The Importance Of Sex Education

Many students learn about sex and contraception through high school programs, so who better to give them out than the main educators of how to use them.

Over 15 million STD’s are contracted in the U.S. each year (Koumans et al., 2005). Over one one-fifth of these cases involve two of the most commonly known STDs: chlamydia and gonorrhea (Koumans et al., 2005) Unfortunately, most of the individuals who get infected with these diseases fall into the age range of 15-24 years old (Koumans et al., 2005). According to Wyatt & Oswalt (2014), almost half of all STD’s contracted each year are by young people ages 15-24 years old. Moreover, the data shows that, “45% of herpes infections, 70% of gonorrhea infections, 63% of chlamydia infections, and 49% of HPV infections occur among youth between the ages of 15-24 years” (Wyatt & Oswalt, 2014). Given that many college students are between the ages of 18-24 years, it is important that schools focus on educating students about the risk of

More than half of all high school students, both male and female, use condoms as their way of preventing pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases during their first time having sex. Since condoms are the primary source of contraceptive amongst teens and can easily be misused, schools need to enable sexual education courses to teach students the proper application in order to prevent later repercussions. Another popular form of contraception, the oral birth control pill, is more effective than condom; however, birth control pills come with the responsibility of taking them properly along with no protection against STDs. With the strict schedule that birth control pills should be taken, teens are likely to forget which can cause hormonal harm within a young female, and some are not even completely aware of how to take birth control pills. Many adolescents are mainly focused on how to not get pregnant when it comes to sex, which birth control pills are proven to most likely prevent, but they are as familiar with

Comprehensive sexuality education has always been a focal point of the debate across the United States. Any topics related to sexuality education would make tremendous amount of people feel embarrassed and uncomfortable because sex education is fallaciously perceived as a stigma of the society on an increase rate of unintended pregnancy, the outbreak of sexual transmitted diseases, and other social ethical issues. From a U.S. review, however, “the overwhelming weight of evidence shows that sex education that discusses contraception does not increase sexual activity.” The understanding of sex education not only covers simply a part in reproduction, or how babies are conceived and born but also helps the teenager to have some basis understanding of virtually every aspect of sex by the time he or she reaches full maturity, and more importantly, it encourages confidence and improves communication skills, the social issues surrounding sexuality and reproduction as well as cultural norms, family

Sex education is a major cause of arguments among parents and their school’s board of directors. Some parents argue that sex education should be taught at home or in their religious institution based upon their values. Should the public education system teach sex education to students? There has not been a solution that can be agreed upon unanimously. Sex education isn’t yet a necessity in every school but community support for it is slowly increasing. Sex education needs to be implemented in schools throughout the nation for the protection of today’s youth and further generations from the dangers of unsafe sex and to teach them to understand what sex means.

Several reasons have been put forward for the various and often opposing approaches to sex education. For example, Paechter (2004) proposes that

The United States has the highest rate of teenage pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases (STD’S) compared to other developed countries (Darroch, Singh, Frost, 2001). There are several arguments when it comes to sexual education being taught in school systems. Many parents fear their student will learn too much at young age and won’t know how often sexual education is being discussed. Children in today’s society are going through puberty at young ages and obviously waiting years to become married. According to Health News (2009), students in the United States 12 years of age had already participated in vaginal intercourse by 12%, 7.9% of 12 year old students participated in oral sex, and 6.5% participated in anal sex. The statistics just mentioned are very startling! Teenagers becoming sexually active by age 14 are at a higher risk of having multiple sex partners throughout their lifetime. A study found about 8 in 10 males and 7 in 10 females had become sexually active by age 19 (Guttmacher, 1981). Another survey proved 64% of males and 44% of females were sexually active by their 19th birthday. By 15 years of age, 7 in 10 males and 5 in 10 females reported having sexual intercourse (Masserman & Uribe, 1989). Proper condom use is important to be taught to students. Many sexually active teens don’t know how to properly use condoms. Proper condom application will prevent the risk of unwanted teenage pregnancy, spread of sexually

While abstinence from sex is a very important aspect of avoiding sexually transmitted infections and unprepared pregnancies, it does not teach one on how to stay safe during sexual intercourse. Chlamydia, gonorrhea, herpes – these diseases can be the result of unprotected, and even protected, sexual behavior (SC#9). What type of protection should teenagers use to lower the probability of receiving these diseases (BE#8)? Should they use birth control or a condom? Through sexual education, a student has some knowledge about protecting themselves and their partner during sex; it is better to be safe than sorry. Additionally, it is unlikely that sexual education encourages sexual activity. The World Health Organization (WHO) conducted a study of thirty-five sexual education classes around the world and found, “there is no evidence that comprehensive [sexual education] programs encourage sexual activity”

Not only is the curriculum centered around teaching teens how to be morally right and healthy adults, but abstinence is the only way to protect adolescents from contracting an STD. Comprehensive programs teach adolescents how to have sex by explaining why condoms are necessary and how to use them, but this teaching tool is wrong because there is always a risk of catching an STD when engaging in sex. There is not one condom out there that is a hundred percent accurate at stopping the spread of an STD, but they also offer little protection from herpes and human papillomavirus (Heritage). Therefore, it should not be taught as an option to teens who already have a mentality that they are invisible. STD numbers are drastically increasing in the

The implementation of sex education in schools will provide teenagers with the appropriate information about sexual disease and early pregnancies. In the last five years, this theme about Sex Education is expanding ever so gradually within the schools. However, the statistics keep the subject of Sex Education alive in schools by having it be implemented as programs. Schools administrators should have more programs and people who are well trained to help students with learning about Sex Education. After all, the teenagers would be the most vulnerable victims for not being well informed; they could catch a sexual transmitted disease or perhaps get pregnant. Also, the parents and community are an important role in learning about Sex Education. Simply by having an open mind and thinking about the safety and future of their children, we as parents can create a safer environment for our children. One technique could be by providing condoms at schools to teenagers as a demonstration of consciousness about how to protect the teenagers from early pregnancy or a sexual disease.

Comprehensive sexual education has long been a contentious issue within the United States of America. Owing largely to America’s history and culture, sexual education has long been stigmatized as unnecessary involvement in the private life, or even misattributed to rising rates of pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections. A U.S. review article, however, poses the opposite argument – “The overwhelming weight of evidence reveals that sex education which discusses contraception does not increase sexual activity.” The understanding of sex education not only provides young people with a better understanding of the ways in which their bodies function, but can also help in allowing teenagers to take better care of their sexual health to include pregnancy and STI prevention. Furthermore, sex education improves gender equality, provides accurate information about sexually transmitted infections, and promotes interpersonal skills. Thus, comprehensive sexual education should be introduced and made mandatory in all secondary schools across the United States.

Birth control had been invented, this lead to premarital sex becoming more acceptable in society. This demanded for sex education. In addition, in the 1980s the AIDS epidemic began, causing the risk-prevention aspect of sex education. In fact this epidemic set about the best prevention of teen pregnancy and STD’s, abstinence.

According to Daily Mail Reporter, many adults believe sexual education shouldn’t be taught in schools and children should learn from their families. Parents have the impression that it is inappropriate to teach children about sex. In fact, 27% of parents stated there is no need for sexual education in schools (“Sex Education Should”). As written by Cullen Herout, who writes for The Blaze, he does not even consider sexual education to be education at all; Herout classifies education as the basic subjects taught in

Not all schools provide sex education even though they should because students will gain a lot of knowledge from these classes. These classes should be mostly focuseds from early middle school years to high school. That way students would have much more knowledge of STDs, puberty, and could even help them with their sexual orientation. Parents should also want to talk to their teens about it and sexual education should even start at home. They play a big role in the education of their teens and it shouldn’t just be the school’s option to have talked to students about it. Even though some parents might feel uncomfortarble or even embarrassed talking to their kids about it or afraid they won’t take them seriously it is really recommended they do it when they are growing from children to teenagers. Maybe some parent’s might even think that talking to their children about sex might just cause them to be more curious or push them to act because they are bringing the topic up. Sex education should be should be provided in school’s every student deserves to have more knowledge of what it really is,. It will help to maybe decrease the amount of teenage pregnancy, it could aware teens of diseases and ways to prevent them from occurring, and it would teach them about abstinence, it will help teach them about sexual orientation and homosexuality as well.

Results showed over 335 out 4,214 were cutting themselves at this point in their life. That shows 7.9% of the students have this addiction (Hall, p. 623, 2010). While these numbers are everlasting changing, self-harm needs to be addressed to all ages just as other addictions are spoken about. Eating disorders are taught in the early ages of elementary school. Sex-education is taught the fifth grade. Self-harm is not a discussion in sex-education (Khantzian 668). The only way this addiction is taught to children is by explaining suicidal thoughts and having those thoughts turn into forms of self-injury. Teachers and parents are not able to recognize the effects until it reaches a point where the person can no longer hide their pain. With the numbers of this growing addiction and the urge to begin this addiction rapidly increasing, the factors of self-harm need to be discussed as one entity instead of comparing them to another addiction (Wang 666).