The Importance Of Sex Education

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.

Sex education should be implemented at an early age beginning at the middle school level. A discussion of contraception, the risks of diseases, the risk of becoming an unwed teen parent and the disadvantages of not having an education will help decrease the number of teen pregnancies with future generations. Parents should not feel threatened of having their children learning about sex in class. Parents should feel empowered; it will allow their children opportunities to feel they are able to discuss future topics of sex at home to help promote

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

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

The U.S. has the highest rates of sexually transmitted diseases and teen pregnancies of any industrialized nation that put young teenagers at risks. It is estimate that 20,000 new cases of sexually transmitted diseases reported each year comes from people under the age of 25 and 82 percent of all teen pregnancies are accidents that account for one-fifth of all unintended pregnancies annually (CDC 2006). As a result, the government needs to stop funding and promoting abstinence only programs and start focusing on comprehensive sex education. Comprehensive sexuality education according to Sexuality Information and Education Council of the US (SIECUS) provides a complete message by teaching age appropriate and medically accurate information

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

America’s youth has always been, and will always be sexually active. Students need to be taught about sexual risks such as STI’s and unplanned pregnancies as well as how to counter those risks by correctly using condoms and birth control. Teenagers aged 15-19 who received comprehensive sex education had pregnancy rates 50% lower than teenagers who received abstinence only education (Kohler, et al. 348). By dispelling rumors and providing up to date information, society is arming its youth with the ability to make the safer and healthier choices. Also, teaching safe sex at school does not mean different moral values cannot be instilled at home or in places of worship. Parents and religious leaders can still encourage teenagers to practice abstinence only. Sexual education should be a dual effort between parents and teachers. If society does not ensure its youth has a comprehensive sexual education, then it is setting them up for

Sexual education teaches adolescents about the use of birth control, their bodies, STD’s, and pregnancy. Due to the awareness of sexual education, adolescents are more careful about sexual intercourse. The pregnancy rate has reached the lowest in modern era between 1990-2010. It declined to 51% pregnancies per 1000 females ages 14-19 to 57.4%. This is the lowest recorded since 1973. Sexual education was not offered in schools until 1983 and many people had close to no knowledge about the options. Even though teens today are aware of their options today, they do not take proper precautions.

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

Secondly, when sexual education is taught in schools there are fewer health consequences. Teenagers are curious and thus, will not understand the effects that sex can have emotionally, physically and psychologically. Teen pregnancy is a disquieting reality for many teens. Not surprisingly, as pregnancy has a large impact on adults, but how much more so for naive teenagers? Sexual education empowers teens by providing them with solutions to epidemics such as teen pregnancy. In fact, pregnancy rates decrease when teenagers are being taught comprehensive sexual education. According to SIECUS.org, “comprehensive sex education [is] associated with a 50% lower risk of teen pregnancy”. This is because sexual education programs teach about contraceptives and birth controls. Some parents do not teach their children about

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

Sexual education is a major topic that most people try to avoid. Sexual education should not be avoided because more people need to be informed. Schools don’t really teach much about sexual education. They skim through it and don’t go in depth like they should. Teens need to be informed about sex because they try to experiment with sex to be “cool”. Schools should start teaching their students more in depth about sex and the risks it has, STDs, unplanned pregnancies, and try different types of methods to inform their students.

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.

The use of sex education in our schools continues to be a polarizing question for many Americans. Only 22 states in America require schools to teach their students about sexual safety (Siebold). Without sex education, teenagers are not learning the basics of safe sex and the different types of STD’s. Many people think teaching sex education is promoting sex in our school by addressing the idea of sex. Although many states believe abstinence is the only method to protect from early pregnancies and outbreaks of STD’s, research shows sex education teaches children about the importance of contraceptives, lowers teen pregnancy rates, and reduces the spread of STD’s.

With sex being a sensitive subject for parents to discuss with their children, they believe it is not appropriate to discuss these types of delicate subjects at any age. It is not because they don’t want to inform them, but because they want to protect them. Even though they don’t know that be keeping it from them, their children are far from safety every day. However, with today’s high birth rates at early ages, the question is no longer “should sex education be taught?” but “how sex education should be taught?” With teens engaging in sexual activity, which results in pregnancy and the contraction of STD’s such as HIV at such a young stage, sex education being taught in schools should be of higher demand now than ever before.