Sex education has been a debatable topic over the past decade. Whether the government should get involved by requiring sex ed classes, or step back and let the parents handle it, is the question everyone is discussing. There are two schools of thought about the type of education your child is taught, Comprehensive Sexuality Education, or Abstinence-Until-Marriage programs. Both are very opposite ends of the spectrum, and it usually depends on the state or school district you were brought up in to determine which lesson is taught.…
Soaring rates of sexually transmitted diseases among teens are adding urgency to the debate over sex education. Conservatives claim the alarming statistics illustrate why abstinence should be the single mantra when it comes to sex ed. Liberals counter that the increase in disease is the strongest case for more detailed information. Caught in the middle are America’s kids, who are more vulnerable than ever to potentially deadly diseases.…
Abstinence-only programs tend to have more funding than comprehensive sex education programs. These types of programs are opinion-based and centered on morals and sometimes religious values. Instruction usually censors contraception and condoms for preventing sexually transmitted diseases. Abstinence-only programs teach that sexual expression outside of marriage will have harmful social,…
They feel overwhelmed about where to start or confused about what to teach and when to teach it. The US is the oldest and most trusted provider of sexual health care, and with a national network of sexuality educators, medically accurate sex education in your school or program. “By the late 1980s, many states required schools to provide instructions about AIDS and other STDs.”(”Sex Education.") “In addition, since 1988, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have provided financial assistance to state and local education programs, national organizations and other groups to improve HIV education in…
The government and schools must now step in and place more effective abstinence programs to ensure that students are bombarded by information on the negative effects of sex. As Timken High shows us, many states have pitiful curriculums that are currently set. It does not make any logical sense to keep inadequate courses in the schools if they do not work! I thought schools and the government were responsible for teaching students information that would help them succeed in modern society and make smart decisions. By keeping these ineffective programs, it sends an implied message that the educational bodies simply do not care. Instead of working to ensure the achievement of a goal, they are, in some respect, condoning premarital sex. Currently in the state of California, there is a required sexual education class that all high school students must take before graduating. The program in California as well as that in Ohio is relatively similar in many respects. While not yet proven to be ineffective, the situation in Ohio and Timken High should be enough to compel education directors to alter the current curriculum. With schools being such an integral part in students' lives, schools must become a front runner in the battle against high school pregnancies. It is definitely a bold charge, yet essential, for schools' are held accountable for doing what is best for their…
Over the years the questions of whether sex education should be allowed has dwindled to a very small percentage of people that say no. The bigger question is what exactly should be taught. The few different methods of sex education is a abstinence, abstinence-plus, and responsible decisions. Abstinence has been the most taught method for a ling time, but it has been proven to not be very effective. Abstinence plus is a newer method and is becoming more popular. Instead of just that the students should stay abstinent, abstinence-plus also teaches about different methods of contraceptives and how they are used effectively and it teaches about Sexually Transmitted Diseases, along with HIV and AIDs. Brigid McKeon and SunHerald.com limit themselves to just abstinence and or abstinence-plus, where as the NPA goes even further with a third method. The third method of sex education is responsible decisions. Responsible decisions focuses on teaching teens how to make responsible decisions about sex. Some people think that only one method should be taught, where as others feel…
Abstinence based classes emphasizes on not having sexual intercourse before marriage, but many teens are likely to do so due to curiosity, the overload of hormones, and the influence of the media. Because the natural desires of teens today, parents should be encouraged to talk to their children about how to properly protect themselves from sex. Sex ed programs should be instructed by an educated teacher that knows well enough about the subject and is able to influence the class they are…
Since the first sex education video, "Human Growth" was shown in public schools in the 1940's, sex education in school has remained a controversial subject (Bellafante 9.1). In the present however, it is no longer disputed whether or not sex-ed should be taught, but what should be taught in a sex education program. Conservatives and Liberals both agree that sex education in public schools is important but, their views on what should be taught differ dramatically. Despite the various monikers to describe different sex education programs and curricula, there are really only two types: abstinence-until-marriage and comprehensive (Sex Education Programs: Definitions & Point-by-Point Comparison). In present day society, it is apparent that a comprehensive sex education program should be required and promoted.…
To begin with the government is spending a lot more money on abstinence only classes rather than classes that focus on protection of one’s self while being sexually active. Debra Hauser, CNN Wire Service journalist, writes about how the House of Representatives have passed a bill that restricts the funding of sex education programs that “normalize teen sexual activity as an expected behavior” as part of the new “No Child Left Behind” rewrite (Hauser). What the House of Representatives fail to understand is that teen sexual behavior is going to happen. They are withholding valuable information from these students in hopes that they will not ever have sex before marriage and it is not working. In fact, Lena Rawley states that “in some states like Tennessee, sex education is only required if teenage pregnancy exceeds a certain percent” (Rawley). This makes the funding of sex education therefore pointless because now so many teens are pregnant. To make the funding to sex education not go to waste, then the government should change the restrictions on funding to allow more helpful sex education programs to get a foothold in schools to help make sure teens know about safe sex. Next, sex education needs to be taught by professionals to get the maximum profit from government spending. I myself have taken part of the “Sex Education” class that was part of physical education. It was taught by my freshman P.E. teacher for three class periods out of the semester. When it was time to learn about the birds and the bees we would go into the conference room in the back of the hallway that lead from the locker room, down the hall filled with regular school propaganda, and into a dull gray room with shoddy tables, uncomfortable metal chairs that were like blocks of concrete, and a projector. We then had to sit through a rather uncomfortable slideshow while the teacher told us the names of various…
A big topic in today's society is whether or not a child should have sex education in school. Almost everyday you hear about how the numbers of teens having sex and the rates of teenage pregnancy is skyrocketing. Can this somehow be prevented by encouraging that sex education be included in the curriculum in school? Don't we send our children to school to learn and get an education? Than why should schools not educate our children about sex and help stress that abstinence is best? Sex education is not helping to promote that a child go out and engage in sexual activity, it merely educates them on the consequences of having sex and makes them aware of ways to protect themselves if they do choose to engage in sexual activity. It is important to educate our children on sex and how to protect themselves.…
High schools should provide better sexual education. Prevention is better than cure. The federal government should provide more information in schools and required sex education in the first year of high school. This is important because there are a lot of sexually transmitted diseases, teenage pregnancy, and teen abortions.…
Sexual education in America is presented in various ways to students across the country. By having so many different ways/views shown to youth it can create a confusing image that can end up doing more harm than good. One of the major problems occurring in sexual education, is that it is treated at an entirely different standard when compared to regular educational courses. Although math, reading, science, and other academic areas are important, shouldn’t health and awareness of pregnancy also be a high concern for the youth in our country? Sexual education in schools is currently seen as completely separate from the learning environment. It is seen in many schools to students as a forced subject that you simply have to get through. This issue needs to be resolved in order to make awareness and prevention when it…
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…
Abstinence-only education has always been the prevalent theme in sex education in American public schools. Although it’s been a practice for so long, abstinence-only sex education has proven to be ineffective in preventing pregnancy and the spread of sexually transmitted diseases in teenagers and young adults. In order to reduce the growing rates of teen pregnancy and STD’s, a comprehensive sex education program that explains the importance of contraception and sexual health for the active teen should be taught in conjunction with the benefits of abstaining from sexual activity.…
Throughout the 1980s, these arguments began to lose legitimacy as the American public reiterated its support, research convincingly refuted the idea that teaching sex education encouraged sexual activity, and more attention was being paid to the high rates of teen pregnancy. As the 1980s drew to a close, the entire country was paying attention to the new AIDS epidemic. With the epidemic came even more calls for sex education. Supporters and educators used this energy to push for policy changes, training and resources. By 1989, twenty-three states had passed mandates for sexuality education. An additional twenty-three states strongly encouraged sex education, thirty-three mandated AIDS education and seventeen additional states recommended it (FoSE 1).…