Why Comprehensive Sex Education Should Be Taught in the United States - Coursework Example

SEX EDUCATION IN USA Comprehensive sex education should be taught in the United States: Introduction: Sex education has conventionally remained a topic with huge tendency to invite lengthy debates among the philosophers and educationalists. Many philosophers have owned controversial opinions about the matter, given the delicacy of the underlying issues. Sex education is largely though of as a topic, too harsh for the sensitive minds of innocent children. However, there is no point denying the fact that making sex education part of the curriculum to be taught to the students is indeed, one of the most effective means of its deliverance. Despite that, justification of such an attempt requires considerable rationale because, deliverance of sex education in schools and colleges would decide the children’s orientation towards sex. The way sex education is delivered, the age at which students are delivered particular concepts and the sensibility students show towards gaining such knowledge are critical factors that can both make and ruin a nation. Looking at the matter from such a broad perspective raises several issues. What becomes particularly challenging is the selection and designing of the most rational form of curriculum and coursework that would effectively deliver all concepts without being offensive on moral and ethical grounds. Despite all these problems, it is imperative that sex education is delivered in order to have the nation educated on various aspects of sex. This will pave way to maturing the attitude people generally adopt towards sex. Lack of sex education makes people susceptible to acquiring various sexually transmitted diseases. Comprehensive sex education should be delivered in the United States in order to inculcate a responsible attitude among the public towards sex. Why educate children on sex? Many issues the American society confronts today pertain to sex. With the advent of technology, juveniles have developed a greater tendency towards visualizing sex without having matured enough to understand the underlying factors that encourage such a wide scale projection of sex and vulgarity on media. Juveniles fall prey to sexual content displayed on uncensored channels and pornographic internet sites. Moved by the unexplored secrets of the “wonderland”, it is little wonder that they indulge in such practices that make them repent at a later stage in life. Most of the issues that surface over the course of time pertain to a deteriorating sexual health. Apropos the inappropriate sexual practices, studies have shown that juveniles in America are frequently falling prey to sexual diseases. According to the 1997 report issued by the Institute of Medicine, every year, as many as 3 million cases of diseases transmitted sexually have been noticed among teenagers (Murphy). Transmission of sexual diseases is fundamentally occurring because of lack of precautionary measures. Who would knowingly do such acts that increase the verisimilitude of acquiring disease? Therefore, there is dire need to implement a carefully designed framework of sex education in the US in order to improve social attitude towards sex in the US. In the absence of sex education in schools, media and other sources of information provide little education regarding sexual complications. This causes juveniles to learn about sex by personally exploring various sources of information, many of which are not only inaccurate but also have huge potential to spoil them morally, physically and sexually (Ragab and Mahmoud cited in Ragab 3). Many juveniles fall prey to intricate problems that persist with them for the rest of their lives. Problems that commonly result from physical abuse are infertility, impotence and trauma. Besides, there are various other physical and psychological disorders that arise as a result. Both individual and social life of the individual who suffers from such disorders is ruined. Lack of sex education is the driving factor behind the exaggerated rates of pregnancies in US. (Guttmacher Institute) states that unintended pregnancies make 82% of the 750000 total juvenile pregnancies that occur in US annually. Lack of awareness about means to prevent pregnancy is the causal factor behind such facts. It comes as a big challenge for the parents to get their children educated on sexual issues. Parents genuinely have huge difficulty discussing such issues with their children. The most appropriate way is indeed, to get them educated by external means. Studies have shown that parents generally do look for reliable means of sex education for their children at the right time during the various phases of their development. About 96% parents assert that “teens should be taught that abstinence is best” (Rector, Pardue, and Martin). An overview of sex education in Europe: Before evaluating the impact of sex education in Europe on individuals’ understanding and behavior towards sex, it is customary to have a brief synopsis of the ways sex education is conventionally delivered in the schools in Europe. Sex education as part of the curriculum in European countries: Sex education in European countries is conventionally delivered in the lessons in Biology or Health Care studies. For example, sex education becomes part of both Biology and the study of Religion in Belgium. Similar trends are followed in Netherlands, Demark, France, and Estonia where education about sex is delivered in the study of Society, Danish lessons, Health Education and Citizenship, and Human Studies respectively (Knerr 10). Conventionally, the deliverance of sex related information in Europe is achieved more by incorporating it within the study of Health and Biology than Sociology or the study of Humanities. That partially explains why, criminals are little concerned about the social impacts of their heinous sexual offenses. Involvement of government bodies: The effective incorporation of sex education in the coursework in European countries is conventionally achieved with the help of various government bodies in different countries. Government agencies in Europe design and implement the sex education. For example, France and Greece take the help of the Ministry for Public Health and Ministry of Health Education respectively for the administration and supervision of sexual education whereas the Czech Republic, Ireland, Finland, Estonia, Latvia, and Iceland have associated the responsibility with the Ministry of Education (Knerr 12). Multiple ministries are involved in the process in the European countries which place larger emphasis on imparting the sex education. For instance, Ministry of Welfare, Ministry of Youth and Ministry of Education have assumed a combined responsibility to take care of sex education in Belgium whereas in Netherlands, policies regarding sex education are designed by the Ministry of Public Health in mutual collaboration with the Ministry of Sports, Education, Justice, Social and Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Welfare (Knerr 12). This clearly explains that involvement of various government ministries plays a vital role in the implementation of comprehensive sex education in any country. Factors influential upon the sex education: Knerr has come up with a number of factors that play a fundamental role in making the sex education programmed in a country successful. Factors highlighted by Knerr include but are not limited to reconciliation of religious and political opinions, media involvement, combined effort of all local agencies and their mutual consensus in favor of the education, interchange of experts within ministries as per the need of the hour and constant revival and sustenance of the sex education framework (12 and 13). Policies need to be constantly acclimated as per the changing political and socio-economic scenario of the country. Sex education in the present scenario in US: Sex education has always been appreciated on various platforms within the US till now. Owing to the immense encouragement that they have received, many schools have actually started teaching sex as a course, though with certain limitations that have always persisted. It is because of this that the rates of pregnancy among the teenagers in US has declined considerably in the last few decades. Because of the ever-increasing trend of imparting education about sex in the American schools, American girls in their teenage particularly the ones between 15 to 19 years of age, have shown a continuous decline in their pregnancy rate from 1990 to 2002. In 1990, the rate of pregnancy was 117 in every 1000 girls. In 2002, it dropped down to 75 in every 1000 (Guttmacher Institute). However, the pregnancy rates among teenagers in Oregon and US still remain the highest when looked at in comparison to the rest of the industrialized world. Birth and abortion rates among juveniles in Oregon and US have been found to be much above those noticed in the Western Europe as indicated in the figure below:  (“Teen Pregnancy: Can We Do Better?”) The above figure clearly explains that the policies adopted by the European states are considerably better than those by US. The policies prevalent in the US have a great role in the exaggerated pregnancy and abortion rates in US. There is no doubt that the US Federal policy lays out an “abstinence-only” formula until the time one gets married, yet, sexually active juveniles find limitations on officially retrieving information regarding contraception and the prevention of various diseases that are transmitted through sexual intercourse (Luker). A comprehensive coursework based on sex education is yet to be materialized in order to gain maximum benefit from the concept. How sex education works: Education on sex is indeed, the most effective way of getting the individuals informed on their sexual health. Rossen, Murray, and Moreland have explained ways in which sex education serves to minimize social disorders pertinent to sex. According to them, sex education develops a culture that favors abstinence from sex until marriage. Besides, number of intimate sex partners is reduced. Use of condoms and other tools and techniques meant to suppress the chances of fertilization or susceptibility to sexually transmitted diseases is encouraged. There is a decline in the child abuse, child pregnancy and abortion rates. There is a drop in the number of HIV cases reported. Sex education also serves to improve the overall hygiene of individuals. In addition to that, Rossen, Murray, and Moreland (2) have explained how education improves the reproductive health among youth of a nation with the help of the following figure. Relationship between sex education and Youth Reproductive Health (YRH) (Rossen, Murray, and Moreland 2). Conclusion: Owing to the widespread trend of sex education in Europe in general, the prevalence of AIDS is relatively lower in Europe in comparison to various other continents of the world. Role of sex education in lowering this prevalence can be estimated from the fact that according to a new UNAIDS report, Eastern Europe in particular has developed a greater tendency towards sexual infections specially among the women fundamentally because of their lack of knowledge about their sexual rights and other services that include but are not limited to “contraception, access to treatment, care and support, especially detection of HPV-related cervical cancer.” (“World YWCA” 4). Having realized the consequences of an uneducated behavior towards exploring sexuality among the youth and particularly the teenagers, many philosophers have identified a need to make sex education a necessary part of the curriculum in schools. Durex is one of many who support the idea of designing and implementing a wholesome and comprehensive curriculum on sexual relationships right from a child’s early years at school through to the adulthood. (“Durex Network” 4). A thorough analysis of the sex education in Europe suggests that government ministries occupy a fundamental position in improving the youth reproductive health of a nation. The statistics studied clearly show that sexual matters are dealt with more reasonably in Europe than in US. This is the main reason why crime cases pertinent to sex are lesser in European countries than US. US Federal policy needs to be made flexible in favor of enhanced juvenile’s access to sex information so that the skyrocketing child pregnancy and abortion rates in Oregon and US can be lowered. There is a growing need in the US to realize the importance of sex education because of its capacity to result in improvement of sexual behaviors of the individuals as has happened in the Europe. In order for US and Oregon to suppress the growing child pregnancy and abortion rates, it is imperative that a comprehensive and flexible sex education framework is identified and implemented. Works cited: “European YWCAs Outcomes Document on Violence Against Women, Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights and HIV and AIDS: Priorities and Recommendations.” World YWCA. P. 1-6. 20-22 Oct. 2010. Web. 16 Nov. 2010. “Facts on Sex Education in the United States”. Guttmacher Institute. Dec. 2006. Web. 16. Nov. 2010. Knerr, Wendy. “Sexuality Education in Europe: The SAFE Project”. IPPF European Network. 2006. Web. 16 Nov. 2010. Luker, Kristin. When sex goes to school: Warring views on sex--and sex education--since the sixties. W. W. Norton & Company. 2006. Murphy, Jenny. “Should Teenagers Be Taught Sex Education Over Abstinence?” National Institute of Medicine, Alan Guttmacher Institute. 29 Jan. 2000. Web. 16 Nov. 2010. Ragab, Ahned R. A. “Sexuality Education Approaches: What would be applicable to North of Africa and Middle East?” n.d. Web. 17 Nov. 2010. Rector Robert, Pardue Melissa, and Martin, Shannan. “What Do Parents Want Taught in Sex Education Programs?” 28 Jan. 2004. Web. 16 Nov. 2010. Rosen James, E., Murray Nancy, J., and Moreland Scott. “Sexuality Education in Schools: The International Experience and Implications for Nigeria.” POLICY Working Paper Series No. 12. p. 1-18. June 2004. Web. 17 Nov. 2010. “Teen Pregnancy: Can We Do Better?” Rights, Respect, Responsibility. n.d. Web. 16 Nov. 2010. “The Face of Global Sex 2009 Sex and relationships education: assessing the gaps for Eastern European youth.” Durex Network. P. 1-32. 2009. Web. 16 Nov. 2010. Works consulted: “Gender Differences in Educational Outcomes: Study on the Measures Taken and the Current Situation in Europe”. European Commission. doi: 10.2797/3598. 2010. Web. 17 Nov. 2010. Gebhard, Pul H. “Comprehensive sex research centers: Design and operation for effective functioning.” Archives of Sexual Behavior. Volume 4, Number 4, 447-457, doi: 10.1007/BF01541727. 1975. Web. 17 Nov. 2010. Helfferich, Cornelia and Heidtke, Birgit. “Youth Sex Education in a Multicultural Europe.” Federal Centre for Health Education, BZgA. 2006. Web. 16. Nov. 2010. Kontula, Osmo. “Reproductive health behaviour of young Europeans.” Volume 2. Council of Europe Publishing. July 2004. Web. 17 Nov. 2010. Lewin, B. “Sex and family planning: how we teach the young.” World Health Organization. 1984. Web. 17 Nov. 2010. Read More