Sex_Education

Sex Education Should sex education be taught in schools' That is the question that runs through the minds of many uncertain yet concerned parents. Does sex education create the wrong impression upon the minds of children, or is it actually preparing them with the facts' Would ignorance be better than education' The answer to these questions is clear. It has simply been hidden within numerous perspectives and underlying facts. Many people do consider sex education a dangerous influence upon the minds of teenagers. One of the morally wrong things it teaches teenagers, they believe, is how to enjoy unlawful, sexual intercourse without having a baby and feeling guilty. Therefore, the courses are also promoting an acceptance of a sexually driven behavior that doesn't produce a baby--homosexuality, masturbation, and all varieties of contraception. Subsequently, they also believe, that in the long run the children are taught that being sexually active is normal and not being sexually active is abnormal. Parents may also tend to fear that, if the sex education classes are encouraging sexual behavior that doesn't result with a baby, their children may become more "liberal or tolerant of the sexual behavior" of others. Will they gain a greater acceptance of homosexuality and masturbation' Well, why not' It is out there. It's not like we can hide the children from people who are homosexual and masturbate forever. Besides, they are people, too; and everyone is equal--"every man is created equal"--Abraham Lincoln's Gettysburg Address. Another great fear is the idea that teenagers will become more comfortable with the idea of their future spouses having had sexual relations with someone else. Critics criticized the near unanimity of experts who believed that the discouragement off all non-marital activity was unimportant when it came to the views expressed in class. Yet, these same critics would probably be appalled if they only knew that some experts even believe that such talk is counterproductive (Schlafly 46). One other major fear is that the classes will push upon their teenagers the idea that all teenagers are sexually active. This, in turn, will place an enormous amount of peer pressure to "turn the assumption into a fact" (Schlafly 48). As if there isn't enough peer pressure already out there, then here comes a sex education class that makes kids go out and have sex out of fear of being the abstinent odd-ball. Yet, aren't they forgetting that kids are capable of making wise choices, too' Sure, call them young and stupid, but they too have a gut instinct that can drive them in the right direction. Many people also consider sex education classes a fine way to advise the kids instead of being ignorant to the education of human nature. Then, one in three of all of these young women have an abortion. Another frightening fact might be that 11 million out of 21 million teenagers are sexually active before 20, and one out of five 13-14 year olds have already had sexual intercourse. And still, researchers predict an increase. So, the cry goes out, "Don't give the kids ideas!" Well, the thing is, the kids already have the ideas. It's just that many of them have put the ideas into practice with or without the sexual education classes (Dickman Gordon 512 What parents may refuse to acknowledge is that their children learn about sexuality from sources outside of their homes. Ecological theory suggest that sexual behavior, like other behaviors, is influenced by multiple factors in multiple levels of an adolescent’s social life. These factors include individual characteristics, parent–child relations, peer relations, school, and neighborhood features life.( Deptula, Henry, and Schoeny ,2008) At any rate, the primary goal of sex education is to provide young people with information and skills about taking care of their sexual health and help them make sound decisions now and in the future. In an effort to reduce unintended pregnancy and sexually transmitted disease (STD) in adolescents, both abstinence and comprehensive sex and STD/HIV education programs have been proffered. Based on specified criteria, the author searched for and reviewed 56 studies that assessed the impact of such curricula (8 that evaluated 9 abstinence programs and 48 that evaluated comprehensive programs) on adolescents’ sexual behavior. Study results indicated that most abstinence programs did not delay initiation of sex and only 3 of 9 had any significant positive effects on any sexual behavior. In contrast, about two thirds of comprehensive programs showed strong evidence that they positively affected young people’s sexual behavior, including both delaying initiation of sex and increasing condom and contraceptive use among important groups of youth. Based on this review, abstinence programs have little evidence to warrant their widespread replication; conversely, strong evidence suggests that some comprehensive programs should be disseminated widely. (Kirby, .2008) However, if you feel your child isn't old enough to hear what you have to say, then you can just tell them that, "That's a conversation for when you are older." Honestly, teenagers won't like the fact that their parents were once young, sexually active, and out of control. If you take a look at the world around us and how they are coping, you might just notice that they aren't quiet about sex and seem to be addressing the problems with more success. Although the age of the youth at first intercourse remains the same in the U.S. and five other countries: Canada, England, France, Netherlands, and Sweden, the U.S. still remains with the most number of pregnancies per year. Recent statistics make clear why sexual behavior, specifically that of teens, rightfully occupies a prominent place on our national (USA) public health agenda: one million teenage women become pregnant per year; 78% of these pregnancies are unplanned; one in four sexually experienced teens acquire a sexually transmitted infection (STI) per year; and chlamydia and gonorrhea are more common among teens than adult men.(Bay-Cheng,2003) one of the things the other countries have based their education upon is openness about sex. Their curricula in sex education classes is also based on a policy explicitly favoring sex education, consistent messages throughout society, and access to contraception. Nonetheless, we might not be too far from achieving that "comfortable openness". "A survey taken in 1999 by Peter D. Hart Research Associates, Inc. for the Children's Research and Education Institute, found that 66 percent of registered voters are in favor of teaching sexuality education in public elementary schools. " Twenty-two percent of the voters voted against sexuality education in the public elementary schools. The last 12 percent of the voters were neutral (www.seicus.org). Yet, if there is still questioning and uncertainty about the content of school-based education, simply take part in your state advisory committee. These communities develop, review, or recommend appropriate sexuality education materials and concepts. They also assure input from diverse groups and individuals and help to build community support. This shows that it's one thing to simply state a problem. It's another to actually go out and take action against that same problem (www.avert.org). However, with or without sexual education, students are still going to have sexual relations. That is simply a given. So, why don't we prepare them against the negative consequences--pregnancies and STDs' Now comes a cry of help that is heard coming from the kids. We can't simply turn our backs, because this too is the same problem that every adult has been trying to h When it all winds down to it, sexual education should be taught in schools. It does not create the wrong impression but fills the minds of the nation's young ones with education about human sexuality and its sometimes harsh realities. Plus, education has always been better than ignorance. Besides, education creates knowledge, and knowledge is power--power to make a change.