Sexual Education Needs to Change
Julio I️ Donoso
Glendale Community College
Sexual Education Needs to Change
“Sex education is instruction on issues relating to human sexuality, including emotional relations and responsibility human sexual anatomy, sexual activity, sexual reproduction, age of consent, reproductive health, reproductive rights, safe sex, birth control and sexual abstinence. Sex education that covers all of these aspects is known as comprehensive sex education. Common avenues for sex education are parents or caregivers, formal school programs, and public health campaigns” (Joint 2017). Most schools in the United States however only teach sexual abstinence while not covering any other subject. Sexual Education is necessary for people of all ages, especially for teens who are learning about the changes with their body. Comprehensive sex education should be taught rather than abstinence only education. Comprehensive sex education is proven to help and educate teens. The benefits of comprehensive sex education as opposed to abstinence education are, lower teen pregnancy rates, lower STD counts, and healthier relationships.
Researchers studied the National Survey of Family Growth to determine the impact of sexuality education on youth sexual risk-taking for young people ages fifteen through nineteen, and found that teens who received comprehensive sex education were fifty percent less likely to experience pregnancy than those who received abstinence-only
Author Bob Smith once said, “In America, when we decide to ignore a subject, our favorite form of denial is to teach it incompetently. Familiarity without true understanding is not only the basis of our families but of our educational system as well.” Smith refers to the inadequate sexual education of teenagers in the United States. Sexual education is the instruction on issues about bodily development, sex, sexuality, and relationships. Comprehensive sex education teaches about abstinence, condoms, and contraceptives to avoid sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) and unplanned pregnancies. As well as, the skills needed to help young people explore their own values and options. Comprehensive sexual education should be taught in the United
Each curriculum has a varying view on how sex education should be taught and when sex education should be taught to adolescents. Comprehensive sexuality education is the most effective type of sex education and followes the guidelines of starting sex education in kindergarten until twelfth grade. A broad range of topics are taught to students depending on their grade in order to help them develop vital skills and an understanding the varying topics. Abstinence-based sex education gives adolescence a broad range of knowledge on varying topics related to disease prevention and contraception with the emphasises that the best choice is to abstain from sex. Abstinence-only education promotes that abstaining from sex is the only way and does not address contraception or disease prevention. Abstinence-only-until-marriage sex education teaches adolescents that marriage is the only time sexual activities can take place and that in order to prevent disease and teen pregnancy refraining from sex until marriage is the only choice (SIECUS, 2001).
In the United States of America, sex education is taught in two main ways: comprehensively and abstinence-based. Abstinence-only sex education focuses primarily on abstinence as a means of avoiding STDs, STIs, and unplanned pregnancies. On the other hand, comprehensive sex education programs focus on informing students about the choices available to them in regards to sexual health; these programs also provide education that includes information on both contraceptives and abstinence. In this paper, I will argue that all American public schools should implement holistic, comprehensive sex education programs and dismantle abstinence-based programs as quickly as possible.
It also teaches interpersonal and communication skills and helps young people explore their own values, goals, and options (Advocates for Youth, 2001). This method shows various ways to prevent unplanned pregnancies and ways to avoid STD’s unlike the abstinence-only education programs. Abstinence-only method finds faults within the contraceptives, which then pushes those faults into the children. This approach instills fear into children so they see all of the bad that comes with sex before marriage. Now comprehensive sex education provides values-based education and offers students the opportunity to explore and define their individual values as well as the values of their families and communities, and includes a wide variety of sexuality related topics, such as human development, relationships, interpersonal skills, sexual expression, sexual health, and society and culture (Advocates for Youth, 2001). In addition, it includes accurate, factual information on abortion, masturbation, and sexual orientation, provides positive messages about sexuality and sexual expression, including the benefits of abstinence and teaches that proper use of latex condoms, along with water-based lubricants, can greatly reduce, but not eliminate, the
Comprehensive sexual education informs students to make healthy choices regarding their health. Many students who receive an comprehensive sex education “were 50% less likely to experience pregnancy than those who received abstinence-only education” (“Comprehensive”). The majority of
Today’s youth faces very tough issues in their everyday life. Kids are growing up too fast too soon. They are facing situations and making decisions that will affect them for the rest of their lives. Among one of the most pressing issues they have to deal with is the risk of dangerous sexual behaviors and early pregnancies. Sex education programs in schools are clashing over comprehensive-sex education programs versus abstinence-only education programs. Abstinence-only programs not only instill morals, but the program helps prevent sex before marriage, prevents teen pregnancy, and the spread of STDs. The comprehensive-sex education programs helps kids make better decisions when it comes to sexual activity, they help prevent unwanted pregnancies, and they decrease the rates of STDs (Grossman, Frye, Charmaraman, Erkut). Combining both of these programs may be the smartest and healthiest solution for our kids when it comes to making decisions about having sex.
Sexual activity among young people is a matter of serious concern. Parents around the United States are very worried about their children and their loss of innocence when it comes to this subject. Sexual education is an optional program that is taught in some schools to inform the youth about sexual health. Many people are torn when it comes to this topic and feel that sexual education leads to premature sexual activity; where others believe sexual education is extremely beneficial to all students who are involved. Sexual education was previously taught to delay sexual activity, however recently it has been used as a tool to help educate the youth about medically accurate information in hopes to prepare them for their futures. Sexual education is not a federally mandated program, so across the United States some students are receiving information and some are not. Schools offer a safe learning
The United States sex education poorly educates students on how to protect themselves from both unwanted pregnancies and sexually transmitted disease. When one looks at data comparing the United States to countries with comprehensive sex education, you can see the significant difference in numbers of these issues. You can also see how the lack of education among students leads to more sexual harassment towards females. In order to combat these issues, the United States should put in place a better education strategy that teaches young adults how to have safe sex that prevents unwanted pregnancy and STIs, instead of stressing the importance of abstinence.
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
uring our last class, we learned about four different activism project ideas. Of the four, two focused on sexual education of young adults, one on sexual violence on college campuses, and the last about increasing abortion access. All four projects were feminist in that they all had components of increasing women’s equality. Both sexual education programs as well as the project on sexual violence prevention would work to benefit women socially. The Abortion Access program covers all three grounds of feminism: the program would advocate for the social, political, and economic equality of women.
Sex education is something that should taken into consideration teaching lower class how to prevent themselves for having more children. Lot of the young adults have no idea of the usage of birth controls or condoms in every high school they should have sex education programs. Birth control and condoms should be handed out in public places for the lower class could get a hold of it also budgeting skills should be given to teach lower class how to save and manage their spending. The cost of living is increasing so on that note, minimum wages should be raised, because for those who have jobs or finally get a job will be able to support their family without receiving no government aid.
As a very natural part of our everyday lives and existence as humans, it is perplexing how so many Americans are undereducated about human reproductive systems and sex organs, their structures and functions, and the various effects and consequences of human sexuality. The responsibility of properly educating young people about human sexuality is in the hands of parents and schools. Educational programs in U. S. schools today, such as Abstinence Only and Abstinence Plus programs, may not provide adequate information to teach young people how to make knowledgable decisions in real-life situations about sex. Comprehensive Sexuality Education programs have been shown to be much more effective at preventing teen pregnancies and sexually transmitted infections (STI 's; SEICUS). As it is an extremely broad topic, “Sexuality education is a life-long process of acquiring information and forming attitudes, beliefs, and values” (SEICUS). However, the acquisition of fundamental knowledge, credible information, and appropriate health resources can help in this life-long process and minimize unwanted or negative effects.
.Compared with older adults, sexually active adolescents aged 15–19 years and young adults aged 20–24 years are at higher risk of acquiring STDs for a combination of behavioral, biological, and cultural reasons (CDC 1). For this reason, sexual education should continue to be taught in schools. According to “Obviously, Sex Education Should Not Be Taught in Schools,” Cullen Herout believes that sexual education should not be taught in government run schools. He goes on to explain why sexual education should not be taught in schools with multiple reasons with evidence to back up his claim. These reasons include: it will normalize HIV and AIDS, the children will be brainwashed with sexual perversion, and government money should not be used to pay for it. He claims that parents have the sole responsibility of teaching their children sexual education. The only thing he believes should be taught in schools are the main subjects of reading, writing, math, language, spelling, and science. He is convinced that government run anything is corrupted and that the government has some hidden agenda for educating children on sexual education. Overall, he feels the best solution to the issue of sexual education is not having it taught in schools at all.
Gonzalez 1Alexis Gonzalez Thomas Debalski English 1A 11/25/2017 The Efficacy of Sexual Education 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 lecherycan 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
Do you expect to be taught correct information in schools? Though it may be the expectation, that is not the case in 30 states when it comes to sex education. Despite the many contracting political views, religious views, or any other barrier involved in teaching sex education, there needs to be a standard set across all school to teach medically accurate information to students in order to ensure safety.