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Teen sex was rarely talked about in the 19th century but that changed in the 20th century with the coming of new attitudes and values dealing with sex and the growth of public high schools which brought girls and boys together in an institutional setting that fostered greater contact and intimacy. In today’s society, teen sex, sex before marriage and even teen pregnancy is becoming more acceptable because it is a recurring activity.
Sex education has always been a controversial part of education and has endured numerous changes due to the debate of the subject. Should the emphasis be on encouraging young people to abstain from sex period otherwise known as a “only-abstinence program” or should sex education emphasize on the consequences of being engaged in sexual activity and provide clear information on the risks of Stud’s and how to stay protected? It still surprises me today in the 21st century to hear people state that having sex is a moral issue when times have changed so much.
Moralists state that you are only allowed sex If you are married, there should be no other excuse for this action. In recent centuries abstaining from sex or having the chastity belt was the concepts hey went by, it is crazy to think women were far more mistreated about sexual activity then men. Young men were allowed to go out engage In the act before marriage but women were frowned upon if they participated in such an act.
In my opinion, young people are exposed to a range of attitudes and beliefs with dealing with the issue of sex, these attitudes can be confusing to teens, for example; health messages emphasize the risks and dangers associated with sexual activity and the media promotes the Idea that being sexually active makes a person more attractive and mature. It is good to explore the different beliefs when dealing with this subject so one can see where they stand.
Most adults In the united states believe that sex education is appropriate and when given the opportunity, only a small proportion of parents ask to have their children excused from sex education classes” (Kaiser Family Foundation, 2004). The question is, should teens have sex education In schools or should that Information be left for the parents to teach their teens about the subject? Public schools systems have been applying sexual education into their classrooms as regular class that counts for their graduated credits.
Controversies are abundant when dealing with such issues and there are many pros and cons to sexual education being taught In the public schools. It seems that most parents are either strongly against or strongly in favor of this issue but very few parents are in the middle ground and in fact there are more parents that are in favor of sexual education from my experience. With that said, the advantages of sex education In schools would be; classes are gender exclusive meaning students will only be taught what Is necessary to know based on their gender.
The information Is taught properly, sex De could become a regular class that goes toward graduating credits and also sexual education can put an end to myths surrounding intercourse such as not being able to get pregnant the first time. Basically sex education can be beneficial because ‘OFF t will give ten students ten Knowledge on ten student, now to stay sate Ana protect one from Stud’s. On the other hand, there are many disadvantages to having sex education in schools such as; students may suffer from embarrassment or get excited about the topic which can lead to inappropriate remarks.
Also sex education often goes against an individual’s morals or religious beliefs, with that being said I feel as though sexual education courses should always be optional. Many are afraid that the program will not preach “abstinence only’ but will teach the students how to have safe intercourse which leads me to the last advantage; teachers are not always trained properly to teach sexual education and may portray their own beliefs or morals into the subject matter rather than stick to the facts.
Many people have different opinions on what should be covered in sexual education courses to make hem effective. One side says preach “only abstinence” and the other side says, teens are going to engage in sex, why not provide them with the information on how to stay save and put an end to all the myths out there about sex? “Sex education’s focus should be on the dangers of disease, pregnancy, loss of reputation and moral character rather than the possibilities of pleasure and empowered choice.
It is is about controlling and regulating, if not entirely preventing sexual exploration and activity’ (Taylor, 2008). Sexual educational programs should not encourage sexual activity but they should not scare students either, I believe the programs needs to be a middle ground of the two, warning them about the consequences and how to protect them, basically educating them on the “facts of life”. The Society for Adolescent Medicine declared that “abstinence only programs threaten fundamental human rights to heath, information and life. Programs should include education about abstinence, contraception and condoms in my opinion. The main points sex education in schools should educate students on is to assists them to clarify their win attitudes and beliefs on the issue, develop skills to cope with the peer pressure of sex and provide accurate information about sex, condoms, contraceptives and key terms but also to set clear goals for preventing Stud’s or teen pregnancy and one of the most important points is to address the psychological risks of sexual activities.
If a sex education program only preaches to the student’s abstinence only, they are not getting the information they need to be prepared in case they do engage in act. When I went to school, I participated in our sexual education course that they offered UT to me it did not seem to make much of a difference to my other classmates, they just took it for an easy A to be honest. I think for some people who are not educated on the subject it will benefit and make them feel more comfortable and confident on the issue and put an end to all the myths that they thought about sex.
My course that I took mainly scared us into not making sex and all the harmful things that could happen to us, instead of educating the ones that have already engaged in sexual activities which did not seem very effective for me and a few others that I knew in the lass. Basically the sexual education provided me with the knowledge of how to handle the peer pressure of saying no to sex and acting in that way until I knew mentally and physically I was ready, I guess in the long run it was an effective program for me.