Preview

Comprehensive Sex Education

Best Essays
Open Document
Open Document
1433 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Comprehensive Sex Education
Comprehensive Sex Education vs. Abstinence-Only

Effectiveness of
Comprehensive Sex Education Programs vs.
Abstinence-Only Programs

By A. Marie Butler

February 2011

University of Phoenix, Axia College

University Composition and communication II

Abstract

Sex education is an important tool to students and youth today so they can make crucial life decisions. Educational Institutions should implement special programs to support knowledge regarding safe sex practices along with abstinence effectiveness. Comprehensive Sexual Education, (CSE) programs includes both policies of safe sex along with abstinence, whereas Abstinence-only programs do not provide knowledge to students regarding proper contraceptive use. Surveys on CSE have proven a decline in adolescent sexual activity whereas abstinence-only surveys have shown no increase or decrease in youth sexual behavior. Most children go through puberty between the ages of 9 and 13 and students younger than 13 have been known to be sexually active. Most parents do not have the knowledge alone to be effective in teaching children the proper behaviors and practices to keep them safe. Working together with professional educators and structured programs students will be armed with the knowledge to make effective decisions for their lives.

Comprehensive Sex Education Programs vs. Abstinence-Only Programs How do young people today obtain knowledge regarding the practice of safe sex? In the United States today, sex education in the most public and private schools consist of abstinence-only programs. The Abstinence-only types of programs leave young people uneducated on the practices of safe sex and can put them in danger of contracting STD’s (sexually transmitted diseases), including HIV (Human immunodeficiency virus), as well as unplanned pregnancies. In 2004 the Center for Disease Control (CDC) reported 4,883 young people, ranging in ages 13-24 had contracted HIV (CDC,


References: Braeken, D., Shand, T., and De Silva, U. (Updated 2010, January). Comprehensive Sexuality Education (CSE). Retrieved February 23, 2011 from http://www.ippf.org/NR/rdonlyres/CE7711F7-C0F0-4AF5-A2D5-E1876C24928/0/Sexuality.pdf Center for Disease Control. (Revised 2008). HIV/AIDS Fact Sheet, ¶1, 2 and 3. Retrieved February 20, 2011, from http://www.cdc.gov/hiv/resources/factsheets/PDF/youth.pdf Collins, C., Alagiri, P., Summers, T., and Morin, S., (2002, March) Kirby, D. (2007, p. 1). Abstinence, sex and STD/HIV Education Programs for teens: Their Impact on Sexual Behavior, Pregnancy and Sexually Transmitted Diseases.
Continue Reading
View Writing Issues

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    Comprehensive Sexual Education
    • 456 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Comprehensive Sexual Education

    Comprehensive Sexual Education What has happened to today’s society that we are opposed to condoms because they might entice sex? When has allowing our youth to practice unsafe sex over safe sex been okay? We often think because we supply kids with condoms, birth control, and talks, that we are giving them permission to have sex, when in fact we are merely trying to protect them from STDs and pregnancy. We do not need to scare kids, but we do need to provide them with information about safe sex practices and what can happen if they do plan to explore their sexual urge. Facts are the most important thing we can offer those select few of youth who wish to engage in sex. Since when has providing information been a bad thing? Shouldn’t the youth know what they are doing and what can happen before they do it? Most schools and education environments that do encourage any sort of sexual education, teach kids to “just say no”. The one main problem with this “abstinence only” education is that it denies those who do say “yes” information, instead of providing other acceptable options other than abstinence. Throughout time, ratings have shown that teaching the abstinence only education doesn’t affect the rates at which teenagers decide to have sex. Though comprehensive sex education doesn’t stop kids from having sex, it does however teach them how to participate in safe sex. Teenagers in today’s society are not stupid. When they are told by teachers that abstinence is the only way that they will not get a STD, they know they are being lied to or misled. Giving teenagers’ information about the risks of different types of sexual behavior can help them make informed decisions about sex. The most effective programs are not the ones that try to divert teens from sex completely but rather the ones that try to steer teens away from dangerous sexual behaviors. Most teens who do not have the correct information on risky sexual behaviors veer away from vaginal intercourse, and…

    • 456 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Essay On Abstinence Education
    • 637 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Essay On Abstinence Education

    According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, the average teenager engages in sexual intercourse by the age of seventeen, but do not marry until the mid-twenties (citation). This means that young adults are at an increased risk for unintended pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections for nearly ten years or longer. The numbers of students engaging in sexual activity of ages thirteen to twenty-four continues to grow each year, as does the number of unplanned pregnancies and HIV infections due to not being fully educated about the risks. Today, the duty of educating students and teenagers about sexual intercourse and the risks involved is left to the government and public school system. Abstinence education programs in public…

    • 637 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Sex Education Dbq
    • 916 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Sex Education Dbq

    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
    Read More
  • Better Essays

    Abstinence Only Sex Education
    • 1295 Words
    • 6 Pages

    Abstinence Only Sex Education

    Abstinence-Only Programs Are Ineffective According to Debra W. Haffner, “There are no published studies in the professional literature indicating that abstinence-only programs will result in young people delaying intercourse.”(…) In correlation with the growth of teen pregnancy, the desire to experiment with a partner, and the advancement of more effective contraceptives, abstinence-only sex education is not the proper teaching for teenage students. Critics of abstinence-only education propose that merely telling students not to have sex, and expecting them to take note, is unrealistic. Sources, such as the Alan Guttmacher Institute, a sexual and reproductive health and research organization, show that nearly half of all adolescents will engage in some sort of sexual behavior before they leave high school. Therefore, it is vital to provide students with the proper knowledge they need to make responsible decisions. (…) Gloria Feldt, President of the Planned Parenthood Federation of America, says, “When teens have access to the full range of reproductive health care services, including medically accurate sexuality education, they are more likely to make responsible choices about sex and sexuality.” (…)…

    • 1295 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Better Essays
    Read More
  • Better Essays

    Comprehensive Vs. Abstinence-Only
    • 1251 Words
    • 6 Pages

    Comprehensive Vs. Abstinence-Only

    Sexual Education: Comprehensive Vs. Abstinence-Only High school is either the best days of your life or four years of struggling and mild torture for teens, and the pressure to be sexually active can push adolescents towards the latter. The idea that sexual activity is the ticket to popularity is burned into teens brains by the media, through television, major label music, and movies, their peers, and celebrity role models. They are bombarded with images and sounds dripping with sexual innuendos and sometimes-blatant encouragement of adolescent sex. It is almost impossible to believe that any teen has not become sexually active after their constant exposure to the sex-craved American entertainment system. These are some of the reasons…

    • 1251 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Better Essays
    Read More
  • Powerful Essays

    Comprehensive Sex Education
    • 2563 Words
    • 11 Pages

    Comprehensive Sex Education

    References: Advacates for Youth. (2007). Sex Education Programs: Definitions & Point-by-Point Comparison. Retrieved October 21, 2008 from advacatesforyouth.org: http://www.advocatesforyouth.org/rrr/definitions.htm…

    • 2563 Words
    • 11 Pages
    Powerful Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Sex Education in Public Schools
    • 1188 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Sex Education in Public Schools

    Whether its safe sex practices or even abstinence, all of these issues must be dealt with in an educational setting, because when we look at teen pregnancy rates, sexually transmitted diseases, including HIV/AIDS, it only makes sense to have as much education as possible. This allows them to make more informed choices about engaging in sexual intercourse. The youth do not always consider the consequences of having sex, but with well educated instructors informing them, they can learn the dangers that come with having sex. If someone has no prior information about STD’s and they engage in sexual intercourse, they not only put themselves at risk but…

    • 1188 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Essay On Abstinence-Only Education
    • 427 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Essay On Abstinence-Only Education

    Sexual activity can be detrimental to the success of adolescents because they become more susceptible to STI’s and run the risk of long term emotional trauma. Receiving unbiased, medically-accurate information decreases these risk and allows young people to make informed choices that will improve their lives.…

    • 427 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Availability Of Birth Control In Schools
    • 553 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Availability Of Birth Control In Schools

    References: Advocates for Youth. (2007). Comprehensive sex education: Research and results. Retrieved from Advocates for Youth http://www.advocatesforyouth.org/publications/1487…

    • 553 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Better Essays

    Sexual Abstinence In Schools
    • 1271 Words
    • 6 Pages

    Sexual Abstinence In Schools

    Johnson, B. T., Carey, M. P., Marsh, K. L., Levin, K. D., & Scott-Sheldon, L. A. J. (2003). “Interventions to reduce sexual risk for the human immunodeficiency virus in adolescents, 1985–2000: A research synthesis.” Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, 157, 01–388. doi.10.1001/archpedi.157.4.381…

    • 1271 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Better Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Comprehensive Sex Education Essay
    • 406 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Comprehensive Sex Education Essay

    “Each year, U.S teens experience as many as 850,000 pregnancies a year, and youth under the age of 25 experience about 9.1 million sexually transmitted infections (STIs)” (McKeon). Although these numbers are shocking, U.S schools still do not take charge in teaching efficient sex education to our nation’s youth. Most teenagers, enrolled in a public school, receive what is considered a sex education class. Sex education is taught in two methods, comprehensive or abstinence only. Comprehensive sex education teaches safe and proper methods to avoid unintended pregnancies and sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) while having sex. While abstinence-only sex education strictly teaches teens to wait until marriage to have sex. Abstinence-only sex education is a disadvantage for teenagers to learn medically accurate and unbiased information about sex. Comprehensive sex education is a method that should be taught in all schools and is the best way to keep teens safe, well informed, and prepared for sex.…

    • 406 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Better Essays

    Should Sex Ed Be Taught in Schools?
    • 1307 Words
    • 6 Pages

    Should Sex Ed Be Taught in Schools?

    Sexual Education is taught throughout the United States. Only 3 states require consent before the school may give any sexual education to the children and 35 states allow the parents to opt out for their children. There are two major kinds of sexual education: abstinence based education and a comprehensive based education. The abstinence based sexual education focuses on abstinence and not having sex before marriage. The comprehensive sexual education may start as early as 5th grade and covers the topics like proper use of contraceptives, STDs, safe sex practices, sexuality and masturbation. Some schools may even teach both practices. 37 states are required to include sexual education instruction and 11 require only that it is included somehow in the education. In 2009 the CDC conducted a survey and reported that almost 50% of high school students said they had sex. 14% of those students had 4 or more partners. Although the teen pregnancy rate has declined, it is still the highest of all developed nations at 68 per 1,000. Canada’s teen pregnancy rate is 27 per 1000. Most teens are getting education on abstinence, STDs, HIV but are not learning how to properly use contraceptives. Any many teens have not been taught how to properly use any contraceptives before their first sexual encounter.…

    • 1307 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Better Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Comprehensive Sex Education
    • 1048 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Comprehensive Sex Education

    Lack of knowledge about sex leads to higher rates of STDs. With any sex education, STDs can be prevented, and if they happen to occur, comprehensive sex education teaches affected students how to address their situation. An early introduction to sex that is not through education “increases the risks for negative health and educational outcomes, such as pregnancy and school dropout” (Grossman et al., “Family” 810). Sex education prevents students from being experimental with sex (De). “Preteens are increasingly charged and convicted of sexually based crimes”, but “children arrested for perpetrating sexual offenses are five times more likely than children who have not been arrested to have experienced sexual violence themselves (Illinois Juvenile Justice Commission's 2014,16)” (Meiners 246). Because kids are exposed to sex early on, education in school is…

    • 1048 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Should Sexual Education Be Taught in Public Schools?
    • 470 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Should Sexual Education Be Taught in Public Schools?

    First of all, sex education would help avoid or decrease pregnancies and STDs among young people. The overall U.S pregnancy rate declined 17% from 1990-1996 going from 117 pregnancies per 1,000 women aged 15-19 to 97 per 1,000. The spread of disease among teenagers and teen pregnancy are health issues that will only worsen if the issues are left out of sex education classes. According to Dr. Jacqueline Darroc, who lead a study on sex education “In countries where youth receive social support, full information and positive messages about sexuality, they achieve healthier outcomes and lower rates of pregnancy, abortions, and STDs.”…

    • 470 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Best Essays

    The Necessities of Comprehensive Sexual Education
    • 1668 Words
    • 7 Pages

    The Necessities of Comprehensive Sexual Education

    Comprehensive sexual education programs provide constructive information about preventing STDs and teenage pregnancies. 90% of parents believe that sexual education programs should be required in schools and should emphasize topics such as STDs and pregnancy (Wirthman para. 37). It is evident by these astounding percentages that it is essential for teenagers to know about these so-called “revealing” topics, not only for health and prevention, but for future aid and knowledge. Students that are enrolled in sex education courses, that only provide knowledge about abstinence, are not taught about how STDs are…

    • 1668 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Best Essays
    Read More

Related Topics