Sex education is a very important topic that should defiantly be discussed in public schools. Children and teens should be aware of the risk they are taking and the ways they can protect themselves from STD's and pregnancy. We have seen an increase in both of these topics and I feel this is linked to the amount of education children receive on these topics. No matter what we teach or how much we try to protect teens from having sex or sexual intercourse, it is going to happen. To better prepare them, we need to educate them. This does not mean we should advocate having sexual intercourse, this just means that with knowledge comes power.
I remember in high school all of the girls and boys going around talking about how cool it was to do certain sexual things with one another and I thought, how scary! I don't want to get pregnant or get an STD! I mean, maybe I knew something they didn't but either way, knowing or not knowing, people did what they wanted through their biological drives or peer pressure or what ever it took to make an excuse to get experience. Now I am sitting here with my 12 year old cousin who is looking on the internet for answers because there is not enough education provided on this subject. Children need to know it is normal to feel the hormones and changes going on but that there are options and ways to help protect themselves. Simply providing abstinence only education has NOT proven effective in the past. I actually attended a private christen school in middle school and found the sexual activity going on there was much worse and a much younger age. This to me was shocking, until later when I found out what sexual intercourse could actually do to a person in a health class. I am very thankful to have gone to a school where this topic did not stray far from the truth about sex and hormones.
I am not saying that abstinence is bad and should not be taught, but that children and teenagers need to be educated on their options should they decide that abstinence is not for them for whatever reason. This web link from WebMD provided insight to my thoughts so please feel free to take a second and read it.
http://www.webmd.com/parenting/features/abstinence-vs-sex-ed
Sara Abbasi
I agree that Abstinence plus should be taught in schools. I think that it is a great thing to wait until marriage, but at the same time we should be realistic in knowing that many teens won't. For the teens that won't wait, it is important for them to know the risk of unprotected sex, STD's, teen pregnancy, contraceptives, and the emotions that come along with it. I know that parents all want their kids to wait, but I believe that it's better for them to know about it, rather than being oblivious to the risks. The information that they could receive in Abstinence plus could keep them from contracting STD's or having an unexpected pregnancy.
ReplyDeleteMeghan McGehee