One of the most frequently debated topics is, "Should Condoms be Distributed in Schools?" The majority of people say yes and no. However, a proper conclusion has to be attained.
Some say no because of the perception of encouraging teenagers to have sex, but I oppose that opinion and think they should be distributed in schools because unprotected sex risks young lives. The rate at which teenagers are getting A.I.D.S is increasing and for most, sex is experienced for the first time at an early age. Most teenagers do not take adequate precautions, thus they are risking unplanned pregnancies and also increasing the potential of contracting A.I.D.S, and other Sexually Transmitted Diseases (S.T.D.'s).
Some people may also think that carrying out the decision of distributing condoms may change the minds of levelheaded, intelligent students. However, this has no effect on those who get good grades, as they are more reluctant to have sexual relations since they are focused and determined to have a good future. This also leads us to the cliché that ambition is the best form of contraception.
It has been published in 'The Gleaner' that teenagers are being denied access to condoms by clinics, pharmacies and guidance counsellors. This should not be so, as guidance counsellors should never be judgemental, but give advice, talk to students about sexual issues and be trustworthy as well. Turning away teenagers or depriving them of condoms prevents them from making the correct choices, as it is the amount of information and help we offer that leads them to the right choice.
So, condoms should be distributed in schools, but distributed with a message. It is important that all teenagers receive responsible education about sex and relationships, as they need to be aware of the risks they are taking and how to avoid them.
You May Also Find These Documents Helpful
-
The Authors purpose is to convince the reader that condom distribution in schools can lead to contracting Sexually Transmitted Disease or STD’s and encourage promiscuity. He wants the reader to understand that distribution of free condoms in public schools is ridiculous and misguided.…
- 906 Words
- 4 Pages
Good Essays -
Answer: In “Why Schools Should Make Condoms Available to Teenagers” Alan Singer states that there’s a time when parents are going to feel maybe embarrassed or scare to talk to their kids about how does a condom work? but that embarrassment moment would be a price to pay for his protection from disease and premature fatherhood. There are parents, politicians, and educators that argue that school should be a place for learning math and reading and science, not how to put on a condom. Also say that giving condoms to kids in schools is supporting them to have sex, but giving condoms to kid would help decreasing STDs and teenage pregnancy.…
- 111 Words
- 1 Page
Satisfactory Essays -
The main cause that condoms would be given out in school would be due to the ever growing…
- 758 Words
- 4 Pages
Good Essays -
In the after math of the AIDs scare of the late 80’s, school board officials sought to create a health class curriculum that would cover sex education. This was a hot topic in the 90’s and it brought about the questions of sex education and whether it is the schools responsibility or the parents to educate their children. In Rush Limbaugh’s “Condoms: The New Diploma”, from his 1992 book titled The Way Things Ought to Be, Limbaugh claims that condom distribution promotes sexual activities in teens. Though Limbaugh provides readers with compelling arguments, readers can easily refute him and discredit his evidence.…
- 1029 Words
- 5 Pages
Good Essays -
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…
- 916 Words
- 4 Pages
Good Essays -
Sex Education in public schools has always been a widely debated topic in American History. Determining what information to give out and how old the children need to be is constantly being argued. However, many programs are only preaching abstinence, especially to young women. Young men on the other hand get the “condom talk.” Very little information about female contraceptives, physical or medicinal, is ever discussed in these sex education sessions. Rebecca Walker, in 1995, wrote that young women must be treated as growing, learning, individuals, and need information concerning “sex and access to birth control and abortion” in order to nurture their self-esteem and protect them from violence.[1] With limited access to information, women are being denied the ability to make a fully cognitive decision about their bodies.…
- 914 Words
- 4 Pages
Good Essays -
Every year the population in Texas is steadily growing. One social issue that continues to challenge Texas residents is Teen Pregnancy. According to the Texas Department of Health, "every ten minutes a Texas teen becomes pregnant." Because of those statistics Texas has held one of the highest rates of teen pregnancy in the United States. Which raises the question, Should condoms be available to teens in Texas high schools? Some parents and educators suggest that providing condoms in Texas high schools is condoning sexual behavior. Others believe that teens should have access to condoms to help protect their sexual health and an unwanted pregnancy. After considering both sides of the issues I strongly suggest that condoms be available for teens in Texas high schools so they are properly equipped to have safe sex and to decrease the rates of unwanted teen pregnancy and teens contracting STD's or HIV.…
- 542 Words
- 3 Pages
Good Essays -
According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, the average teenager engages in sexual intercourse by the age of seventeen, but do not marry until the mid-twenties (citation). This means that young adults are at an increased risk for unintended pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections for nearly ten years or longer. The numbers of students engaging in sexual activity of ages thirteen to twenty-four continues to grow each year, as does the number of unplanned pregnancies and HIV infections due to not being fully educated about the risks. Today, the duty of educating students and teenagers about sexual intercourse and the risks involved is left to the government and public school system. Abstinence education programs in public…
- 637 Words
- 3 Pages
Good Essays -
Comprehensive Sexual Education What has happened to today’s society that we are opposed to condoms because they might entice sex? When has allowing our youth to practice unsafe sex over safe sex been okay? We often think because we supply kids with condoms, birth control, and talks, that we are giving them permission to have sex, when in fact we are merely trying to protect them from STDs and pregnancy. We do not need to scare kids, but we do need to provide them with information about safe sex practices and what can happen if they do plan to explore their sexual urge. Facts are the most important thing we can offer those select few of youth who wish to engage in sex. Since when has providing information been a bad thing? Shouldn’t the youth know what they are doing and what can happen before they do it? Most schools and education environments that do encourage any sort of sexual education, teach kids to “just say no”. The one main problem with this “abstinence only” education is that it denies those who do say “yes” information, instead of providing other acceptable options other than abstinence. Throughout time, ratings have shown that teaching the abstinence only education doesn’t affect the rates at which teenagers decide to have sex. Though comprehensive sex education doesn’t stop kids from having sex, it does however teach them how to participate in safe sex. Teenagers in today’s society are not stupid. When they are told by teachers that abstinence is the only way that they will not get a STD, they know they are being lied to or misled. Giving teenagers’ information about the risks of different types of sexual behavior can help them make informed decisions about sex. The most effective programs are not the ones that try to divert teens from sex completely but rather the ones that try to steer teens away from dangerous sexual behaviors. Most teens who do not have the correct information on risky sexual behaviors veer away from vaginal intercourse, and…
- 456 Words
- 2 Pages
Good Essays -
As part of the proposal, all students are sent home with a parent consent form. This form will state in extensive detail what is to be taught to their student during their experience. If any parent feels they do not want their child learning something, the child can be taken out of the class for a specific day or not participate in any of the program. This proposal is not meant to take away parents rights but instead to keep their children safe. Even though there are a few number of parents that wish to keep their adolescents out of the programs, many agree to a complete comprehensive sex education program. In fact parents all around the country are supporting comprehensive sex education. Parents across the nation are reported to be for a good informative sex education program. Studies show that “69% of parents supported teaching about proper use of condoms” (Brener). The parents of teens want their children to be safe. Parents understand the consequences of a poor sex education programs in their…
- 987 Words
- 4 Pages
Good Essays -
the majority of young teens having sex birth control should not only be as promoted as condom’s…
- 648 Words
- 3 Pages
Good Essays -
Young people in the United States may fail to protect themselves during sexual intercourse if they lack 1.) Accurate information regarding sexuality and contraception and/or 2.) Access to health care. Teens ' access to care may be limited by cost, time constraints, lack of transportation, inflexible clinic operating hours, fear that confidentiality will be breached, and apprehension about discussing personal health problems. School-based health centers (SBHCs) can deliver accessible, confidential, and comprehensive medical and mental health care specifically designed for and at little cost to teens.…
- 1998 Words
- 8 Pages
Better Essays -
“Half of the 40,000 of the new HIV infections each year occur to individuals under the age of 25. That means that an average of two young people are infected with HIV every hour of every day.” (2) “In the United States, 45.6 percent of high school students and 79.5 percent of college students ages 18-24 have had sex. The average age at first marriage is 28.6 for men and 26.6 for women.” (3) Knowing these two statistics is important before choosing which side of the fence to belong to. The issue at hand is that Camden County College has decided to install condom dispensers within the campus bathrooms. A percentage of our population feels as though this encourages our students to explore sexual intercourse. However, they are wrong, and I will explain to you why it is an absolutely outstanding course of action to install the condom dispensers.…
- 663 Words
- 3 Pages
Good Essays -
The United States has the highest rates of sexually transmitted diseases and teen pregnancy of any developed country. Each year, unprotected sex results in almost four million teenagers contracting an STD. The HIV/AIDS epidemic is also a serious health concern for young people. Of the 40,000 new HIV infections in the US every year, about 20,000 occur in people under the age of 25, unprotected sex being to blame. (1) The National Abortion Rights Advocacy League says, “By denying teens the full range of information regarding human sexuality, abstinence-only education fails to provide young people with the information they need to protect their health and well-being.” (2) Surveys done by the Kaiser Family Foundation found that “students who have sex education know more and feel better prepared to handle different situations and decisions than those who have not.” (3) If the abstinence-only approach continues, it is expected have serious consequences by denying young people access to the information they need to protect themselves. These…
- 2748 Words
- 11 Pages
Powerful Essays -
Many teenagers today are sexually active, and take the risk that are included with having sex. There are many consequences that can happen with having sexual intercourse such as unintended pregnancies and sexually transmitted diseases. This is why birth control should be important in every teenagers life. Teenagers should be provided with various birth control methods to protect themselves, others, and their futures. Providing teens with birth control will reduce teen birth rates, less cases of sexually transmitted diseases will be recorded, and overall reduce the expenses on teen pregnancies.…
- 667 Words
- 3 Pages
Good Essays