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Gary Au Mr. Heape AP English III 4 February 2009 Controversial Issue: Sex Education (Final Draft) Sex is major concern for aging youths and parents, as many find themselves wondering what they will do when they encounter with issue itself. Many schools offer an abstinence-only sex education while some offer comprehensive sex education. The problem is people conflict over whether to teach abstinence-only programs between comprehensive sex ed programs due to the belief that the latter encourages sex and the former is not instructive enough.
Though the effect of each program is essential to consider, and it also critical to consider how receptive the program is to its audience. Ultimately, sex education is a field that should be comprised over to create an program that everyone can agree on and is effective. Abstinence-only education, as the name suggests, stresses an abstinence way of dealing with sexual activities. The main objective of abstinence-only education is to teach kids to stray from any sexual activity during adolescence until after marriage.
The primary reason abstinence is stressed is to avoid any sexual activities beyond the context of marriage to lessen chances of harmful psychological and physical aftereffects. There is no guarantee that the people that you have sex with are a virgin or that they have no STDs, thus increasing the risk of contracting STDs or even unintentional pregnancies. Reoccurrences also increase the risk, since sex is addicting in both a physical and mental manner, so less sex means less chances for STDs and pregnancies.
Early sex creates bonds that are difficult to break and can cause a great deal of mental distress. Another primary issue in abstinence is that it not only teaches them how to say “no” to sex but also how to reject other harmful practices such as alcohol and drug use. Overall, abstinence-only education teaches youths how to avoid all problems associated with sex. Comprehensive sex education teaches young people every aspect of sex, from abstinence to safe sex, leaving no blind spot. In a sense, comprehensive sex efutes certain aspects from abstinence-only education. The philosophy on comprehensive sex ed is that it relieves youths from being ignorant about sex and teaches them how to deal with it in case they decide to stray from abstinence. A major motive for this program is that abstinence-only education would not help those who are willing to say yes to sex. Many people (approx. 60%) who actually pledge to say “no” to sex actually change their response, proved by a study conducted by the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health. The more kids know, the more likely they are to say ‘No,'” the goal of comprehensive sex ed is to make the youth understand the consequences associated with sex in hopes off teaching the kids to avoid sex, not encouraging it. The most important aspect of comprehensive sex ed is the instilment of safe sex, practical methods that reduce the risk of pregnancies and STDs. These methods and goals are what make up comprehensive sex ed. Though both programs have the same main goals in mind, each group has opposing beliefs as to what each program could accomplish.
Abstinence-only conservatives believe comprehensive sex ed actually promotes sexual activity through safe sex, while comprehensive sex ed liberals believe that abstinence-only programs leaves youths ignorant. A solution would be to make the program applicable to all teens via compromise. Teens will ultimately make the final choice, so it would best to create a program where abstinence is emphasized greater, but as a last safety net, safe sex is taught lightly and precisely. It is important to teach safe sex “lightly” so it does not in any way promote an idea for sexual thoughts, a major difference from how comprehensive sex ed is taught.
This solution allows both groups to achieve their goal without contradicting their original basis. In end, the person makes the choice. What the teacher or parent can do is only influence their decision. Any attempt to focus on only one side of sex ed may lead to ignorant or over-confident youth. Abstinence will teach restraint, while comprehensive sex ed teaches all areas. Allowing the youth to learn all areas of the subject will enable them to make better, educated decisions and prepare them for an eventual sexual encounter.