Why Sex Education Is Important - Essay Example

Sex Education Many details in life should not be reveled before the correct time. For example if humans knew when they would die, their whole lives would lived in a panic. Nothing would stay in order. Although some details should be revealed but in some religions and some cultures it is a belief that nothing should be revealed before the time comes to actually perform the particular task. The American way is that we should inform the teenager of sexual diseases through sex education since they will see sex all around them anyway, therefore they should have the knowledge so that hopefully the teenagers can and will make a smart and informed decision. However that is not the view of some other religions, for instance Islam. In Islam topics such as sexuality are not discussed out right openly and are not considered appropriate at all for their teenagers to be taught. However a high school student will not be allowed to graduate unless they take and pass their sex education class. Does sexual education really provide a platform where it helps the teenager; regardless shouldn't the beliefs of a religion be respected first My own parents tried to talk to the dean and principal and tried to explain to them that they do not wish for me to take this class, however to their shock the request was denied. It is amazing since the American culture itself teaches nothing but respect for other cultures. Toleration is taught all through life. No prayers are said specifically since that might violate the practices of another religion. But when it comes to sex education, it is not understandable why this rule cannot be bended for Muslim children. Has it really been proven that a sexual education class actually has helped increase teenage abstinence Or has it actually decreased it Let us take a look at some statistics. According to a survey conducted by the Global Virtual University in 2002, teenagers between the ages of 15 and19, there were 53 out of every thousand teenager getting pregnant in US. United States of America is a country where we pay severe attention to sex education and make sure that it is drilled into our children's heads that it is unsafe to have sex without any protection and that teenage pregnancy are not good for their and their baby's health. The same survey was taken for a completely eastern country, where it is almost unlawful to even discuss anything related to sex, Pakistan. The figure that we see there is that every 50 girls out of 1000 become pregnant. It is not safe or recommended to completely eliminate sex education from schools; however it also not fair to hold children back from graduation just on the basis that they didn't attend a sex education class. It should not be mandatory in a society where we respect other religions. Even though the statistics are almost the same in both western and eastern countries, so does this justify the practice to mandate the sex education classes as a requirement for high school graduation "When it comes to opinions about sex, people all too often inhabit different worlds, speak different languages, hold incompatible and widely divergent views. The situation is further complicated by differences compounded by gender, social class, culture and other factors, and by the existence of numerous pressure groups, each with a different agenda, and often each talking at cross-purposes with the others, vying for influence in sec education policy"(Halstead, and Reiss 15). The main concern of making sex education mandatory for every student is that it violates the practices of many cultures and religions. It is not an accepted practice to discuss such issues in many cultures with their young. In the previous paragraph it has been shown that providing sex education and not providing it has not really made a difference in the statistics of teenage pregnancy. It only varies over a 3%. So than what is to say that sex education is the only way to reform sexual attitudes in a society. "The immigrant Mus- lims are experiencing new pressures, both domestic and foreign, which have led to alterations in the constituency and direction of their community"(Haddad, and Lummis 5). These pressures should not be there. The adults are facing the pressures whether to let their children mix in the American culture and take sex education as a part of their studies or to send their children to an Islamic school. Let us keep in mind though that sending them to an all Islamic school would significantly damage the Muslim children's ability to interact with the cultural diversity. In order to keep the cultural values and dignity safe for all religions some rules and policies must be bendable. It must be understood, once again that the views of our society and government might conflict with other religions. While we show great respect for every culture, than why not in this area The parents of every child, whether Muslim or not, must be given a choice to allow their child to attend the sex education class or not, it should not be made mandatory. (rough draft) Sex Education Many details in life should not be reveled before the correct time. For example if humans knew when they would die, their whole lives would be lived in a constant state of panic. Although some details should be revealed but in some religions and some cultures it is a belief that nothing should be revealed before the time comes to actually perform the particular task. The American way is that we should inform the teenager of sexual diseases, through sex education classes made mandatory in schools, since they will see sex all around them anyway. Teenagers should have the knowledge so that hopefully they will make a smart and informed decision. However that is not the view of some other religions, for instance Islam. In Islam topics such as sexuality are not discussed out right openly and are not considered appropriate at all for their teenagers to be taught. However a high school student will not be allowed to graduate unless they take and pass their sex education class. Does sexual education really provide a platform where it helps the teenager; regardless shouldn't the beliefs of a religion be respected first My own parents tried to discuss this with the dean and principal and tried to explain to them that they do not wish for me to take this class, however to their shock the request was denied. It is amazing since the American culture itself teaches nothing but respect for other cultures. Toleration is taught all through life. Religious prayers are not said specifically since that might violate the practices of another religion. But when it comes to sex education, it is not understandable why this rule cannot be bended for some cultures and religions like Islam. Has it really been proven that a sex education class actually has helped increase teenage abstinence Or has it actually decreased it Let us take a look at some statistics. According to a survey conducted by the Global Virtual University in 2002, teenagers between the ages of 15 and19, there were 53 out of every thousand teenager getting pregnant in USA. United States of America is a country where we pay severe attention to sex education and make sure that it is drilled into our children's heads that it is unsafe to have sex without any protection and that teenage pregnancy are not good for their and their baby's health. The same survey was taken for a completely eastern country, where it is almost unlawful to even discuss anything related to sex, Pakistan. The figure that we see there is that every 50 girls out of 1000 become pregnant. It is not safe or recommended to completely eliminate sex education from schools; however it also not fair to hold children back from graduation just on the basis that they didn't attend a sex education class. It should not be mandatory in a society where we respect other religions. Even though the statistics are almost the same in both western and eastern countries, so does this justify the practice to mandate the sex education classes as a requirement for high school graduation "When it comes to opinions about sex, people all too often inhabit different worlds, speak different languages, hold incompatible and widely divergent views. The situation is further complicated by differences compounded by gender, social class, culture and other factors, and by the existence of numerous pressure groups, each with a different agenda, and often each talking at cross-purposes with the others, vying for influence in sec education policy"(Halstead, and Reiss 15). The main concern of making sex education mandatory for every student is that it violates the practices of many cultures and religions. It is not an accepted practice to discuss such issues in many cultures with their young. In the previous paragraph it has been shown that providing sex education and not providing it has not really made a difference in the statistics of teenage pregnancy. It only varies over a 3%. So than what is to say that sex education is the only way to reform sexual attitudes in a society. "The immigrant Mus- lims are experiencing new pressures, both domestic and foreign, which have led to alterations in the constituency and direction of their community"(Haddad, and Lummis 5). These pressures should not be there. The adults are facing the pressures whether to let their children mix in the American culture and take sex education as a part of their studies or to send their children to an Islamic school. Let us keep in mind though that sending them to an all Islamic school would significantly damage the Muslim children's ability to interact with the cultural diversity. In order to keep the cultural values and dignity safe for all religions some rules and policies must be bendable. It must be understood, once again that the views of our society and government might conflict with other religions. While we show great respect for every culture, than why is sex education such a fixed rule of the American education The parents of every child, whether Muslim or not, must be given a choice to allow their child to attend the sex education class or not, it should not be made mandatory. It is important that the parents of every teenager have control over what their child will or will not learn. Otherwise how will any culture be able to prosper and grow in the modernized America We are the nation of tolerance, we must extend our tolerance to this topic as well before Muslim children are forced to learn in an all Muslim environment. (final draft) Works Cited 1. Globalis. Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation. 23-April, 2008 . 2. Haddad, Yvonne Yazbeck, and Adair T. Lummis. Islamic Values in the United States: A Comparative Study. New York: Oxford University Press, 1987. Questia. 23 Apr. 2008 . 3. Halstead, J. Mark, and Michael J. Reiss. Values in Sex Education: From Principles to Practice. New York: RoutledgeFalmer, 2003. Questia. 23 Apr. 2008 . Read More