Sex Education

Up to nine times as many teenagers give birth in the United States as in other industrialized countries. Moreover, more American youths under age 15 are becoming sexual active. Although overall U.S. teen births are declining, out-of-wedlock birthrates are skyrocketing in the United States and throughout the industrialized world. To reverse these trends, Congress and the States are spending $837.5 million over the next five years to encourage teenagers, unmarried adults to abstain from sexual intercourse without teaching them about conception or disease prevention. But critics say that withholding such information leaves youths “defenseless”. (Koch, Kathy)
Any parent doesn’t want their child to be sexual sexually active till their child is married. But In this society, that is impossible. Teenagers are getting pressure to have sex by their peers, friends and the media. It’s good to talk about abstain from sexual intercourse, but it’s wrong to leave them in the dark about the preventions and the consequences, when they do decide to have sex. Sex education should be taught in school.
American teenagers have more pregnancies, births and abortions than youngsters in any other western industrialized country. A third of U.S. girls-about 820,000- become pregnant before they turn 20 (80% of them are unmarried), and 4 million American teenagers contract a sexually transmitted disease each year. (Friedman, Jane)
A majority of Americans (55%) believes that giving teens information about now to obtain and use condoms will not encourage to have sexual intercourse. (www.npr.org). In a study of 35 education programs around the world, the World Health Organization found there is no evidence that comprehensive programs encourage sexual activity. The study also concluded that abstinence-only programs are less effective than comprehensive classes that include abstinence and safe-sex practices such as contraception and condom use. (www.msnbc.msn.com)
According to Columbia University researchers, virginity pledge programs increase pledge-takers’ risk for STIs and pregnancy. The study concluded that 88 percent of pledge-takers initiated sex prior to marriage even though some delayed sex for a while. Rates of STIs among pledge-takers and non-pledge were similar, even though pledge-takers initiated sex later. Pledge-takers were less likely to seek STI testing and less likely to use contraception when they did have sex. Analysis of federally funded abstinence-only curricula found that over 80 percent of curricula supported by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services contained false, misleading, or distorted information about reproductive health. (Brigid McKeon)
By having sex education taught in school, young adults are taught the preventions and the consequences. They are not being left in the dark about anything related to sex education. If a young adult decide to take the step in having a sexual relation and have sexual intercourse, they know what to use to prevent having STIs and unwanted pregnancies. It’s good to be taught about abstinence but it’s also important to know conceptions when the person does take that next step.