Should Sex educations be taught in public school - Essay Example

‘If they know about they will do it; knowledge is dangerous.’ It’s not a ‘revelation’ that the far right conservative religious factions are championing this concept much as they have for many centuries. Thankfully, most Americans have taken the reasonable point of view that not including sex-ed in schools would be inexcusable because knowledge is power and the lack of it, particularly in this case, would be physically and emotionally detrimental to the children these parents wish to protect.

There exists no credible data that suggests that Sex-Ed courses encourage increased instances of sexual activity according to the World Health Organization. Moreover, abstinence-only programs are significantly less effective than comprehensive sex-ed classes which comprise safe-sex practices in addition to abstinence instruction. These deductions came at the end of research conducted on 35 sexual education programs of school systems around the world. Nationwide research by Guttmacher Institute and Planned Parenthood produced the same conclusions.

Most parents recognize that increased awareness actually encourages increased responsibility, as a study conducted by Hickman-Brown Research found, 93 percent of the American public believes Sex-Ed should be required in at least high school while 84 percent answer it should also be taught in middle school. Most parents recognize that young people will be sexually active and are at increasingly earlier ages than previous generations. Two-thirds of American high school students have had sex by their senior year.

These teens are being exposed to and spreading sexually transmitted diseases partly due to their lack of knowledge. “People under the age of 24 are responsible for 65 percent of all sexually transmitted infections contracted in this country” according to the Kaiser Family Foundation and the Centers for Disease Control (Masland, 2006). The factions against sex education have forced at least a portion of their will on society and society’s children have suffered because of it. So to not offend this vocal minority, many Sex-Ed classes in America’s public schools have been eliminated or scaled back.

What parents want their kids are learn in Sex-Ed falls well short of what is in fact being taught. Parents merely want their kids to understand the risks associated with sexual contact and the ways to avoid them, just as they would regarding other aspects of their kids lives. “Contrary to common wisdom, when it comes to sex education, parents want it all, from abstinence to homosexuality,” said Steve Rabin, senior vice president of the Kaiser Family Foundation (Levine, 2000). This study surveyed more than a thousand high school youths, parents and educators in addition to more than 300 school administrators.

According to the study the majority of parents thought that classroom discussions concerning rape were necessary in Sex-Ed curriculums and that education regarding homosexuality is crucial as well. Additionally, parents want public schools to talk about sexually transmitted diseases, the use of contraception, abortion and pregnancy. Rape is an unfortunate reality and parents, it has been demonstrated, understand that the more education their girls receive regarding rape prevention and dealing with the emotional aftermath can be only be helpful.

The same as any other subject in school parents believe that the more