Should Sex Education Be Allowed? High Schools?

While teen pregnancy has been steadily decreasing, a growing number of teens infected with std's has been increasing. Sex education in schools has helped the pregnancy issue but needs to continue to further decrease teen pregnancies and to eradicate teen std's. In addition, educators need to start the sex education classes at an earlier age. Schools that teach comprehensive sex ed have a higher sexual literacy rate, lower std rates and lower teen pregnancy rate when compared to schools that teach abstinence only or have no sex ed curriculum.

Sexual education in schools has become a highly controversial topic over the past few years. Some people believe students should be taught abstinence-only education, while others believe students need the full on “sex talk”. While the sex education controversy may seem silly, it is very important that students receive the most efficient education possible. When it comes to education parents want their children to receive the most effective kind. This is also very true in terms of sex education. Sex education is very debatable right now as to whether students should be taught abstinence-only education or comprehensive sex education.

as it is often misinforming and misleading when disregarding the facts of contraceptives and proper use of condoms (Implementing Sex Education).

A subject that is talked about a lot in today’s society is whether or not kids should receive sex education in public schools. With rates of teen pregnancy and the spread of sexually transmitted diseases on the rise, it is essential that school aged adolescents receive appropriate sex education courses. Though many parents across the nation believe that it is crucial to curriculum, how much they should be taught and what exactly should be taught is up for dispute. Articles such as “Abstinence and Abstinence-only Education: A Review of U.S. policies and Programs” written by John Santelli, Mary A. Ott, Maureen Lyon, Jennifer Rogers, Daniel Summers and Rebecca Schleifer and “The Impact of Abstinence and Comprehensive Sex and STD/HIV Education Programs on Adolescent Sexual Behavior” Douglas B. Kirby analyze the two types of sex education in the U.S. and their effectiveness on teens. In “Abstinence and Abstinence-only Education: A Review of U.S. policies and Programs” Santelli et al. claims that even though sex education programs that only offer abstinence-only instruction are ethically flawed, abstinence from sexual activity is efficient behavioral choice for teenagers to make. In order to support their claim, the authors focus on the federal government’s involvement on funding for these abstinence programs and the censorship of the information that they portray. In “The Impact of Abstinence and Comprehensive Sex and STD/HIV Education Programs on Adolescent Sexual Behavior,”

Sex is always a touchy subject, adolescents feel embarrassed discussing it with their parents or teacher and adults feel awkward answering questions. When people discuss being pregnant or breastfeed it’s often referred to as a natural thing, but when discussing sex it is a natural thing that a lot of adults feel uncomfortable confronting. There can be number of problems that can occur in the area of adolescent sexuality, but it is important to keep in mind majority of adolescents have healthy sexual attitudes and engage in sexual behaviors that will not compromise their journey to adulthood (Adolescence pg. 193). Are the “suttle” and “private” talks about sex harming adolescents versus helping them? Is the sex education that is being taught being embedded in adolescent’s heads? Many people have a different opinion on wither sex education should be taught in school and how it should be taught. When looking at the statistics, sex education can play an important role in adolescents now days. In 2011 54% of twelfth graders have had sexual intercourse and 38% were currently sexually active (Adolescence pg. 197). Many adolescents that are sexually active do not use contraceptives. 34% of the sexually active adolescents did not use contraceptives the last time they had intercourse (Adolescence pg. 206). I am all for teaching adolescents about abstinence but truth of the matter sex is becoming more and more popular in adolescent lives. The way sex education is being presented

For such a complex and multifaceted problem, the solution is actually quite simple. Schools should include pornography in a more thorough and inclusive sex education system. If pornography was a required topic in sex education, every student would learn how it influences its consumers. This would provide a strong incentive for students to reject all forms of pornography. The sooner consumers recognize the effects porn has on their lives, the sooner they can break the cycle and the easier it will be. (UK Schools)

People say that sex education teaches the students about how sexual intercourse is done but the truth is sex education lets the students know about the consequences and the truth about sex. One may likely suffer emotional or mental depression which may lead to suicide. Students are also informed that it is only for unity and procreation of married couples who are committed to each other. They are also informed that they will know the true purpose of sex when they grow up as adults. Appropriate sex education in schools has a great impact on preventing sexual problems in adulthood. Also, it teaches students on what is right and what is wrong.

When it comes to teen education, there’s one topic that just can’t be missed. Sex education—whether or not teenagers should be educated about it, and if so, how? Sex has become a more commonly discussed topic in the United States—regardless of age. Representations of it have become easily accessible on the television and in social media. Knowing this, public schools should adjust their sex education programs to properly educate children on the danger of it, how to make sex-related decisions, and where they can go for help. However, the method of teaching these things to adolescents is widely controversial both in the United States and around the world. As an issue that affects the future generation, it’s highly important to debate the sex education which adolescents will receive.

Nineteen-fifty five marked the debut of sex education programs in schools in the United States. Along the years, many have argued whether or not sex education should be taught in schools. Many believe that the education of sex encourages students to engage in sexual activities which lead to a higher number of pregnancies and sexual transmitted diseases (STD’s).The U.S. is the leading country in teen pregnancies and STD’s As the number of unplanned pregnancies and sexually transmitted diseases climbs higher and higher every day in our country, one can only think that sexual education is a necessity in our school systems. Young people, teens, account for 25% of our country’s sexually active population and contract half of said population’s STD’s. Teens as young as fourteen years old have admitted to already engaging in sexual activities. No teen should be engaging in such acts at that age. Many schools give parents the choice to have their child opt out of the lesson or class. Few states are required to teach sex education to students in secondary schools unless they were withdrawn from the class by their parents.

Sex: the elephant in the room no one likes to talk about. It is a natural act humans have done for years but also a taboo to show or acknowledge. Sex, despite being taboo, is omnipresent. It is present in discussions of God, television, dating, and other areas, all of which have played a role into my understanding of sex and sexuality. However, public education has ultimately been the main factor in maintaining my personal safe sex life. Many parents debate whether sex education should remain in school and be exposed to their children, despite the fact sex is already pervades in other aspects of life such as religion, gender roles, media, and relationships. Sex education should remain a part of public school curriculum because it educates teenagers about its consequences and how to do it safely.

Should sex education be increased in the school systems to curb problems such as teen pregnancies and diseases? Some parents seem to think that sex education shouldn’t even be taught in school systems for many reasons that concern their child. While some parents rely on the school systems to teach their children about sex so that their child will be aware and more cautious. Let’s see what each side of the debate has to say…

According to plannedparenthood.org, the nation’s longest provider for sex education says, “Sex education helps people gain the information, skills and motivation to make healthy decisions about sex and sexuality.” As well as abstinence, the fact or practice of restraining oneself from indulging in something, in this case…, sex. It is understandable why some parents do not want their children to be taught sex education in schools, just as there are some teachers who don't think it is their job to teach it. There are some parents as well as teachers who agree it should be taught in schools and at home because it is a topic that we all cannot escape. Sex education helps young people reduce their risk of potentially negative outcomes. These outcomes consist of circumstances such as unwanted pregnancies and sexually transmitted infections (STIs). It can also help youth to enhance the quality of their relationships and to develop decision-making skills that will prove invaluable over life. Sex is a natural part of life, and it happens with or without sex education. Refusing to talk about it will not make it go away.

Sex Education is taught in middle and high school today, and in many places of the world as young as age 4 and about sexuality. Most sex education classes taught today do not cover contraceptive and are mainly abstinence-only-till-marriage programs. “89% of Americans believe that contraception should be taught in sex education,” (Effective Sex) as no abstinence-only-till-marriage programs have shown proof that they help to prevent teens having sex.

People believe more sex education classes can decrease sexual risk like teen pregnancy and reduce HIV/AIDS ( “Pro and Cons of Sex Education in School”) For example Smith argues that if more of these classes were taught in more schools teen pregnancy rates would drop (Smith) Yes , there are a lot of teens in exposure of teen pregnancy because they are curious or just pressured into doing stuff and they do not know the risks . ( “Pro and Cons of Sex Education in School”) However some students can’t take the classes because they have religious beliefs in their households ( “Pro and Cons of Sex Education in School”) Parents that agree that schools should have

Schools play a major role in a child’s life. Students generally spend more time in school with their teachers and peers than they do at home. They learn about Math, Science, English, Social studies and much more. One of the major things that needs more emphasis is sex education. Society is changing boys and girls are starting puberty earlier than when schools provide them with information about it. “52% of teens have has sexual intercourse out of that 52% 42% say they did not use a condom during the last instance”(Sex Education in Texas Public Schools). With all the information on the Internet students should be informed on what is correct and what is not. The way we can do that is be placing students in sex education classes. Sex education is a necessary component in a child’s life; with society changing it needs to be offered at a younger age. There are many reasons for this it can help prevent unwanted teen pregnancies, educate youth on sexually transmitted diseases and teach them how to be safe. One of the issues people have with sex education in schools is the belief that it corrupts the youths mind.