Pros and Cons of Sex Education

Pros And Cons Of Sex Education
Sex education, also known as sexuality education or sex and relationships education, is a process of giving knowledge and forming attitudes and beliefs about sex, sexual identity, relationships and intimacy. It is a broad term that describes education on human anatomy, sexual reproduction, sexual intercourse, reproductive health, emotional relations, reproductive rights and responsibilities, abstinence, contraception and other aspects of human sexual behavior. Sex education is basically conducted to help youngsters and elders prevent themselves against abuse, exploitation, unintended pregnancies, sexually transmitted diseases and HIV and AIDS. Sex education is mainly provided by parents or caregivers, teachers, school programs and public health campaigns. Ideally, it should be given to kids before they reach puberty and before they have developed established patterns of behavior. Sex education forms the basic foundation on the basis of which more complex knowledge can be build up over time. Apart from offering various pros, sex education has its list of cons as well. Go through the article to know the advantages and disadvantages of sex education. Sex Education Advantages * Sex education goes a long way in teaching students the correct knowledge about their bodies, human reproductive system, sexually transmitted diseases, birth contraceptives and pregnancy prevention techniques. * Appropriate sex education in schools has a great impact on preventing sexual problems in adulthood. Also, it teaches students on what is right and what is wrong. * Through sex education, young people are able to communicate, listen, negotiate with others, ask for and identify sources of help and advice when it comes to sexual relationships.
Sex Education Disadvantages * It is believed that little knowledge is a dangerous thing. Most sex education provided to students is during physical education or health classes. This brief interlude is not enough to teach students serious materials. * Sexual education, in many cases, goes against an individual’s morals and beliefs. Also, most schools do not teach ‘abstinence’. Instead, they focus on having safe intercourse, which many religions and family values object before marriage. * Teachers appointed for the task are mostly untrained as to how should they go about teaching sex education to children. As a result, they end up adding in their own morals and beliefs into the subject matter, rather than focusing on the facts. * By educating kids on sex at an early age, it pollutes their minds and enhances their curiosity, leading to try it out once or even forcing someone to do it.

Note: * Sex education taught in one school is not the same as that taught in the other. The attitudes of parents, educators or religious leaders in different communities lead to variations in the subject matter being taught in different countries, states and even schools. * While sex education usually takes place in single-sex classrooms, students still suffer from embarrassment or can get excited by the topic discussions. This can result in out-of-control classrooms with students taking to giggling and making inappropriate remarks. * Often, sex education in schools is considered as a recreational course rather than a serious subject.