The Importance Of Sex Education

Studies show that the national average for an adolescent’s first sexual intercourse encounter is seventeen years old. Despite this number being very close to the average age in other industrialized countries, the United States holds a higher percentage of teenage pregnancy and sexually transmitted disease (STD) contraction than those countries (Harper et al, 2010, p. 125). It’s becoming evident that while a majority of the nation’s youth is sexually active, they are not doing so with the appropriate knowledge to keep themselves and others healthy.

Sex education for American youth has been a topic of discussion across the nation since the early 1980s. Teen pregnancies and sexually transmitted disease are two major problems throughout the U.S.. Sexually transmitted infections have been an ongoing problem for American people since World War I. To combat the growing teen pregnancy and STI rates, the U.S. established organized sex education. Since sex education has been integrated in schools across the nation, it has been heavily influenced by religion. The federal government has funded abstinence-only education programs for over a quarter century. Abstinence-only

Currently, there is no national standard regarding sexual education in America. Soaring sexually transmitted infection (STI) rates are occurring at a national level – there are approximately nine million new occurrences of STI's in the United States each year among teenagers and young adults alone (Alan Guttmacher Institute 2011). Consequently, "the United States continues to have one of the highest teen pregnancy rates in the developed world—more than twice as in Canada" (Alan Guttmacher Institute 2011). This large number of infected teenagers combined with the startling pregnancy rates has caused a state of panic in many states, provoking discussion on the topic of introducing comprehensive sexual education into the classroom as a

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

Teenage birth and STD rates have long been a problem in the United States. The United States has some of the highest rates of teenage births and STDs in the industrialized world. Every hour in the United States, 70 teenage girls become pregnant and 1100 teens are infected with an STD (Satcher, Carmona & Elders, 2015). According to Kearney and Levine (2012), a teenage girl in the United States is two times more likely to give birth than a teenage girl in Canada, four times more likely to give birth than a teenage girl in Germany or Norway, and ten times more likely to give birth than a teenage girl in Switzerland (p. 141). Adolescents account for half of the United States’ new STD cases each year, although they make up only a quarter of the

Sex education in the United States is not very comprehensive and none regulated, which means that many American teenagers are without the proper information to make informed decisions about sex and sexual health. Many schools offer just abstinence only education and are unable to explain safe sex procedures, putting children at risk for unplanned pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases. With the average age of intercourse at fifteen years old (Buehler 2014) and many parents uncomfortable with discussing the topic with their children, it is up to sex education classes in school to properly inform teenagers about their bodies and sex. Then when these teenagers are parents themselves, they will be better prepared to talk to their own children and this will hopefully help the American general public before more informed and more likely to have safe sex.

Of the fifty states and the District of Columbia, only twenty-four states require sex education, thirteen states require that any information given must be medically accurate. (“Sex and HIV Education”). Sex education in America is abysmal and horrific compared to other first-world countries. Many states do not give comprehensive sex-education, typically resulting in less use of safe behaviors during sex and a lack of awareness of STD and/or pregnancy prevention. Furthermore, sex-education is not held to the same high standards as math, english, or science, resulting in medically inaccuracies and biases to be slipped into the curriculum. Therefore, I believe it is in the best interest of America’s youth to require medically accurate information, give them a comprehensive education, and require higher standards of education.

Compared to every other first world country, America is the highest ranking in rates of teenage pregnancies and STD contraction. What is it about the US and its approach to sexual education that produces such numbers amongst its youth? The prevailing sexuality education system in the US is abstinence-only sex education programs. Abstinence-only-until-marriage education in schools is highly destructive to its students in multiple ways.

In 2007, the National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy created Emerging Answers 2007. In this work, research and numerous findings on the benefits of sex-ed were compiled. An example of one of these findings is that no programs that teach sexual education have any correlation to an increase in sexual activities. Research has also found that when students are taught about sex-ed they are more likely to practice safe sex. “Studies show that when teens are educated about condoms and have access to them, levels of condom use at first intercourse increase while levels of sex stay the same...According to a study by researchers from Guttmacher and Columbia University published in the January 2007 issue of the American Journal of Public Health, approximately 86% of the decline in teenage pregnancy in this country between 1995 and 2002 was due to dramatic improvements in contraceptive use, including increases in the use of individual methods, increases in the use of multiple methods, and substantial declines in nonuse. Just 14% of the decline could be attributed to a decrease in sexual activity” (“Comprehensive Sex Education”). These results make it very clear that sex-ed is what is best for America’s youths. In fact, America is somewhat conservative compared to other countries, as many

Rates of sexually transmitted disease (STD), teen pregnancy, and teen births are higher in the United States than in the majority of other industrialized countries (Kohler, Manhart, & Lafferty, 2008), indicating the controversial role that sex education plays in the initiation of sexual activity. In contempt of teen pregnancy, birth and abortion rates are the highest among other developed countries (Kohler et al., 2008), and few public health evaluations on the effectiveness of formal sex education have been conducted. With a large social issue prominent in the United States, it is imperative to determine the differences based on formal sex education and whether abstinence-only education, comprehensive education or no education decrease health risks among adolescents (Kohler et al., 2008).

The United States has the highest teen birth rate in the world, every year the United States experiences 610,000 teen pregnancies (Bleakly 2006). The figures show that three in ten adolescent girls will become pregnant before the age of twenty. People ages 15-24 represent 25 eighteen 70 percent of United States females, and 62 percent of males have had sex. About 3.2 million adolescent females are infected with the most common STI’s, such as chlamydia and gonorrhea (Bleakly 2006). The likelihood of teens having sex increases with each school grade level, from 32 percent in ninth grade to 62 percent in 12th grade (Ito 2006). In 2012, a total of 305,388 babies were born to a group (Oglesby 2012). The United States teen birth rate is one and a half times higher than that in the UK, and more than twice as high as in Canada (Eisenberg 2007).

Every year in America, one million teen girls become pregnant and at least three million teens become infected with an STD (Donovan, 1). Though these numbers slightly fluctuate, problems facing American adolescents today, like HIV/AIDS, other STD’s, and teen pregnancy. This means that some needs to change. These problems will decline when sex education is revamped everywhere in America, by making the curriculum completely comprehensive in addressing problems facing adolescents today such as teen pregnancy, STD’s, rape, pressures and emotions dealing with sex, and give teens good communication skills. Right now teachers approach these subjects on their tip toes, dance around the issue, and not fully give out all the information.

In our culture, sex is a taboo subject and our youth is an example of the effects of sexual ignorance. Sexual education in schools is often responded with apprehension from parents because the line between sexual education and lechery can easily be crossed, especially with minors. Sexual education is sex education about sexuality, contraception, prevention of sexually transmitted diseases, and attitudes and principles about sex. Currently, the United States has the highest rate of teenage pregnancy and abortion compared to other western countries. Interestingly, the United States has the weakest sexual education curriculum compared to developed European countries. On the same note, cases of rape are staggering in the US, a result of sexual misinformation about consent. Teenage misinformation about sex is on the rise due to the increasing accessibility of inappropriate sources for sexual education that distort sexual behavior, like pornography. A sexual education class can help dispel myths surrounding sex. Therefore, the underlying question is – should sexual education be required in public schools, without the option to opt-out? Sexual education should be obligatory rather than optional in schools because schools are a safer and reliable source for sex information, sexual education can reduce teen pregnancy, and it can protect children and educate teenagers about proper practices and social views regarding consent and child sexual abuse.

One of the most flawed programs in public schools is sexual education. Sexual education is starting to evanescenting when it comes to being taught in public schools. “22 states and the District of Columbia require schools to provide both sexuality and STD/HIV education; another 15 states require STD/HIV education; and 13 states have no requirements when it comes to sexual education”(sexuality education pg 1). Within the 22 states that require taking sexual education, they also give the parents an option to opt out of the class if the class does not go with their religion or they believe their children are to young to be taught. Among the whole United States we have the highest pregnancy rates among teens with the lack of sexual education being taught in the right or direct way. “The United States has one of the highest teen pregnancy rates in the developed world-almost twice as high as those of England, Wales, Canada, and eight times as high as those of the Netherlands and Japan”(opposing viewpoint series pg 109). While the rising of teen pregnancy continues, teens and adult(age 18)

<center><b>"HIGH SCHOOLS MUST PROVIDE YOUNG PEOPLE WITH ADEQUATE SEX EDUCATION BECAUSE IGNORANCE CAN BE HARMFUL"</b></center><br><br>The largest gulf of understanding still remains between the parents and the youth especially in the area of sexuality. Sex is a natural part of life, and when questions arise, they can be discussed in a matured way without condoning certain behavior. Relying to that, we realize that sex education is important to be inserted in a person's life. Therefore, sex education in high schools is very necessary for youngsters to acquire information, form attitudes, beliefs and values about identity, relationships and intimacy. Sex education also encompasses sexual development, affection, body image and gender roles. In