Blog #4

Should sex be taught in the nation's public schools and if so what kind?

This can be a controversial topic because many cultures and religions do not promote sex until marriage, and parents in those cultures may not want their children learning sex education in school. I believe that sex education should be something that parents talk to their children about first, however, I do believe that this should be taught in school also. Many adolescents are embarrassed about talking with their parents about this subject and may engage more in conversation about it with a teacher at their school along with classmates. Sex education classes should promote abstinence until marriage, however, in this society this does not happen much anymore. For this reason kids need to learn about their bodies and how to practice safe sex and pregnancy and STD prevention. I believe girls need to be taught the methods of birth control, the risks and side effects associated with each and how to use them correctly. Adolescents also need to know that there are many sexually transmitted diseases that they can acquire through unsafe practices. For this they need to be taught prevention methods and to get regular STD checks if they are sexually active. Sex education is definitely not a topic that many parents are ready to deal with. I know when I was growing up I found out the majority of my information from a class at school and from my friends. Having education on this at school may be the only way that some kids get the education they need about sex. In America there are too many teen pregnancies and too many kids getting sexually transmitted diseases and HIV. If a sex education class in school can help prevent this at all then it needs to be taught in school.