Sex Ed

Jimajah Smith
World Literature
03 December 2014
Mrs. Chaplin
Sex Education in Schools Does sex education encourage sex? According to Dr. Benjamin Spock, many parents are afraid that talking about sex with their teenagers will be taken as permission for their teen to have sex. Nothing could be further from the truth. If anything, the more children learn about sexuality from talking with their parents and teachers and reading accurate books, the less they feel compelled to find out for themselves (Spock and Needlman 452-553). Although some believe that sex ed. should not be taught in schools, it should be taught in all schools because knowledge on it could be helpful in their future; a sexually active teenager who does not use or learn about contraception has a much higher risk of an unplanned pregnancy, students will learn how to use contraception, which means that they will be protecting themselves from an unwanted pregnancy; Students need to be to informed about STDs and, students need to be educated on methods of safe protected sex. Sexual education should be taught in America 's schools and made a part of the curriculum in every middle school and high school. Only 22 states require their public schools to teach sex education, which is an embarrassment for a country that claims to be progressive. Our public school system is still debating whether or not providing condoms in school promotes sexual promiscuity. Condoms don 't promote promiscuity -- hormones promote promiscuity! Giving students access to condoms doesn 't increase their odds of having sex, it just increases the odds that they 'll have safe sex (Siebold). One school that has begun teaching sex education is in Provincetown, Massachusetts, their High Schools board policy contributes to their students learning about safe sex, by distributing condoms to their students along with counseling that includes information on abstinence and it does not require parental consent. In defense of the students, not needing parental consent makes it more comfortable, because no one should need their parents’ permission to have sex, it is a natural thing. Why ask for approval for something that is going to happen naturally. Joycelyn Elders said “…given a choice between hearing my daughter say “I’m pregnant” or “I used a condom,” most mothers would get up in the middle of the night and buy them herself.”
Parents should learn to accept the reality that not every teenager, and in some cases not even their own is going to abstinent. In fact, six out of ten young women have admitted that they have had sex as teenagers. Although those people had sex as a teen, sixty- three percent of teens who have had sexual intercourse said they wish they had waited. More than one-half of teen boys, and almost seventy- five percent of teen girls that were surveyed said they wish they had waited longer to have sex. Sixty-four percent of teens also said the advice they 'd give a younger sibling or friend would be: "Don 't have sex until you 're at least out of high school, but, if you do, be sure to protect yourself against pregnancy and STDs (“Statistics on Teen Pregnancy n.d.”). These testimonials from high school students give more evidence why schools should teach more and earlier to prevent regretting their decisions in the future. In 2011, the teenage birthrate in the U.S. fell to the lowest recorded in almost 70 years; however, the United States has one of the highest teen pregnancy rates in the world. There are so many teens around the world who become pregnant by accident or unintentionally. Contraception gives the option to be involved in sexual intercourse without barriers or consequences, as well as regular contraception, emergency contraception and comprehensive sexuality education have both proven to reduce the rate of unintended pregnancy (Advocates for Youth). On February 21, 2000 Mackenzie Junior High School in Lubbock, Texas 15 year old John Karras and other students of the school listened to a guest speaker discuss sex, the virtues of abstinence were discussed. Contraception, on the other hand, was not—the group was told: “Condoms can’t stop AIDS all the time and won’t prevent pregnancy all the time,” recalls Karras. The bottom line message: Sex is good, only if you’re married ("Abstinence Only vs. Sex Ed. - Effectiveness & Statistics"). What’s so wrong with sex before marriage? For obvious reasons there are dangers for a sexually active person diseases and unwanted pregnancies. But, if you practice “safe sex,” the benefits could outweigh the negatives if partners use contraceptives wisely, and only having one partner at a time means there is little risks to sex before marriage. Many people around the world wait until after marriage to have sex, because it says that premarital sex is a sin and it breaks the 10 Commandments given by God. The 10 Commandments are given to man by God to make man happy, but some would say “How would that make anyone happy?” Each individual has their own things that make them “happy”, and if having sex keeps or makes someone content why should it be called a sin? In, fact United States residents who have more conservative religious beliefs on average tend to have higher rates of teenagers giving birth. This could be due to the fact that communities with religious beliefs (a literal interpretation of the Bible) may frown upon contraception, if that same culture isn 't successfully discouraging teen sex, the pregnancy and birth rates rise. According to the study researcher Joseph Strayhorn, "We conjecture that religious communities in the U.S. are more successful in discouraging the use of contraception among their teenagers than they are in discouraging sexual intercourse itself,” meaning that churches or religious communities don’t support contraception or sex at all (Bryner). Lastly, middle school and high school students should be taught Sex Ed. in school because they need more education on Sexually Transmitted Diseases or Infections. STIs and STDs range from Chlamydia to HIV/AIDS both the infections and diseases are passed on through sexual contact or exchanging bodily fluids. However, most teens don 't know much about STDs until they get one, half of all sexually active teens will catch chlamydia, herpes, or another STD by the time they turn twenty- five (Watson). The rate of students who contract a STI or STD could decrease if they learn about them ahead of time, nearly half of the 19 million new STDs each year are among young people aged 15-24 years. To reduce sexual risk behaviors and related health problems youth, schools, and other youth-serving organizations can help young people adopt lifelong attitudes and behaviors that support their health and well-being—including behaviors that reduce their risk for HIV, other STDs, and unintended pregnancy ("CDC – Sexual Behaviors – Adolescent and School Health"). People in schools and the community should work together with young people to help teach them the importance of being educated on diseases that will have a harsh effect on their lives. Finally, with all things considered schools throughout the entire United States should teach sex education. Sex education should be a part of all middle school and high school curriculums as well as the other important subjects that are being taught in schools, because if the youth is learning about safe sex/ abstinence, contraception, and Sexually Transmitted Diseases and Infections means that in addition they are learning to protect themselves. The Public School Education System should allow Sex. Education to be taught. Works Cited
Advocates for Youth. "11 Facts About Sex Education in the U.S." Do Something. Real Education for Healthy Youth Act, n.d. Web. 20 Nov. 2014.
Advocates for Youth. "SIECUS - Support the Real Education for Healthy Youth Act." SIECUS - Home. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Nov. 2014.
Spock, Benjamin, and Robert Needlman. Rebenok I Ukhod Za Nim. Minsk: Popurri, 2007. Print. Watson, Stephanie. "Teens and STDs: Get the Facts." Teen Health Center: Information on Teen. WebMD, n.d. Web. 25 Nov. 2014. "CDC – Sexual Behaviors – Adolescent and School Health." Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, n.d. Web. 25 Nov. 2014 Siebold, Steve. "It 's Time to Make Sex Education Mandatory in Our Nation 's Schools | Steve Siebold." The Huffington Post. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Nov. 2014. Bryner, Jenna. "Teen Birth Rates Higher in Highly Religious States." LiveScience.com. N.p., 16 Sept. 2009. Web. 1 Dec. 2014.

Cited: Advocates for Youth. "11 Facts About Sex Education in the U.S." Do Something. Real Education for Healthy Youth Act, n.d. Web. 20 Nov. 2014. Advocates for Youth. "SIECUS - Support the Real Education for Healthy Youth Act." SIECUS - Home. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Nov. 2014. Spock, Benjamin, and Robert Needlman. Rebenok I Ukhod Za Nim. Minsk: Popurri, 2007. Print. Watson, Stephanie. "Teens and STDs: Get the Facts." Teen Health Center: Information on Teen. WebMD, n.d. Web. 25 Nov. 2014. "CDC – Sexual Behaviors – Adolescent and School Health." Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, n.d. Web. 25 Nov. 2014 Siebold, Steve. "It 's Time to Make Sex Education Mandatory in Our Nation 's Schools | Steve Siebold." The Huffington Post. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Nov. 2014. Bryner, Jenna. "Teen Birth Rates Higher in Highly Religious States." LiveScience.com. N.p., 16 Sept. 2009. Web. 1 Dec. 2014.