Sex in Schools: Examples and Negative Consequences
Becky was thirteen in the ninth grade, walking into high school she was introduced to new things like sex. All her friends in high school would talk and brag about it, but being that she had never experienced it she felt left out. Becky was never educated and felt like she couldn’t talk to her parents about it. Therefore, she turned to the internet, friends, and boys that were older than her because most of them were having sex at an early age. Soon Becky’s life would be changed forever. At the age of fourteen, Becky became pregnant with her first child. Once her parents learned that she was pregnant, they were furious, but still failed to educate her on the importance of protecting herself. Becky had two kids and also contracted an STD before graduating high school.
If Becky had the opportunity to take sex education, she could have possibly saved and protected herself from making a choice that would change her life forever. What is the purpose of sex education? Sex education covers a wide exhibit of themes that affect sexuality and sexual well-being. It incorporates facts and communication skills building as well as values exploration. Sex education teaches skill-building to help young adolescents communicate and make learned decisions regarding sex and their sexual health. Some have claimed that implementing sex education in schools advances the risk of sex and it is ineffective. On the other hand, based on different research discoveries, it is demonstrated that sex education is compelling by lessening young pregnancy, giving the correct data, and decreasing the quantity of HIV, and sexually transmitted disease cases among adolescents. Therefore, sex education is needed in schools because it prevents unplanned pregnancy, and transmitted diseases, and improves self-esteem for both sexes. This topic we will research in the work 'Sex in Schools: Examples and Negative Consequences'.
The first reason why sex education should be provided in schools is that it prevents unplanned pregnancy. Because it is a fact that adolescents who receive comprehensive sex education are less likely to become pregnant than adolescents who haven’t received any sex education at all. For instance, not all children have someone to talk to them about sex at home, so because they have no knowledge they tend to turn to the internet or maybe even pornography to get information. Because some schools do not provide sex ed many adolescents are not educated enough or at all about all the outcomes that could happen if they get pregnant at a young age. For example, pregnant teenagers are likely to experience miscarriage and stillbirth and are less likely to graduate high school. With the help of sex education classes in schools, they can encourage teens to delay sex until they are older, and further safer-sex use for the ones who choose to be sexually active for example, getting on birth control, condoms, and using spermicides. In the article, Matt Zalaznick states, “the U.S. has made significant progress over the past 20 years: Teen pregnancy rates have dropped by about 50 percent across all ethnic groups and in all 50 states”. This quote shows proof that including sex ed in schools decreases the rate of teenagers getting pregnant or impregnating someone more than the ones who received no sex education.
Additionally, some parents are strongly for and against sex education classes. Some parents nowadays believe that sex education should not be taught in schools because they feel they are the ones that should be teaching their children about the topic and not the teachers. Parents also believe that it is a sensitive subject and it’s inappropriate to teach children about sex. However, some pros and cons should be considered by parents with sex education. In the article, A.D. states, “often parents are concerned that somehow teaching sex ed will encourage sexual activity, when in fact the opposite is true”. This quote shows that many people think that schools have no right to evaluate the information on sexuality that parents provide to their children because they feel they could be sending the wrong message to their children. The topic is also a sensitive subject and some want to be in charge of what their children know especially at a young age. On the other hand, some parents do believe in the importance of sex education in schools. Not every parent is comfortable talking to their kids about sex so they want help from schools to get important information across to youth. Also, many parents do not talk to their kids about sex because they think they’ve already learned about it in school and that there’s no need to bring it up, therefore, adolescents are unable to rely on their parents to talk to them about sex. In the article, Matt Zalaznick states, “80 percent of the district’s families decided to participate in the new sex ed program”. This quote shows that even some parents understand how important it is for the youth to know about the topic and are more likely to accept sex education in schools.
The second reason why sex education is needed in schools is that they prevent the spread of transmitted diseases. Because it is a fact that sex education can reduce the amount of unprotected intercourse, having sex education provides information on ways to prevent getting any infections and how important it is to take precautions like encouraging teens to always use condoms, reducing their number of sexual partners, and waiting till they’re married to have sex. Many teens have never heard of, all the existing sexually transmitted diseases like chlamydia, gonorrhea, HIV, etc., or the risks of being sexually active with different people. For example, Becky was not educated at all on sex and all the consequences that can come with it and she ended up with chlamydia because she didn’t know how important it was to use protection. In the article, Kim, Christine, and Robert E. Rector state, “Teens who engage in sexual activity risk a host of negative outcomes, including STD infection”. This quote is saying that if the youth does not have the information and skills they need to navigate their relationships in a hasty manner they can face serious but also avoidable sexual health risks. They need to be taught about these things, and some STDs that can’t be cured. If they are having signs of a disease, then they will know that it’s important for them to go to a doctor and get checked out.
The third reason why sex education is needed in schools is that they can have long-term benefits like improving self-esteem for both sexes. Because it is a fact many children have low self-esteem and they tend to turn to other things like sex so they can feel good about themselves. For instance, a child could be living with their mother who is a drug addict, they could turn to sex to find the love and attention their absent mother could not provide them. Studies have shown that adolescents want companionship if they’re not getting it from family members then they will go seek it elsewhere and that all translate to them wanting someone to have a sexual connection with them. Another thing is peer pressure can be a reason they have low self-esteem. Some teens decide to become sexually active because their friends think it’s cool. For example, Becky was pressured into being sexually active because she felt left out knowing her friends were having sex. Even if it feels like everyone “is doing it”, they should think about how it’s not true. In the article, Amy Sullivan states, “it also encourages them to delay sexual activity, works on building self-esteem and uses role-playing to teach them how to resist pressure from peers and partners”. This quote is saying that having sex education In schools can help the lack of confidence and self-respect that is highly linked to negative outcomes.
In conclusion, it is indicated that sex education is successful by lowering the rate of high school pregnancies, giving the right information, and diminishing the number of HIV, AIDS, and STD cases among young people. Teaching about sex would also answer questions youth might have without them feeling intimidated. Thus, sex education pushes healthy teen sexuality. Sex education is needed in schools because it prevents unplanned pregnancy, and transmitted diseases, and improves self-esteem for both sexes.
