmacher Institute). The Henry J. Kaiser Foundation put together a survey asking students what was being taught in their sex education class. The Henry J. Kaiser Foundation is a major philanthropy foundation that focuses mainly on major health care issues facing the nation. The survey questioned 1,501 students nationwide and asked them questions concerning several topics. First, they asked what is considered to be “core elements” of sex

Sex education can be traced back to the beginning of the 20th century. “Chicago’s public schools introduced the Nation’s first formal sex education program” which has raised controversy throughout the years. Many believe that talking about sex in the classroom raises the initiation of such behavior. Others believe that ignoring the subject keeps teens in the dark which leads them to make unsafe decisions when they become sexually active. Whether it is at school or at home, teens must be taught about the dangers of unprotected sex as well as abstinence. Being unaware of protection puts teens at risk of becoming pregnant or contracting an STD or STI. Sex education must be taught at school and it must be taught right, without lies or myths and without giving teens the idea that the only perfect time for them to become sexually active is when they are married. If sex education was taught at school instead of abstinence-only education, it would help young adults make correct decisions when becoming sexually active as well as helping them make wise choices that can affect their future.

In addition to the media, educators must struggle with a range of sex education programs. Courses with immensely different objectives, arrangements, time spans, and applications are frequently categorized in the general heading of sexual education. Just the terminology tossed around can be vague. The names “abstinence-only”, “abstinence-based education”, “abstinence-only-until-marriage”, and “comprehensive sexual education” programs, otherwise known as “abstinence-plus” programs, are all used and they have also been known to be called “risk-reduction”, “risk-avoidance” or “risk elimination” (Beshers 637). With unclear expressions such as this teens come out of different programs and courses thinking, for example, that having oral sex is the same as being sexually abstinent. Not only that, but sexual education has been notorious for covering many other topics besides sexual intercourse, pregnancy, and STD’s including puberty, body image, gender roles, and sexual orientation. Some programs have been known to be religious, while most are far more secular. Some courses were designed to encourage abstinence, others to improve knowledge, attitudes, and expertise of contraception. Some concentrated on avoiding STDs and others focused on circumventing pregnancies. Some focused on sexually inexperienced youth, others on the sexually

One way sex education is beneficial in schools is it helps in minimizing early teen pregnancy rates. Teenage pregnancy is unbridled in today’s society hence sex education teaches the students the importance use of utilizing different contraceptive techniques. Unfortunately, there are a lot of teenagers who are sexually active and are involved in sexual relationships. Therefore, it is imperative for teens to be equipped with vast information on how to handle their sexual relations responsibly by applying assorted contraceptive techniques. If the students were well conversant on the topic of sex education, they would know the causes of pregnancy and ways to prevent it until the time comes for them to be ready to start a family. Possessing this knowledge does not mean that they would not experiment

Today, there are more teens getting pregnant than before. With sex education being in schools, it can help teens learn the basic needs for when they become sexually active. This subject can help teen pregnancy, un-planned pregnancy, and could lower the STD rates in the United States. By showing teens these basic needs, it can prevent having to plan for a baby at a young age, not having a support system, and not having enough money to take care of the baby and yourself. In the following paragraphs, it will explain same beliefs and opinions on sex education.

There is a prevalence of unwanted teen pregnancies associated with risky sexual behavior. Gelfond, Dierschke, Lowe, Plastino, 2016 claim, “…The United States has the highest rate of pregnancy among adolescents aged 15-19 years compared with other Western industrialized countries” (p. 97). The pregnancy rate and promiscuous sexual action remains problematic for a variety of reasons. In general; adolescents are undereducated about risky sexual behaviors, which can lead sexually transmitted diseases and unwanted pregnancies. The adolescent who bears a child whether intended, or unintended has a higher chance of dropping out of high school as well as not completing college before the age of 30. If pregnancy occurs, a teen mother and father are still in the process of maturing as young adults, yet alone, they have to raise a child. Not being able to obtain an education can be a barrier for having the best health outcomes for the parents and the child. In order to reduce the risk, primary prevention is essential. More specifically, education and awareness of healthy relationships can help reduce the number of unsafe sexual practices. The underlying question to be discovered is, for adolescents, does the use of additional comprehensive sex education reduce the future risk of unwanted teen pregnancies and risky sexual behavior compared with one general sex education course being taught?