Sex Education and Why It Should Be Increased in Schools - Essay Example

High exposure to pornographic content and pressure from peers have attracted a lot of teens toward sex. People are usually very active and passionate in their teens and they fail to consider the consequences of their actions. Millions of teen girls each year are suffering from early pregnancies. In the US alone, more than 410000 girls in their late teens got pregnant in 2009. The issue of teen pregnancy is constantly on the rise and this creates a negative influence on the minds of the subjects. Teenagers should be made aware of the issue of teenage pregnancy and its consequences by promoting sex education in their schools.

Sex education is a term used to describe education about human sexuality. It includes the teaching of human sexual behavior, male and female anatomy, reproduction, contraception, and sexually transmitted diseases. Sex is a subject to which teens are not properly introduced. People in their teens are only exposed to sex through their friends, media, and sometimes through their parents. This makes them unaware of the details linked with sexual intercourse and reproduction. It has been seen that teen pregnancies are most common when teenagers are not formally educated on the subject of sex. Schools play a very important role in educating students as it provides an environment for learning. Such an environment is necessary if tthateens are to be properly educated about sex. When they are properly equipped with the knowledge, it broadens their view and the students can form their own points of view regarding sex. It is also seen that places, where education is less common, tend to have a higher rate of teenage pregnancies. Contraception and sexually transmitted diseases are the subjects that need mothe st highlighting. When faced with a proper curriculum, teenagers can also understand the emotional aspect of sex and it may encourage them to lose their virginity only after marriage or employ contraception if they wish to have premarital sex (Bourton, 2006).

Where parents are keen to teach their students about sex, it is an uncomfortable experience for teenagers. The nature of the topic is such that children are very reluctant to discuss it with their parents. They feel embarrassed while listening to the parents talking about it and do not clarify any doubts they have in mind. Hence the sex education teens receive at the hands of their parents is inadequate. This makes it ever so important to include special classes in schools to enlighten the students about sex. A further important thing is the timing at which this education should be imparted. Most of the students in their late teens would have already experimented on a sexual relationship. Hence teens should be given classes when they are near puberty so that they have all the knowledge about sex and can think about it before starting a relationship. Rather than focusing on the facts and problems related to sex, teens should be given adequate information to prevent them. They should be taught about problems related to sexuality like complications in menstrual cycles, sexually transmitted diseases, and early pregnancies. Teens should be told about contraception and how it could be achieved and from where they can get condoms without embarrassing themselves (Davis, 1995).

Sex education will undoubtedly prevent a large number of teenage pregnancies that arise due to a lack of proper information about sexual experience. Once it is decided that the schools incorporate sex education in their curriculum, it is imperative to look for a teacher that can cater to teenagers’ needs and understand their psychology. The teacher should be confident and talk to the teenagers like a friend so that they voice their confusion without getting uncomfortable. Also, the classes for sex education should be conducted in a single-sex environment that is boys should have a class with all boys and the same goes for girls. With such planning, teenagers will be able to get the most out of the class (Irvine, 2002).

Teenage pregnancies are increasing at an alarming rate around the world. The issue of teenage pregnancies is really grave and teenagers should start getting responsible for their lives. Most of the time, teenage pregnancies end in abortion therefore it makes a really negative impact on the minds of these girls. Where births take place, the young fathers and the mothers suffer a mighty blow to their self-esteem and surround themselves in a web of problems and complications. It is, therefore, necessary that teenagers are exposed to sex education in their early teens and this could happen most effectively if the topic of sex education is taught as a subject in schools.