Sex Education: Should Sex Education be Taught at School?

Sex education
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Should sex education be taught at school? Sex education is a very controversial topic, and it can be a challenging topic to approach. Religion and morals are all parts of why some parents are against sex education being taught in school; they believe abstinence from sex until marriage is the only way of education. Religions are against from schools substituting parents on the role of imparting sexuality information to children. Moreover, religions claim children minds are not ready for getting the information. Culture has also shaped people beliefs, concerning sex education, some cultures, make people regard sexuality issue as taboo which should not be discussed in public (Whitaker, 2015).
However, sex education should be taught at schools because it helps reducing unplanned pregnancy and avoidance of diseases. Moreover, sex education informs teenagers about safe sex practices; and helps teenagers recognize what is right and wrong. Myths surrounding sex, such as people cannot get pregnant when they engage in sexual activities for the first time have misled children. Believing in such myths has led to increase in unexpected pregnancies among children. In addition, myths such as people can know if their partner has STDs has increased the spread of sexually transmitted diseases. Inadequate children understanding on safe sex practices have led to high rate of HIV/AIDS prevalence among children. Children get invalid information from their friends about safe sex practices, which misinform them in making wrong decisions. Parents are tasked with the responsibility of providing sex education to their children, however, due to different perceptions by parents on sexuality topic they fail to play the sex educator role (Lee, 2013).
Whitaker, (2015) argues that a debate exploded after parents discovered that district officials were planning to include more content on sex education. The parents recommended abstinence only program. The parents pointed that the adoption of comprehensive program that district officials planned to introduce would corrupt the minds of their young children. On the other hand, the students wanted adoption of comprehensive program, they argued that the program would enable them have deeper understanding of sex education which would dispel the myths they had surrounding sex.
Religion is categorical to the issue of teaching sex education in schools. The church argues that a person’s body is a holy temple of God; hence sexuality education would corrupt children’s minds. Religious leaders hold the role of imparting sex education should be left to parents who understand the amount of information to be given to their children. Whitaker, (2015) argues that adoption of sex education will inconvenience children from families that avoid conversations about sex. Moreover, some cultures advocate the sexuality issue not to be discussed between adults and children.
According to the University of Southern Alabama, (2015) research conducted to establish parents’ attitude on adoption of sex education, 80% of parents supported inclusion of sex education while 16.5% opposed. The research was conducted on regions associated with high rates of adolescent pregnancy; the parents argued that the inclusion of sex education would impart their children on knowledge that will reduce the number of early pregnancies among the children. The parents further argued that the program, which advocates for abstinence until marriage, is not effective in changing teen’s sexual behavior and prevent negative outcomes such as early pregnancies and sexually transmitted diseases such as HIV/AIDS. In addition, teens receiving formal sex education on safe sex practices and birth control measures were noted to change their sexual behavior compared to those receiving abstinence only education.
Lee, (2013) notes that children who have not received sexuality education from their parent or school are likely to engage in early sex compared to those who have received that education. Early sex education to children is argued to endow children with knowledge and skills that postpone sexual activity.
From March 2016, all the US states were involved in sex education for public school students. 21 states mandated public schools to teach sex and HIV/AIDS education, 33 states approved students to be taught HIV/AIDS education and 20 states pointed that sex or HIV/AIDs education taught to students should be medically and technical correct. The states have further defined parents’ rights with 38 states permitting parents participation in sex education programs, 4 states requiring parents’ permission before commencing education and 35 states permitting parents to refuse sex education on behalf of their children. The reasons for adoption of sex education in US public schools are due to increase in number of students engaging in early sexual activities with multiple partners. Engaging in sexual activiti...