In a perfect, disease-and-accidental-pregnancy-free world, all young people would wait until marriage to have sexual intercourse and start popping out the 2.5 babies perfect Americans are supposed to produce. In a perfect world, there would be no poverty, no social classes, and no homework. However, we do not live in Utopia- we live in the Real World, a world where teenage pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases run rampant throughout society. Unmarried, underage, and inexperienced teens are learning the consequences of sex the hard way because of the push to ban or sugar coat sexual education in schools.
Conservatives across the nation are preaching Abstinence as a form of birth control. Ironically, the state with the highest rates of teen-pregnancy, according to MSNBC is Mississippi, a very "religious" state that generally frowns on the use of contraception. The people who preach about the values of waiting for sex and being monogamous are the ones who are to blame for the current epidemic of teen birth rates (in my humble opinion). What teens and young adults need isn't a bible lesson or a lecture on morals- it's education and access to contraceptives. It's human nature to be sexually charged and curious, a trait that sets in right around puberty. It isn't something that can be suppressed or changed. Sexual Education needs to be more thorough and fact-based in it's teachings of anatomy, sexually transmitted diseases, prevention, and treatment. Telling horror stories about the repercussions of sex only makes it more dangerous, and therefore alluring. According to a very informal and casual survey I conducted, most teens lose their virginity at or around the age of sixteen. At sixteen year's old, kids live with their parents and depend on them for transportation and money. They can't really ask Mom and Pops for a ride to the drug store to pick up a box of Trojans after school. This is why I firmly believe schools should educate students about the various forms of birth control and offer free condoms at the health station. I do not believe giving children the accessibility to contraceptives condones or encourages them to have sex; rather, I believe allowing them to access such items helps them in making responsible and mature decisions about their sex lives and helps protect them against pregnancy and STDs. Let's face it: They're going to do it whether or not they have access to birth control. It might be distasteful to be so blunt, but sex is normal and natural. Educating students on all aspects of sex is critical to the health of society.
I ask you this: Do you believe Sexual Education classes in schools should be refashioned and modernized to include a more in-depth look at the potential outcomes of sexual intercourse and a safe haven for students looking to score (pun intended) free contraceptives?
I do not know how it is in MD, but in PA where I went to school we did have a pretty in-depth sexual education. Now, they did not call the class that, but it was a major chapter in our Health class. We learned about all the STD's, how to stay safe in intercourse, and pros AND cons of abortion, adoption, etc. I had a friend who was pregnant her senior year and she even went to the Health teachers to ask a few questions about adoption and such. We did not get free condoms, but what exactly do you consider "in-depth?" Maybe I'm wrong that the curriculum I knew was.
ReplyDeleteI think it's great that PA has a sex-ed class as thorough as yours was. I remember taking sex-ed in Montgomery County, MD and there was a whole day devoted to the praises of Abstinence. I just remember thinking... we spent one day going over all the different forms of contraceptives and the next wholly centered on abstinence. How is this right? I have hardly any information on how do get contraceptives and have no clue what the difference is between a diaphragm and a sponge, yet I can babble back all the virtuous ideals that were thrown at me about staying a virgin. Also, my class was a quarter long and we didn't have it everyday and it was coupled with a drug-awareness lesson. I felt this wasn't enough time and it wasn't focused enough to teach everything there is to know, not only about sex, but about menstrual cycles, the process of pregnancy and birth, male reproduction vs. female reproduction, anatomy, statistics about the typical American family and so on. Things we as young adults would have benefited from knowing. Did your school give you access to birth control?
ReplyDeleteThey gave us addresses and contact numbers for the Planned Parenthoods in the area, so yeah, i guess they did.
ReplyDeleteI agree with what your saying about how the world is def changing, like you observed kids are loosing their verginity at 16! you cant even drive a car at that age now, condoms arent 100% and neither is birth control. I know it seems like alot to ask a 16 year old to keep their pants on, but i feel that their is a much bigger problem than just the program used to educate kids about sex.
ReplyDeleteWhile it's true they and other forms of birth control aren't 100% effective 100% of the time, when used properly they work ALMOST 100% of the time. And they're better than the alternative, which is unprotected sex. I'm not saying I think all teens should or would have sex, please don't get me wrong. I definitely don't want young, immature students with enough on their plates taking on something as big as sex. But I do believe that since many will, schools should make steps to at least educate them about the various methods of protection and make it easier for those seeking protection to get it.
ReplyDeleteI think that they should teach this in school. I honestly think it would make kids less rebellious. In most cases (I think) kids do it to be cool and go against their parents. If everyone knows about it, they won't care and they would be more careful.
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