Sex Education in Public Schools

[DigitalAngel126]

I'm writing a paper about sex education in public schools. The statement that I'm evaluating is: "Organisms must reproduce for the species to survive and yet many young people know very little about sexual reproduction. I am therefore comfortable with the concept of teaching sex education in our public schools."

I know what I think about it, but part of the assignment is getting opinions from sources other than ourselves, our classmates, roommates, parents, siblings, or significant others. That leaves a lot of people to chat with, eh? In any case, to those of you that are willing to bite:

Do you think sex education should be present in public schools? Why or not?


Thanks!

[aephi alum]

Absolutely it should.

Young people should be taught that sex has consequences, one of which is pregnancy. Teenagers are ill-equipped to handle pregnancy, childbirth, and child-raising, and should therefore learn how to avoid becoming pregnant.

The best way to avoid pregnancy is abstinence - it is the only 100% effective method. But it's not the only way - condoms used properly are very effective, as are diaphragms and birth control pills.

Young people should also be taught about STD's, and the fact that the only two ways to protect against STD's is abstinence and condoms.

And young people should be taught about pregnancy, childbirth, and caring for a baby, so that if they do choose to reproduce, they know what to expect.

[LeslieAGD]

I also agree that it should be taught in schools; however, parents need to supplement the school's information by talking to their children at home. A class cannot, and should not, replace parenting.

It's sad how many teens and young adults do not understand how their bodies work and the risks they take by having unprotected sex and numerous partners at such a young age.

[honeychile]

I'm 100% in favor of sex education in ALL schools. While I'd like to say that parents should fulfill that role, and teach their children all about sex, they either are too embarrassed to do so, or are too uneducated themselves. In all honesty, I've told my own mother more about the physical aspect of sexual intercourse than she ever told me - and she was as thorough as she knew how to be.

We had serious sex education from 5th grade through 11th. We were taught on an age-appropriate level, and were told about birth control and STDs. By 9th grade, we had to know how to properly insert a diaphragm or use a condom for our grade (on models, not ourselves!). Anyone whose parents were against them hearing anything about abortion could be excused from that part - but I think hearing about exactly what happens with the different types of abortions is too informative to not hear - and this is from someone who is very much pro-life.

Students need to hear that especially the female body is designed to procreate, and what happens to various parts of the anatomy during sex. Once someone realizes that, it becomes easier to understand the importance of using one method over another, and to become more aware of her own body.

As for the parents, I think their role is to actively reinforce the emotional and spiritual side of sex, and to be open for questions. If they can't answer them, their duty as parents is to find out the right answers, even if it means discussing it with a school counselor.

[ziasha07]

Absolutely! If all you teach is abstinence, when a student gets into a sexual encounter they will only be ignorant about the situation and unprepared. At that point, as an educator you have done nothing for your student in that respect. If anything, you've failed them. You can't expect every student to just accept abstinence, it's unrealistic. If we are taught proper sexual education, it will make us better prepared and equipped to make such a serious decision as whether to have sex or not.

[mystikchick]

absolutely!
i had comprehensive but age-appropriate sex-ed starting in 4th grade through 9th grade, some of which was reinforced in 11th grade IB/AP bio. you better believe i'm well educated as to the risks associated with being sexually active, the benefits of abstinence, the variety of different measures to protect myself from disease and pregnancy, and what to do (God forbid), if something fails.

i have two friends in college who did not have the benefit of such comprehensive education, and thus, as a 19 year old freshman, found myself assuring my friend that there was no human way possible that performing oral sex would result in pregnancy so long as none of the semen got anywhere near her vaginal opening and assuring another friend that bleeding after her first time was perfectly normal (she had had abstinence only education.) i have never felt so glad that i had the education i did as i did then.

knowing all there is to know has helped me make smart, informed decisions about my body and my health, and i think that's vital. sex shouldn't be turned into something taboo, teens should understand that if you have sex, you can get pregnant. but i think it is also important to emphasize the emotional/spiritual aspects of sex as well, because too many kids think it's something you can engage in casually and wind up hurt and damaged emotionally as a result.

overwhelming yes.

[CutiePie2000]

Originally Posted by LeslieAGD

A class cannot, and should not, replace parenting.

Umm...I'd say that a sex education class is certainly in need, given what this person here is doing. She doesn't seem to have a grasp of adequate nor effective contraception methods & LAWD knows what kind of misinformation she'll pass on to her kids. There are some seriously scary "parents" out there who are irresponsible at best.

[JonInKC]

"I remember one time I asked my Grandpa what sex was. He said, 'instead of telling you I'll show you'. We walked out to the barn, and there were my parents. Having sex."

-Jack Handey

[AGDee]

I was a little surprised that my daughter got no education at all in this arena. Now, I'm an open parent and have always communicated with my children about this topic and they come to me with questions all the time. However, since we can't ensure that all parents are doing this, I think it's important that something is communicated in the schools.

I was pretty floored when a 40 year old co-worker shockingly got pregnant when she thought it was a "safe" time of the month because she had NO CLUE during which part of the cycle she ovulated. And, this woman has a masters degree in statistics. It just floored me that she didn't know that information.

My mom bought me the book Our Bodies, Our Selves when I was probably 11 or 12. She had told me about everything to expect during puberty, etc. It seems like the basic human development should at least be covered.

My son's class was recently studying different systems (respiratory, excretary, etc.) and they skipped the reproductive system. At age 11, on a worksheet that was standardized, there was a question like "Tell what you know about each system". For the reproductive system, he wrote "It's really gross." LOL I'm keeping that to show him in a few years!