Sex Education in Schools

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

Sex education has always been a controversial topic, especially to the extent that it is taught to. Under the early years of the Reagan administration, the Adolescent Family Life Act was passed for abstinence-only education based on the presumption that talking about sex in school would promote sexual activities among teenagers. The two-point act was quietly passed in 1981, as it was not voted on by the House and was coded under Title XX of the Public Service Health Act. The first point was to provide at least two-thirds of funds to support pregnant teenagers, while the second point’s purpose was to use the remaining one-third or less to discourage sexual acts until marriage. Lawrence (2007) asserted that teenage pregnancy rates at the time of passing were rising, so the government wanted to stop everything all together. Since then, billions of dollars have been spent and more laws have been passed to promote abstinence-only education. Pregnancies, sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), and sexually transmitted infections (STIs) in the U.S. actually continued to rise, despite what was believed that the acts and funding could accomplish (p. 2). Though scientists and accredited researchers saw this coming, they continued with research to finalize conclusions with the majority hypothesis that comprehensive sex education would show the greatest improvement among teenage pregnancy. Comprehensive sex education

Sexuality is an intrinsic part of being a human being. Hence, it follows that as we grow sexual development is normal and for most a point of curiosity. In an age where even a curious five year old could ask the internet where babies come from instead of asking their parents, it is becoming increasingly evident sexual education is a necessity for the sexual health of America’s youth. Sexual education is an important class that should be integrated into the public school system in order to prevent the problems of teen pregnancy and STDs such as HIV. The CDC reports that in 2015 about 230,000 babies were born to teen girls aged 15-19 and that nearly half of the 20 million new STD cases reported in 2015 were among young adults between the ages

We have all heard the stories about the rise in teenage pregnancies, girls dropping out of school to care for their newborns, and even those who get pregnant on purpose. This new trend is everywhere. Most parents fail to have the “talk” with their children and are left without the proper education regarding sex until its too late. With the current rates of teenage pregnancy correlated with the current rates of spreading epidemics of STD’s and HIV/AIDS, steps should be taken in an effort to aid the situation. Schools are a main source of information and education for teens, and are in a unique position that can provide adolescents with knowledgeable skills and understanding that promote sexual health. With consistent speculation surrounding

Sex education classes, whether or not they clash with religious or parental teachings, teach a basic and scientific background of sex, what bodily changes are, and how to protect oneself from the dangers of sex. Statistics show that sex education can reverse current trends and prepare children from the dangers of sex by educating them about STDs, pregnancy, and so on. The United States’ statistics on teenagers and young adults are negatively alarming. “Approximately 10% of all births in the U.S. occur in teenagers and 9.5 million new cases of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) are diagnosed in teenagers and young adults each year (Kaneshiro B.).” Unfortunately, there is a lack of courses aimed at teaching America’s youth about sex and the inherent dangers that they cannot foresee while there is a surplus of television shows such as, Teen Moms, promoting sex and pregnancy.

According to Lee, M., Flynn, Simone Isadora, Points of View: Sex Education in Schools, 3/1/2016 "Since teen pregnancies is a major social and political issue nationwide, much of the discussion about sex education has to do with its effectiveness in reducing the number of unplanned pregnancies among young women" (Par 4) If schools are supposed to prepare students for life, it doesn't make sense to treat sex education like it don't matter. Many parents are reluctant to take the initiative and teach their children about sex, so most of the time they are educated be the T.V and other teens around

The US teen pregnancy rate is at 72.2%, which is larger than any rate in Western European countries. Sex education can solve the problem that we see, and possibly lower that rate. It can benefit kids by informing them about everything involving sex instead of sheltering them from the truth. Abstinence-only education is the other option that is typically used, but creating a program to cover everything and not exclude some children who have different beliefs is the overall goal. This program should be offered for all students as a mandatory course because of the amount of information that is to be gained by teaching about sex, relationships, protection, STD’s, and sexual orientation.

There are problems with not teaching sex education at school. There are some parents that don't know how to talk to their children about sex. If the school doesn't children about sex, then they will learn it the "hard way", maybe by contraction of a sexually transmitted disease. One of the most deadly and well-known sexually transmitted diseases today is HIV. According to the Web page AVERT, HIV infection is increasing most rapidly among young people ("Does"). This disease is killing hundreds of children each year, because they had to learn it the "hard way".

In today’s society, teenagers are becoming sexually active at an earlier age. Consequently, sixty-six percent of American high school students have reported partaking in this activity by their senior year – sex (Masland) (SC#8). Because of this promiscuous behavior among teens, there have been alarming rates of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and even unintentional pregnancies (Masland) (BE#3). In the United States, high schools usually decide whether or not to implement sexual education as a course (Sexuality) (BE#9). While schools may encourage abstinence of sex until marriage, most teenagers will need to know safe sexual practices before they are married. If the teenager is not informed on how to keep themselves and their partner safe during sex, major consequences could ensue. If high schools required a course about sexual education, teenagers would know the implications and consequences of engaging in unsafe

Students can now access any site on the internet that contains adult content or pornographic materials. That is why sex education should be implemented in schools. It is better for children to be informed earlier because they will still know about it when they grow up as they will be more exposed to it through their peers and the media (Cooper, n.d.). Through sex education, young people are able to communicate, listen, negotiate with others, ask for and identify sources of help and advice when it comes to sexual relationships. Through communication teenagers more confident and know better about the consequences of having sex before marriage.

If schools had sex education classes and made them mandatory then they would actually learn about sex and sexuality like they are suppose to. “Sex education teaches them about their bodies, informs them of the risks of having sex, and teaches them about safe sex” (Blick). Learning about sex in school would be less uncomfortable for the student, because it would feel like a normal class they have to take, instead of a one on one talk with their parents, who makes it worse than it is since they do not know how to talk about it. Letting the school teach about sex and sexuality would take the pressure off of the parents, and they wouldn’t have to struggle thinking of something to tell their child. Sex education in school would be a sure way to be certain that students learn about everything they need to know.

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,

First, I believe sex education should be taught in school because if not taught in school they may learn about it somewhere else, in a negative way. Teaching students the basics about sex education like the changes that they will soon begin to see in their bodies is a necessary action for schools to take. This will start them off at a young age to being safe for the rest of their lives. Students nowadays partake in sexual activity far too young, so learning about sex at a younger age can help educate those students who may partake in

The United States of America contains 50 states, and out of 50, 23 states and the District of Columbia require public schools to teach sexual education (Ruth). This means out of 98,271 public schools in America, only 37,835 schools, or 38.5%, teach sexual education (“Educational Institutes”). Many adults believe children in middle school and high school may be too young to know about sex, and therefore do not want their child to be educated about it, thus being the cause for the low rate of sexual education. Because of this low education rate, teenagers contract half of all new STIs and girls have been dropping out of high school to raise a child (“State Policies on”). Studies prove 3 in 10 teenage girls in America become pregnant at least once before they turn 20, resulting in nearly 750,000 teenage pregnancies every year (“11 Facts About”). All public schools should be required to teach adequate sexual education.

Sex education is a debatable topic as to whether or not it should be taught in schools. We believe it is important for all teens to know the importance of abstinence and safety. Providing sex education in high schools can provide students with an easier class that can improve their academic performance. Giving students the opportunity to learn about the risks of sex can prevent teen pregnancy and the spreading of diseases. Though some parents want the topic of sex to be taught at home, not all students have parents that will inform them properly. Including sex education in schools informs students of the risks of not abstaining from sex in a proper manner and provides all students with the opportunity to learn about it.