Sex education should be taught in school to teach teens to be safe while engaging in sexual activities. Studies have shown that although the number of teens having sex is lowering the rates of STDs and STIs are rising. 

Not knowing the risks of sexual activity, more specifically sexual intercourse, is a leading cause towards teen pregnancy. According to the Department of Nursing from USC “As of  2015 the teen pregnancy rates of ages 15-19 have hit an all time low in the US due to sex ed.” Teen pregnancy can lead to a chain reaction of issues and struggles throughout that teens life, which is something they most likely did not sign up for.

Aside from teen pregnancy, STDs and STIs are a major risk factor of unprotected sex. According to the CDC, STD and STI rates are rising in teens even though the number of teens having sex is going down. More research provided by the Nursing Department from USC has shown that, “People ages 15 to 24 make up 25 percent of the American population, but they accounted for 50 percent of all new STDs reported in 2013...” The number of teens having sex are being infected because they are not educated in safe sex.

Teaching a little bit of abstinence or only abstinence is doing more harm than good despite what some people may think. According to an article from Reporter written by Valerie A Horn,  when teaching sex ed if it is taught in the “Abstinence Only”point of view it “comprises 23 percent of the sex education in public schools.” To compromise any type of education is unfair to the student especially in sex ed, because it leads to curiosity that can be harmful in the long run. 

The main concern that parents have written about at catholicparents.org and verbally expressed is the fear of the information being invalid and corrupting their children with that information. These parents believe that the teacher is speaking from what they believe to be true and what they believe to be correct. Yet, whether or not they know the law about sex education in California is beyond people’s knowledge. In the state of California the material used in sex education and what is taught must be: medically accurate, include information on contraceptives, include information on abstinence, and be inclusive on sexual orientation according to the Guttmacher Institute. The information given in sex ed is not just medically accurate, but inclusive in beliefs that are more than sex is the only thing that matters. 

There are too many dangerous risks that can result from unprotected sex. By providing sex education in high schools it will continue to lower the rates of STDs, STIs, and unplanned teen pregnancy. Providing sex education in high schools will keep teens safe.

The time has come for faculty and parents to consider what will truly keep their teens safe now and for the rest of their life. 

    Sex Education is not beneficial for children. Although, it is thought to be a good thing for them. The articles pointing these facts out will make you want to change your views on Sex Education to being against or wanting a change in it.

    Sex Education has changed for the worse by becoming a social movement instead of trying to educate and teach the children about STDs/safe sex. According to the article You're Teaching My Child What? The Truth About Sex Education by Miriam Grossman M.D. explains how a social movement has become the main priority for groups such as SIECUS, Planned Parenthood, and Advocates for Youth. These are all federally funded organizations that have their focus on “ “fighting repression” and “intolerance” ”  instead of what they should be educating about (STDs and safe sex).

    The SIECUS program is not just encouraging children to be sexually active, to experiment with many different people, but they are also lying to the child's parents by telling them that “they are delaying sexual activity by promoting sexual education”. The SIECUS program also promotes the children to make their own decisions and ignore their parents or other adults advice or rules. The Planned Parenthood program answered a worried teen mother asking when she should start her daughter on birth control, they responded by recommending the mother to take her child to the OBGYN as soon as she gets her first period. They also recommended that she should allow her child to talk to the healthcare provider without the parents presence. According to Grossman this isn't the best way to prevent a teen pregnancy. The group Advocates for Youth is trying to teach the children that male and female are on a spectrum and are the extremes on it.

    Sex Education goes against religious views. According to the article Ten Good Reasons to Oppose Public School Sex Education  by “CPO Catholic Parents Online”  they write that “Whatever happens in sex education is basically unknown by parents unless they sit with their child each and every sex ed lesson”, which is true because you never know what the teacher might input whether good or bad. They include an article from March 2002 issue of the Journal of Health Economics, titled The Economics of Family Planning on Underage Conceptions, that debunked the typical idea that providing contraceptives to teens in sex education reduces underage conceptions and pregnancies but they ended up finding that the greater access to contraception is associated with an increase of underage conceptions instead of lowering them. In the “CPO Catholic Parents Online” they write that not only does public school sex education attacks or undermines the religious faith of many students since Catholic and Christian students have been taught by their parents that premarital sex, birth control, and that abortion is wrong. They write that this is wrong because they confuse the children by having another authorized figure contradict their beliefs.

    Some people may say that sex education is informative and helps the kids. Yes it may if taught right but only to some extent since they get taught the bare minimum of STDs but what about all the other STDs.  Not only does sex education teach only the bare minimum if taught right but they do not  respect families or students religious beliefs by contradicting their religion.

    The solution for these problems in Sex Education is for schools to provide students take-home books or brochures that explain the greater and easily transmitted STDs, ways to protect themselves against harmful diseases, unwanted pregnancies, and include accurate websites to find more information.  They would need to place them in a secure location such as the school office and they could provide brochures for different religions.

    Now is the time to include these new proposition of including sex education brochure or take-home books in the offices all over schools in the world. This proposition will solve the main two problems of Sex Education by not offending any religions and by providing useful sex education information.