Sex Education for Teens
Sex education is a tool based curriculum that is offered for developing teenagers going through puberty. It is a tool that provides information on topics from sex, sexuality, values, and having the skill to get build a relationship and be aware of one’s sexual health. Education of adolescence in public school system of the United States has become a touchy subject when it has to do with the information that is given to students about sex education. Sex education is targeted to pre-adolescents in middle school to teens in high school. Although abstinence-only programs help lower teen pregnancies and sexually transmitted diseases, comprehensive sex education allows teens to make decisions about their own sexual health leads to better decisions when they decide to become sexually active.
Sex education in schools is either Comprehensive sex education or Abstinence-Only approaches. The type of education students receive is based on the state they live in. California passed the California Healthy Young Act, which mandates comprehensive sex education at least once in middle school then again in high school. In states like Texas, about 60 percent of public schools use an abstinence-only sex education curriculum. Abstinence-only program is supported by conservative groups. Those same groups believe that teenagers are not fully developed in the ability to realize risk factors involved with sexual behaviors. Abstinence-only supporters believe the best way to educate teens is to avoid sex in the first place. Abstinence groups reference the avoidance of smoking, drinking and drugs to correlate with the abstain from sexual activity. However, comprehensive sex programs show the effectiveness of condoms in preventing STDs and pregnancy. Students who are enrolled in abstinence only program are not informed about the decisions about their sexual health. Comprehensive sex education encourages abstinence but teaches teens the effective contraceptive use. Comprehensive sex education also provides information about sexual orientation at schools.
A report titled "Sexually Transmitted Disease Surveillance 2007", said women and minorities are more likely to have sexually transmitted diseases (STD). Young people between 15 and 25 make up a quarter of the population who are sexually experienced. The study found that 42 percent of those who had sex had not been tested for disease though thought they were not at risk. Nearly 19 million new sexually transmitted infections occur each year, about half affect fifteen to twenty-four-year-olds. Reported cases of Chlamydia and Gonorrhea together surpassed 1.4 million in 2007. STDs don't only affect one's health but it affects the economy. According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), the conditions cost the United States health care system as much as $15.3 billion annually. The CDC also suggest that adolescents beginning in the age of 13 should be tested at least once for HIV. Many have the thought that STDs come with a visible sign. Signs they believe may be irregular discharge or rash/ bump. However, most STD's don't even present symptoms. Dr. Yolanda Wimbley, an assistant professor of clinical pediatrics at the Morehouse School of Medicine said "That's how STDs are so easily spread," she said. "It's not people who know they have gonorrhea and who go out say, 'I'm going to spread it to all these people.' It's the people who don't even know, who maybe don't get checked up regularly." Dr. Wimbley also added, "it is safe to say some of the prevention efforts are not working". "New, innovative methods will be required to get through to this generation of young people.” (“Sexually Transmitted Disease Surveillance 2007”)
Dr. Julie De Cesar, of the University of Florida's OB-GYN, shows her research that in areas like Dallas and San Antonio in Texas, had pregnancy rates 50 percent and 40 percent above the national average. Gwen Daverth, CEO of the Texas Campaign to Prevent Teenage Pregnancy says, "the high numbers in Texas reflect policy and not promiscuity." "We're not connecting high-risk youth with contraception services. And we are not supporting youth in making decisions to be abstinent. Daverth adds the state needs to model more progressive policies like those found in other states. The state of California has invested in comprehensive sex education and access to contraception, Daverth says. In California, their birth rate has dropped by 74 percent from 1991 to 2012. "Texas makes it hard for teen agers to get reproductive health care", Daverth claims.
Each year 2.6 million teens become sexually active. That is about 7,000 adolescents a day. Among high school students, half of them reported they have already engaged in sexual activity while 1/3 of them are still currently active. Teen pregnancy and birth rates in the United States has declined by about half since the early 90s. Regardless of the progress, it is still an issue that nearly three in 10 teen girls get pregnant by the age of 20. The number of births to women under the age 20 in 2010 was 372,000. Unplanned teen pregnancy costs not only the family of the teen but also costs the government money since the highest demographic of teen pregnancy happens in low income and poverty areas in the United States. The National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy claims according to a study, Adolescents who have babies cost American tax payers about $10.9 billion annually. The Study which is based on research by Saul Hoffman at the University of Delaware, estimates $2.3 billion is spent on higher public sector health care costs, $2.8 billion on increased incarceration costs and 3.2 billion in " lost revenue due to lower taxes paid by the children of teen mothers over their adult lifetimes as a result of lower education and earnings" The analysis also quantified costs by state, Texas spends the most at $1.2 billion and North Dakota spends the least at $16 million in public costs related to teen child bearing. Terry Haven of the Kids Count program at Voices for Utah Children said "We know from the research that for girls who have babies, the babies are more likely to be in poverty, they're more likely to drop out of school, they're more likely to have babies themselves as teenagers. There is a lot of potential for bad outcomes."
Whether believing that either abstinence only or comprehensive sex education is more successful than the other. Both sides agree it is something that is going on. Pop culture has been one of the biggest factors in creating a change in adolescents. They have brought out sexuality out away from being a forbidden conversation, into the mainstream. Inevitably adolescents are constantly getting exposed to sexuality. You can find it in a song, in a music video, in a film, and in advertising. Like some call it "sex sells". The overuse of sex results in pressure to become sexually active earlier. In order for sexuality and sexual education to be more effective in students in the internet generation, professionals should partner with pop culture outlets and promote programs using the most powerful tool, social media. Since most of the information adolescents pay attention to will come from the internet or on television, it is time to work with social media and use those platforms to direct youth to the services they need for information. With not every school having sex education and some parents may not feel comfortable speaking to their son or daughter about the bees and the birds they are bound to seek out the information from other sources.
According to, "Evidence on the effectiveness of Abstinence Education" abstinence may be the only true 100% effective method against pre-marital sex, teen pregnancy, and sexually transmitted infections. Considering effective prevention program aimed at changing a teens behavior. Law makers should restore funding to Abstinence only programs. Young people face strong peer pressure to engage in risky behavior. Teens have to go through media and pop culture that endorses and at times glamorizes permissiveness and casual sex. Abstinence only programs focus on developing character traits that prepare youth for future oriented goals. Abstinence only education teaches abstinence from sexual activity outside the marriage as the expected standard for all school age children. The program also provides youth with the valuable life and decision-making skill that lay the foundation for personal responsibility developing healthy relationships and including marriage later in life. Studies have also shown that abstinence education is crucial to the physical and psychological well being of the nation's youth. Young people who believe they have bright futures, opinions, and opportunities are less likely to engage in risky sexual behaviors. A study published in the Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine indicated that about one-third of the pre teens and their young classmates who received an eight-hour abstinence lesson had intercourse within two years of the class. On the other hand, more than half of students that were taught about sex and condom use reported having intercourse by the 2-year mark.
On the contrary according to, "Sex Education funding facts not fear" abstinence is not the only effective way against teen pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections (STI). Abstinence only results in less contraceptive use and higher STI. Abstinence only programs ignore sexually experienced adolescents. Abstinence only programs claim that no marital sexual activity is both psychologically and physically harmful. Neither have any scientific proof. Abstinence only also fails to inform adolescents on how to make informed choices when they choose to engage in sexual activities. In the study conducted that relied on asking parents, it was shown that 85 percent of parents agree with a more comprehensive sex education when only 15 percent chose abstinence only programs. The abstinence only program mandates religious standards that lack any scientific basis. For example, the state of Alabama's sex education curriculum is by far the strictest in the United States. Unsurprisingly they also have the highest teen birth rate. Most of the states mandate the only formal education regarding reproduction students may have access is to abstinence only programs. Abstinence only programs are failing to reduce teen pregnancy rates they, on the other hand, are very likely to increase them. One thing is for certain, students are more than likely to become sexually active prior to marriage so it is better to prepare them. Studies have shown students that receive comprehensive sex education are less likely to become pregnant. Abstinence only advocates became upset with shows like 16 and pregnant and Teen Mom. Parents feared shows glamorized teen pregnancy and mother hood. The show rather led to a 4.3 percent reduction in teen pregnancy rather than making it higher. Abstinence only programs appeal to students emotional and fear rather than knowledge. On the contrary of conservative belief, comprehensive sex education doesn't encourage sexual behavior at a young age, nor does it encourage abortions. Federally funding abstinence only programs provides false and misleading information about the effectiveness of contraceptives.
We live in an era in which the internet provides us with most if not all the answers we may have. Becoming comfortable with the internet era and using it to our favor may assist adolescents and their parents to not fall into a statistic. Knowledge should not be based on where you live and what the government mandates when it has to do with adolescent's sexual activity or choice to remain abstinent. Teens and the parents of teenagers should be provided or given access to the honest truth of the effectiveness of every contraceptive method, statistics of unprotected sex, and unplanned teen pregnancies. Sex is not the enemy rather than trying to protect children from sex it's better to educate them. Personal choice to become abstinent is ok when you have been provided with the correct information to make that personal choice. It is the responsibility of parents and government to overcome the awkwardness of talking to teens about sex.