Preview

Controversial Issue: Sex Education Essay Example

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
743 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Controversial Issue: Sex Education Essay Example
Gary Au
Mr. Heape
AP English III
4 February 2009
Controversial Issue: Sex Education (Final Draft) Sex is major concern for aging youths and parents, as many find themselves wondering what they will do when they encounter with issue itself. Many schools offer an abstinence-only sex education while some offer comprehensive sex education. The problem is people conflict over whether to teach abstinence-only programs between comprehensive sex ed programs due to the belief that the latter encourages sex and the former is not instructive enough. Though the effect of each program is essential to consider, and it also critical to consider how receptive the program is to its audience. Ultimately, sex education is a field that should be comprised over to create an program that everyone can agree on and is effective. Abstinence-only education, as the name suggests, stresses an abstinence way of dealing with sexual activities. The main objective of abstinence-only education is to teach kids to stray from any sexual activity during adolescence until after marriage. The primary reason abstinence is stressed is to avoid any sexual activities beyond the context of marriage to lessen chances of harmful psychological and physical aftereffects. There is no guarantee that the people that you have sex with are a virgin or that they have no STDs, thus increasing the risk of contracting STDs or even unintentional pregnancies. Reoccurrences also increase the risk, since sex is addicting in both a physical and mental manner, so less sex means less chances for STDs and pregnancies. Early sex creates bonds that are difficult to break and can cause a great deal of mental distress. Another primary issue in abstinence is that it not only teaches them how to say “no” to sex but also how to reject other harmful practices such as alcohol and drug use. Overall, abstinence-only education teaches youths how to avoid all problems associated with sex. Comprehensive sex education teaches young

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Powerful Essays

    CuffyThinkingWeek1

    • 1053 Words
    • 3 Pages

    The main objective of the article is to emphasize the need for faith based sex education programs in school curriculums in addition to the parental teaching that each child should receive. The debate over sex education in the school curriculum focuses on issues relating to youth and teen pregnancy, contraception, gender identity, sexual orientation, sexually transmitted diseases, and…

    • 1053 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Better Essays

    Birds and the Bees

    • 1431 Words
    • 6 Pages

    Parents always seem to agree on education being a vital aspect of life. Knowledge of literature, math, and philosophy can help students go far beyond their expectations; however this process starts with awareness at a young age. One topic that is widely neglected in education is sex. Sexual education classes vary tremendously across the nation; while some schools insist on hiding the facts from children, others are much more open with discussion. Abstinence only classes are popular among educators, but statistically they are highly ineffective. As sex becomes a reality for younger aged students, it is necessary for schools to provide suitable sex ed classes to reduce teen pregnancy and STD rates. This has turned into an ethical problem, with educators hiding information from students; they are also sheltering them from reality.…

    • 1431 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    Sex Education Dbq

    • 916 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Sex instruction is critical, however numerous amounts of students complete sex education classes with a mutilated perspective of sexuality and without a decent comprehension of contraception and safe-sex practices. Schools without sex education, leave children confused and often misguided. Students are left to learn through their parents about sex, who could, in turn, be misinformed themselves by never having taken a course in sexual education. Without sexual education classes, little is accomplished leaving a defective and contorted, one-sided point of view of safe sex such as abstinence. The lack of knowledge also can lead to an increase in teen pregnancy, and the spread of sexually transmitted disease, Sexual education should be taught to…

    • 916 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Abstinence-Only Education teaches abstinence as the only morally correct option of sexual expression for teenagers. It usually censors information about contraception and condoms for the prevention of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) and unintended pregnancy.…

    • 551 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    This will help students when it comes the time to make the decision to have intercourse to do so safely. The Abstinence-Only Sex Education system, on the other hand, does not prepare the students at all when it comes to sex. Under the Abstinence-Only Sex Education system, they are taught not to be involved in intercourse until after marriage. But if the student decides on becoming sexually active prior to marriage, they would not have the knowledge to do so safely. Instead, they will be left in confusion and frustration, due to the lack of knowledge the Abstinence-Only Sex Education system provides for…

    • 1367 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Abstinence only education programs do more harm than good for the nation’s youth. These sex (or lack there of) education programs aim to teach adolescents to avoid unplanned pregnancies and sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) by simply abstaining from all sexual interactions with a firm “Just say no!” attitude. People in favor of this approach argue that if teens are taught not to have sex then there is no reason to teach them how to have safe sexual encounters. It is believed by some that the act of teaching…

    • 654 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The Affordable Care Act aims to increase the quality and affordability of healthcare and has a goal to improve healthcare both technologically and clinically. One of the improvements includes the restoration of funding of abstinence education in the school system. The abstinence-only education has both pros and cons, but the main goal is to reduce the number of unintended pregnancies and sexually transmitted infections. Now that schools have adopted sex education programs, the next step is to guarantee that these programs remain effective and the pregnancy as well as the infection rates remain…

    • 637 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Abstinence only goal is to prevent teens from sexual intercourse. They used tactics like religion and traditional beliefs to send the message that expressing sexual behavior brings shame to everyone around them (Krueger). Those programs do not teach teens about protection nor ways for them to be in control of their health. Out of the 13 programs funded by the government, only 2 have correct information about protection and prevention (Krueger). Also, only abstinence program’s states have a higher teen pregnancy than states whom teach a variety of sexual education programs. In southern states, where abstinence is only focused on, there are ~20% more births in southern states compared to northern states (Krueger) . Also, abstinence taught teens were more likely to not wear protection and higher chances to contract STDs (Krueger). There needs to be updated sex education programs in high schools in the united…

    • 549 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    Essay About Sex Education

    • 1321 Words
    • 6 Pages

    Should schools teach more about sex education? Would it help boys and girls be safer? Would there be less Sexually Transmitted Diseases or more? “The truth is if teens learned more about sex then there would be less teen pregnancies and less STDs.” ("5 Reasons Schools Should Adopt LGBTQ-inclusive Sex Ed.") I think teen pregnancies are unfortunate and teens should really think more about the consequence and how it can affect your life. “Most students, however, do not receive any instruction until 9th or 10th grade, by which time many have already became sexually active.” ("Implementing Sex Education.") “Ages 15 to 24 makeup 25 percent of the sexually active population, but acquire half of all new Sexually Transmitted Infections which is about 9.8 million new cases a year.” (“FACTS ABOUT SEX EDUCATION.")…

    • 1321 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    States with abstinence-only sex education rank the highest in the numbers of underage pregnancies. Abstinence-only sex educations’ exclusive purpose is teaching the social, psychological, and health gains to be realized by abstaining from sexual activity. But, this program excludes other types of sexual and reproduction health education, particularly regarding birth control and safe sex. By excluding this information, abstinence-only programs may end up deterring contraceptive use among teens that do have sex, risking underage teen pregnancies. This information can help protect the health of teenagers, and by not showing any big positive effect, this program is considered ineffective. In order to prevent teen pregnancies and risk of disease, teenagers need to be able to comprehend every major aspect of sexual intercourse and need to know about safe ways to engage in such activities.…

    • 625 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    One of the implications of abstinence-only sex education is that it is ineffective in its desired outcome and therefore puts young people in danger by not providing them with the appropriate knowledge to practice safe sex. According to an article by the Guttmacher Institute, ““Despite years of evaluation in this area, there is no evidence to date that abstinence-only education delays teen sexual activity” (Guttmacher, 2006). Abstinence-only education can be harmful because it doesn’t curtail sexual activity and it simultaneously neglects the necessary conversations that promote safe sexual encounters.…

    • 303 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Concern for public health and safety have resulted in regulations of medical practices to standards of living enforced by social services and so on; sex education for today’s youth should be based on this same premise, to control the risks that are involved with the sexual activity of youth in the U.S. which are a potential threats to public health and safety. Among these concerns for youth who become sexually active outside of the context of marriage are the threat of STI’s and HIV and unwanted pregnancy. Looking at sex education from the perspective of public health and safety, it is clear that the most logical approach to effective sex education for today’s youth is the comprehensive approach which address several options for protecting oneself from the risks of sexual activity, as opposed to the abstinence only approach which has a biased “one solution for all” approach that does not address youth who are at a high risk for negative outcomes of sexual activity.…

    • 972 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Abstinence or Abortion?

    • 474 Words
    • 2 Pages

    As a student who has gone through the Texas education system since the 6th grade, I found a Sex-Ed class to be nothing but informing. Studies have shown that students who have gone through a abstinence class that includes accurate information over contraception, relationships, STD’s and societal pressures have delayed having sex. This is one piece of evidence in my mind that shows how important a class of this topic really can be. In addition, one of the most overlooked factors over a…

    • 474 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    If children and adolescents are educated about sex practices at too young of an age it can encourage them to partake in sexual activities prematurely. This can result in teen pregnancy, sexually transmitted diseases and negative mental health or low self-esteem. If students are educated about sex with abstinence based program it can reduce the amount of teen pregnancies that occur. For example, Project IMPPACT in New York City “focuses on the importance of abstaining from sexual intercourse” (Lieberman, Gray, Wier, Fiorention, & Maloney, 2000). This program discovered that “Lower rates of adolescent sexual activity are associated with having parents who demonstrate a combination of traditional attitudes toward sexual behavior and effective communication practices” (Lieberman et al, 2000).…

    • 1261 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    This form of sex education has been the most favored and controversial. Those in favor of abstinence education believe that sex before marriage is wrong, that abstinence is the only "safe sex", and that providing information about contraceptives only encourages children and teens to engage in sexual activity. Those that oppose abstinence education believe that children and teens need realistic information to make educated and safe decisions and protect themselves from sexually transmitted diseases and reduce the number of teenage pregnancies. People feel that there are many strengths and weaknesses about abstinence-only education. One strength that people praise is that abstinence education teaches self-sufficiency, meaning that teenagers should be content with themselves and find themselves before trying to rely on relationships for support. This encourages emotional and intellectual independence, which young people seem to lack. Another strength is that it teaches that abstinence from sex is truly the only certain way that a person will not get pregnant or contract sexually-transmitted diseases. This is important for young people to learn so that they will think before making rash decisions. However, there are also aspects that people perceive as weaknesses. One perceived weakness is that abstinence is presented as the only option to…

    • 1636 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Better Essays