Comprehensive Sex Education in Schools Essay Example

Every parent can unite in the fact that one of their worst nightmares is finding out their teenager is pregnant. In America, 3 in 10 girls will become pregnant at least once before the age of 20 (“11 Facts about Teen Pregnancy”). For every one of those pregnancies, there is a teenage boy also involved. So what is the best way to avoid this nightmare? Depends on who you ask. Some people believe abstinence is the safest way to teach teenagers about sex. Conversely, another group of people thinks that comprehensive sex education is the way to go. Other people believe in Abstinence-plus programs, a mix between the two. Of course, there are pros and cons to each approach teaching teenagers about sex. However, when we look at the facts, it becomes clear that one approach is doing more harm than good. Comprehensive sex education should be taught in American schools because abstinence is outdated and ineffective. 

Abstinence education teaches teenagers to abstain from sexual behaviors, usually until marriage (“Abstinence Education Programs”). It excludes any information about contraceptives (any type of birth control) or information on how sex works including biological anatomy (“Abstinence Education Programs”). Abstinence has been taught since the mid 14th century and is kept alive today through religious ideals (“Abstinence (n.)”). Almost every claim abstinence supports crumbles as soon as it’s confronted by logic and common sense. Some of the most unconvincing ones are that people who abstain from sex have healthier and stronger relationships, having sex is damaging to teenagers’ mental health, and that you are less likely to graduate college and more likely to live under the poverty line if you have sex as a teenager. To start, there are no studies to prove to have sex as a teenager will impact the quality of your future relationships; there is simply no correlation. Although sex may negatively impact teens in specific situations, you could argue shaming teens for thinking about sex or having sex is more detrimental to their growing minds as they become more comfortable in their bodies and sexualities. Next, having sex does not link to depression or anxiety, because while a study by Jane Mandle in 2012 shows that sex leads to depression in teens, this study is often taken completely out of context (“Boscia”).  The study was about teen “hookups” and hookup culture, excluding statistics about committed romantic relationships (“Boscia”). Only 2-7% of teenagers had their first sexual encounter with a stranger (“Over Half of U.S. Teens”). Lastly, staying abstinent will not make you a genius or wealthy. “Benefits of Abstinence”, an article listing benefits of abstinence states, “Statistics show that teens who practise [sic] sexual abstinence are likely to do better in school. (Twice as likely to graduate from college than teens who do not practise [sic] abstinence)”. While it’s hard not to believe a site that can’t spell practice right and doesn’t cite any sources for evidence, this is another instance where context is severely lacking. Switch out teens who practice abstinence and teen mothers and we’re looking at a more realistic picture. “Only 40 percent of teen moms graduate high school, and less than two percent of teen mothers (those who have a baby before age 18) finish college by age 30” (“Teen Pregnancy and High School Dropout”). As for social class, two-thirds of teenage moms who are no longer living with their parents will live in poverty (“Zweig and Falkenburger”). These statistics are important to the conversation of teenage mothers and pregnancy but are not directly related to teenage sexual activity. The ideals of abstinence thrive by instilling fear through inaccurate claims. 

Many abstinence supporters are convinced that teenagers should not have sex. Sex is viewed as dirty and even unnatural. “Not my kid,” they’ll say. However sex is possibly the most natural thing humans do, and teenagers' curiosity towards it as they develop into adults is nothing to be shamed. “The Growing Child: Teenager (13-18)”, an article put out by Stanford Children’s Health, states that an interest in romantic and sexual relationships is a trait of puberty for both males and females. As hard as it can be for parents to admit their little boys and girls are becoming men and women, it is not fair to deny them the ability to make that transition as smoothly as possible. For teenagers, puberty is uncomfortable and confusing to navigate. They may be embarrassed about changes and new experiences. Why add more stress to an already demanding time? 42-45% of teenagers will have sex at least once, and all teenagers will have questions about it (“Over Half of U.S. Teens”). It’s time to stop labeling sexual activity as only something the “problem-child” participates in. Let’s stop leaving our teenagers in the dark, and time to start teaching comprehensive sex education. Comprehensive sex education provides medically accurate information about sex and how it works, along with what contraceptives are and how to use them (“Abstinence Education Programs”). Well-rounded comprehensive sex education will teach students about abstinence, healthy vs. negative relationships, LGBTQ+ topics, consent, the negatives and positive effects of having sex, and answers any questions a developing teen may have related to sex and relationships (“Abstinence Education Programs”).  Comprehensive sex education is a medically accurate approach that is untouched by bias, and it is the only way teenagers should be taught about sex. 

The only convincing argument abstinence has to offer is an irrefutable fact. Abstinence is the only surefire way to not get pregnant or contract STDs. Even using contraceptives like condoms and the birth control pill carries risks. Birth control pills are typically 91% effective, and condoms are typically around 82% effective (“How Effective Is Contraceptive at Preventing Pregnancy?”). Abstinence says that the safest way to have sex is to not have it at all. Now that may be true, but that is the same as saying the safest way to drive is to not drive at all. Everything we do as humans carries risk, that’s why we create ways to make “risky” things as safe as possible. When driving, we wear seatbelts and complete drivers' education. We come up with these inventions and practices because it would be unrealistic to have cars exist but tell people they can’t drive them because of the dangers. Every year, 25% of teenagers will contract an STD, and 3 in 10 teen girls will fall pregnant (“11 Facts about Teens and STDs”)(“11 Facts about Teen Pregnancy”). Out of the top 10 states with the highest STD and teen birth rates, ~67% requires sex education, ~87% requires HIV education, ~27% requires their information to be medically accurate, 80% requires abstinence to be stressed, and 40% requires contraceptives and how to use them to be taught (“Barclay and Rodriguez”)(“Teen Birth Rate Comparison, 2020”)(“Sex and HIV Education”). Out of the top 10 states with the lowest STD and teen birth rates, ~69% requires sex education, ~85% requires HIV education, ~38% requires their information to be medically accurate, ~46% requires abstinence to be stressed, and ~54% requires contraceptives and how to use them to be taught (“Barclay and Rodriguez”)(“Teen Birth Rate Comparison, 2020”)(“Sex and HIV Education”). America spends 75 million dollars to withhold information on safe sex from teenagers annually (“Federally Funded Abstinence-Only Programs”). It is a costly decision with costly consequences. 

Abstinence is an outdated and unrealistic method of sex education. The benefits of teaching comprehensive sex education are extensive and vital for the sexual development of teenagers. Our future generations deserve so much more than to be left in the dark. Their futures will affect everyone who has come before and who will come after. Imagine a society where teen pregnancy is not a game of chance, and knowledge about contraception and STDs is required just like our math and English classes. Socially, economically, and medically, abstinence has let America down one too many times. It is time to take control of how we educate our teenagers about sex.