Today’s society is a very sex oriented one. Everything from the television shows we watch to the clothes we wear suggest sex. This generation of kids is living in the most sexual times so far. Sex
as a means for advertising is becoming more and more excepted and common in the media. Sex is pushed as something quite normal and there is a pressed idea that everyone really is doing it. This notion that the world has made is affecting the youth of this country dramatically.
Adversaries of Sex education might arguer that it should not be taught. Sex Ed. programs are seriously needed right now though. The great majority of today’s teenagers are sexually experienced and many are frequently sexually active. “The proportion of 13 to 15-year-olds who are getting pregnant is rising. The rate of sexually transmitted diseases among young people is going through the roof.” (Phillips 1) Unfortunately, few are completely educated about the dangers they can run into or how they can protect themselves from sexually transmitted diseases including AIDS, emotional trauma, and from unwanted pregnancy. Sex education teaches valuable knowledge that teenagers need to hear about and learn for their own health and the health of their peers. Terrible results can come to minors from not being aware of the useful information that sex education brings.
Also some opponents of sex education say that teaching it would give students permission to have sex. However that is not at all true. It’s all ready been explained how we have a very sexual society and kid’s are doing it without ever even being schooled in any kind of sexual education. Monkey see, monkey do. Teenagers are going to experiment sexually whether we like it or not! It is just a fact. If abstinence is strongly pushed upon the youth then they will not get the feeling of having permission.
Sex Ed. is not being taught everywhere in the US. Sex education in the school districts is a touchy subject right now. “Sex education became a weak area. As a consequence, the spread of HIV/AIDS and other STDs continues, n51 and adolescents are still getting pregnant. The Convention realized that “education systems must change.” (Russell 5) A good reason why some schools aren’t teaching sex education is because the school districts can’t agree on a curriculum that will satisfy everyone who is concerned about the issues. Many teachers, students, and parents have lots of different views on the matter. Denial of these facts though, as many have tried to do, is crazy and is a scary proposal for many of us. The fine points and views of the sex education are quite varied across the country. Some states, while few and far between, have laws that only allow an “abstinence-only” sex ed. program in their schools. Abstinence-only programs are not good enough. Abstinence is the ideal choice teens should take and is an absolutely wonderful idea that students should be taught in every sex education program. While abstinence is the only 100% way of avoiding STD’s and unplanned teen pregnancy, it is not an option that all minors will abide by. Students need to be equipped with all the possible knowledge that they can have when they free-willingly put there selves in sexual activities.
At what ages is Sex Education appropriate to be taught? That is the questions many have been asked and answers vary widely. The age that most adolescents become sexually active is somewhere between 15-18 years. By teaching a sex education class the first semester of a students freshman year it equips them with some knowledge of the subject before they start experimenting. It is very important that teens receive a sex education program before they have any sexual experiences so that they can fully protect themselves. A normal student is also mature enough by their freshman year in high school to handle and comprehend this kind of information to relay to them selves. Where as having this program in middle school would just be absurd, students would giggle and possibly draw or make obscene comments because there maturity level is very low at this time.
Some people argue that sex education is very uncomfortable and scary for students. This is somewhat true but it is something that has to be taught and it has to be tackled by these students. Some precautions can be made to make the experience more tolerable and even enjoyable. One of these would be that the programs be taught as single-sex classes like an all boy’s class and an all girl’s class. Boys and girls should have there own separate classes. This will be a positive thing, teens won’t be embarrassed to ask questions and share some of there concerns. There will also be more student involvement which is proven to improve the learning process for the students.
Rarely parents don’t approve with the teaching of sex education in schools. This does happen at times though. A parent or a legal guardian should be able to dismiss their child from the Sex education program. A written and signed note or a meeting with the teacher should be suitable to excuse any teen from sex ed. Other forms of education for the subject can be discussed at that time. An alternate program can be arranged for these children who don’t participate, such as writing a paper or learning information through a computer program agreed upon by both the teacher and the parent.
In conclusion, sex education is an extremely important tool for young students. Without it the world over the next 30 years could be a very scary place. This country would be filled with diseases, high death rates, orphans, and emotionally distressed people. I’m sure you will agree that a sex education program needs to be a requirement to be taught at every high school in the country. This kind of valuable knowledge needs to be put out there as soon as possible so we can stop our youth from going through the unnecessary pain of what not knowing this information brings.