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.
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For years, conservatives insist that the only true way to prevent teen pregnancy, abortion, and STDs is to destroy comprehensive sex education.
Instead of receiving proper education, it has been replaced with religious based abstinence-only sex education programs. In many red states, particularly in the South, conservatives have completely replaced proper sex education with abstinence only programs that continuously fail to lower teen pregnancy rates. “Ninety-five percent of Americans have sex before marriage and, on average, adolescents in the United States have sex for the first time at about age 17 but do not marry or begin having children until their mid- to late 20s. During this long interim period, they may be at heightened risk for unintended pregnancy and STIs. Yet abstinence-only programs denigrate sexual activity before marriage as shameful and ignore the needs of sexually active adolescents.”
(Donovan).
No research has shown that abstinence-only programs help delay or decrease unintended pregnancies, or STIs. A report from Los Angeles Times shows that the liberal states with comprehensive sex education has reduced to a twenty year low in teen pregnancy rates. Research shows that abstinence-only strategies may discourage contraceptive use among sexually active teens, increasing their risk of unintended pregnancy and STIs. Teaching growing teens false information about a way to protect themselves for sex is taking away their public health right. Red states will continue having the highest teen pregnancy rate if they continue to have abstinence-only sex education that gives out inaccurate information about sex to teenagers in their schools.
For years, conservatives insist that the only true way to prevent teen pregnancy, abortion, and STDs is to destroy comprehensive sex education.
Instead of receiving proper education, it has been replaced with religious based abstinence-only sex education programs. In many red states, particularly in the South, conservatives have completely replaced proper sex education with abstinence only programs that continuously fail to lower teen pregnancy rates. “Ninety-five percent of Americans have sex before marriage and, on average, adolescents in the United States have sex for the first time at about age 17 but do not marry or begin having children until their mid- to late 20s. During this long interim period, they may be at heightened risk for unintended pregnancy and STIs. Yet abstinence-only programs denigrate sexual activity before marriage as shameful and ignore the needs of sexually active adolescents.”
(Donovan).
No research has shown that abstinence-only programs help delay or decrease unintended pregnancies, or STIs. A report from Los Angeles Times shows that the liberal states with comprehensive sex education has reduced to a twenty year low in teen pregnancy rates. Research shows that abstinence-only strategies may discourage contraceptive use among sexually active teens, increasing their risk of unintended pregnancy and STIs. Teaching growing teens false information about a way to protect themselves for sex is taking away their public health right. Red states will continue having the highest teen pregnancy rate if they continue to have abstinence-only sex education that gives out inaccurate information about sex to teenagers in their schools.