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).…
When I was around the age to start talking about sexual activities, it was a funny and weird subject to speak on. In reality, it is a touchy topic to talk about with teens. You feel that you already know or you don’t need to know because you are not having sex. Oh! How we were wrong. My mom told me about birth control, condoms, and abstinence. At first I didn’t know exactly what abstinence was but I figured out that it meant wait to have sex when you’re ready. My mom told me to wait until I get married, never get pressured to do anything. I never learned a lot of facts at school because we didn’t have sex education. Sex education should be in all middle and high schools. So many kids like I did didn’t know about safe sex and the cause and effects on what will happen. Not only females but more males have no idea on what to expect as well. Recent discussions has showed that if you tell kids to stay abstinent not only will they go out and have sex anyway but cause a lot of problems such as, teen pregnancy, more infections spreading, and emotional distress.…
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…
Also there has been fifteen year drop in teen pregnancies and STDs, but it is not because of contraceptive sex education. “Meanwhile, a large body of research reveals the real key to reducing teen sexual irresponsibility: parents' willingness to discuss their sexual values with their kids. If schools did away with sex education classes and instead sponsored seminars to help parents become better sex educators at home, it's clear that teen pregnancies and STDs would decline” (Castleman). Parents are able to encourage safe sex with their children and sexual responsibility. Teenagers are more likely to listen to their parents than their teachers about sexual activity. Castleman also explains that the fifteen year drop in teen pregnancy and STDs is not because of either sex education classes but because of the parents. It is clear that parents are the only one able to get through to their children not expensive sex education programs. Programs should be developed where both parents and teenagers can attend so parents know what is being told to their children and teenagers can discuss what they have learned with their parents. With programs like this the parents and teenager can decide what is best for them whether it is abstinence or the promotion of safe sex. DeWitt quotes the Advocates of Youth, “This basic human right…
The United States is often known as the land of opportunity, the birthplace of the American Dream, and the place to the start of a new life. But the United States doesn’t come without its flaws. America is also known for having the highest rate of teen pregnancy in the world. The cause of the high rate of teen pregnancy has baffled many politicians and educators alike and has been a problem for decades. But research suggests that the United States approach on sex educated is dated and ineffective. Instead of focusing on avoiding the topic of sex, Americans should embrace the topic and should be willing to freely talk about sex.…
Sex is a common venture for everyone to experience at some point in their lives, and it comes to no surprise that teenagers are the first ones to engage in it. Sex is not a bad thing and teenagers should not be punished for it, but unfortunately most parents do not know how react when their teens come to them with sexual questions. Since teens do not talk to their parents beforehand, and vice versa, they usually decide to have sex blindly. Subsequently teenagers have neither prior experience nor knowledge about sex and…
However, teenagers make their own decisions. Regardless of how many times parents can tell their child not to have sex, they end up doing it. It’s better to prevent a pregnancy before hand rather than regretting it and getting an abortion. Not to mention, in most states in the U.S abortion is illegal and this can consequently lead to a self made abortion, which has many risks for the fetus as well as the mother. Teenagers should be educated more about safe sex and…
The topic of sex is a unique issue because it’s one of those topics that are essential for a teenager to know about (like their changing bodies, needs, and aspects of gender differences, sexual orientation and the nature of sex). Yet, certain types of sex education topics are not discussed as much as they should be and/or by the right person. About one-third of teens had not received any formal instruction about contraception; fewer males received this instruction than females (62% vs. 70%) [15]. Among teens aged 18–19, 41% report that they know little or nothing about condoms and 75% say they know little or nothing about the contraceptive pill [15]. Many sexually experienced teens (46% of males and 33% of females) do not receive formal instruction about contraception before they first have sex [15]. 63% of parents say it is not acceptable for teens to be sexually active even if they take precautions [10]; so it can be assumed that they would agree that that limitation of sex education is acceptable without realizing the penalties of what it can do to teens. Yet, individuals such as 42% of teen females and 43% of teen males have admitted to already having sexually intercourse at least once [1].…
The increase of teenage pregnancy has placed a burden upon the argument for non-abstinent-only education. As indicated by the National Family Planning and Reproductive Health Association, every year an estimated 850,000 teenagers become pregnant. These statistics also conclude that more than one-third of girls will become pregnant before the age of twenty, and that 78 percent of these pregnancies are unintended. Comprehensive sex education helps delay sexual intercourse between teens by offering them the tools they need to avoid unintended pregnancy.(Berne 91) “Research done by Douglas Kirby for the National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy shows that programs that provide teenagers with comprehensive sex education that includes a discussion of…
All in all, parents needs to do something about their children well-being and their need to educate their children about sex. The problem about teen pregnancy is they are being careless about using protection or they just do not want to use it. The solution is to enroll them into a Sex Ed course, so they can learn about the consequences of having…
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…
Today's world is full of worries and problems which did not affect teens a generation ago. New problems keep appearing in today's world, such as STDs, increased pregnancy rates, and other factors facing teens who choose to have sex. Emotionally and physically teens and getting less developed before having sex and are not prepared for the serious problems which come along with their decision to have sex. No longer is it a matter which will just go away if we ignore it, but teen health and the health of our society depend on choices which today's teens make regarding sex. With so many diseases and problems facing today's world, abstinence is the only way to protect ourselves. Abstinence is a safe choice in preventing the possibility of pregnancy. One-tenth of young women between the ages of 15 and 19 get pregnant every year, 83 percent of these pregnancies are unwanted or unplanned. Half of the unmarried teens who get pregnant do so within six months of their first sexual experience. In fact, between 1986 and 1990, teen childbearing increased by 16 percent. What's worse, pregnant teenagers often don't see a doctor until the time of delivery. The dangers of going through a pregnancy without seeing a doctor are not only serious to the mother and child, but may risk the lives of both. "I'm doing the body count at 3 a.m. at Ben Taub [Hospital]," said Dr. Hunter Hamill, "and I can tell you that most of our (teen pregnancy prevention) programs aren't working. We have blood on our hands." (Feldman 1). Without seeing doctors or receiving correct pre-natal care, the risk of complications for mother and child nearly quadruple. Not only can these complications include still birth, but may also cause excessive bleeding and hemorrhaging of the mother. According to an article in America magazine, "The place to begin combating teenage pregnancy is in the family, not a clinic." (Leone 19). Although parents seem to be afraid to talk to their children about sex, it is vital to the…
Sex education at home is almost nonexistent. Sex education should be a parent’s responsibility; but in many cases, the parents are ill-equipped to adequately educate their children on all the factors regarding safe sex, and all the consequences of unsafe sex, or are too embarrassed to talk to their children about sex, and vice versa. As a result, the issue may never be addressed which may lead to the child making uniformed, unhealthy decisions about sex. Moreover, parents often face a great deal of resistance from their teens when they raise the topic of sex. Teens often don’t welcome these conversations and are embarrassed by them. Many parents, in fact, confessed that they are frankly relieved when their teens do not want to have family conversations about sex; they aren’t particularly comfortable with this topic either. The parents’ stories made me realize just how hard it still is to talk about sex in our…
It appears that teenagers in America are among the most sexually active in the civilized world. However, whether sex education should be mandated in schools is still a controversial issue. For decades, abstinence-only advocates and comprehensive sex education advocates have disputed the topic, making it a social issue. Abstinence advocates claim that the best method to keep teenagers from having sex is to encourage them to wait till marriage with no discussion of contraceptives, while comprehensive advocates claim that teaching teenagers safe sex and how to use contraceptives will overall encourage teenagers to make better decisions. Despite the controversies, sex education is an important issue in American society today.…
While some courses educates its students on significant topics, a wide array of sex education courses advocate, if not force, abstinence. The coercion of abstinence in sex education has led to an increase of birth control purchases, teen pregnancies, abortions, and sexually transmitted diseases among teenagers. According to “Sex Negative,” the federal government contributes 85 million dollars yearly to 25 states that require its educators to emphasize abstinence as the best method to avoid pregnancy and other health conflicts. Only 10 of those 25 states inform their students of contraception. The other states, which are not required to stress contraception, tend to portray teen pregnancy and infant mortality rates (Andrews). A 2005 poll showed 15 percent of parents supported abstinence-only sex education. The surveyed parents advocated more significant topics should arise from sex education, such as sexually transmitted infections, abortion, and contraceptives. The poll states, “most parents and most adolescents do not see education that stresses abstinence while also providing information about contraception as a mixed message” (Santelli et…