Melaina Harris

Mrs. Mckenna

Writing 2010

March 20, 2019

Comprehensive Sex Education

Sex has been apart of human nature for many decades. It’s how generations live on, it’s

how families are created. It’s a natural part of life and most people in our world partake in it. So

we tend to ask, why is it looked down upon? Why is it a subject most don’t like to talk about or

are embarrassed to talk about? Most importantly, why is it taught in schools like it’s satanic

worship? I think the best answer to this question is the stigma that is put around sex. As a society

we’ve put this sexual stigma in the world that makes people uncomfortable or scared of sex and

as a result we teach young adults that it’s wrong. My argument is, young people are naturally

curious about sex so teaching absentence isn’t going to stop teens from exploring sexual

activities. We should educate people about sex by teaching how to prevent pregnancy, useful STI

information and how to have healthy relationships so they can be safe physically and

emotionally. Telling people it’s wrong and making them feel bad or embarrassed about it does

nothing but create shame and negative stigma.

Everyone is curious about sex. What is it? What does it do? Does it feel good? During my

time as a peer health educator these were questions that were asked by teens because they had no

to little information about it. Majority of the time I stepped foot in a classroom and started to

teach, a lot of students had only heard negative things about sex. They didn’t know much about

their own bodies and some of them felt ashamed even discussing it. I felt as though my job was
very important because I only wanted to bring light to the discussion. I wanted to be of help. I

felt as though having more knowledge about oneself and a natural part of life could only do good

and actually make people feel empowered about themselves.

An interesting part of the discussion is the clear evidence that more education decreases

the chance of pregnancy, “​increasing emphasis on abstinence education is positively correlated

with teenage pregnancy and birth rates” ​(Why We Need Comprehensive Sex Education in the

U.S)​. This part is funny to me only because clear studies and statistics have show the correlation

between having more education and less pregnancy but majority of states still push abstinence

only education. In fact, “​when sex ed is taught, 37 states require that information on abstinence is

provided. Of those, 26 states require that abstinence be stressed” ​(Abstinence Only Education

and Sex Education in the U.S).​ That is almost half of states in the U.S that require sex education

to mainly revolve around abstinence only education, that means it’s more likely for teens in those

states to have unsafe sex resulting in pregnancy or a sexually transmitted infection (STI). An

easy solution to this problem is simply just educating teens about safe sex and how important it

is to practice.

Easy questions to ask when debating this topic is “What is safe sex?” If we purpose to

teach it, we need to understand what we’ll be teaching. If pregnancy rates are so high what do we

teach to lower them? A lot of people know about condoms but a lot don’t actually know how to

use them properly. I suggest we show proper condom demos and teach high school students how

to decrease the chance of pregnancy. Majority of people don’t know the specifics of wearing a

​ he chance of STI’s and pregnancy increase so much more if not worn properly ​(How
condom​. T

effective are condoms?).​ Showing demos doesn’t urge students to have sex, it only gives them
the education if they choose to do so which a lot of teens choose. Ignoring the problem and

avoiding the issue doesn’t help teens, it puts them into tough decisions about pregnancy that no

one should have to go through unless they’re ready.

Another common way to prevent pregnancy is using birth control. During my time as a

peer health educator, most of the teens I talked to knew about birth control but didn’t really

understand how to access it. A lot of teens thought it was too expensive to buy. I informed many

of them that Planned Parenthood offers birth control at no cost with insurance (​How do I get

birth control pills?)​. Planned parenthoods system is easy and understandable. It’s important for

teens to know that free service is provided at clinics like Planned Parenthood and informational

guidance is offered to best help them. As a society we should give students information on where

to go to get the resources they need. Comprehensive sex education should include talking about

birth control and showing teens all of their options for safe sex.

There are multiple types of birth control’s available for all women. Teens often hear of

abstinence which is very effective but if teens choose to have sex they should know what to use.

A common type of birth control is the pill, which is up to 99.9% effective when administered

properly​ (Birth Control Pills)​. Teens should also know the pill isn’t their only option, they

should be able to decide for their own bodies what form of birth control is right for them.

Another option would be the shot, which it taken every twelve weeks. These two types of birth

controls can be the most risky just because taking them on time is crucial to prevent pregnancy at

full effect. There is also arm the implant, ring and IUD. These forms of birth control are the most

effective. It’s important to understand the options and also know that there are multiple kinds of

of one type of birth control. For example, there are hormonal IUDs to prevent pregnancy and
IUDs that are non hormonal that just kill sperm​ (Copper IUD Comparison)​. Different types and

different options mean there is more information to know about. To make a wise decision on

what's best for someone they need to look at all their options.

Another part of the argument is to expand on STI’s. The first step we could take in that

direction is using the phrase Sexually Transmitted Infections instead of Sexually Transmitted

Diseases. The stigma around STI’s is so negative and it doesn’t help that we use the word disease

to make it sound more detrimental than it is. An STI used to be a scary thing before technology

and penicillin ​(The Age of Antibiotics)​. There was no way to treat these diseases just like there

were no antibiotics to treat other diseases. Nowadays we still talk about STI’s like we don’t live

in a time period where there is medicine. From personal experience, health class would focus on

the terrifying pictures of what an STI can do. I listened to my teacher tell us to never engage in

sexual acts or we would get one of these diseases and never be able to come back from it. In

actuality, this isn’t true and it doesn’t do any good teaching this to teens. Using a fear tactic

doesn’t make teens not have sex, it just makes them feel shameful for it. A comprehensive sex

guideline would include what STI’s could do to one’s sexual health but it would also show how

to treat it. Most people don’t know that an over the counter prescription of an antibiotic can

actually cure a STI like gonorrhea or chlamydia. It’s important to be safe and use a condom to

prevent and STI but if a person gets one, they deserve the information to be able to treat their

infection.

Not only should comprehensive sex education include information on how practice safe

sex but it should also create a conversation about sexual boundaries and defining what “no”

means. Sex education should cover physical sexual health but also emotional. Going into detail
about healthy relationships and how to have healthy relationships changes what people think

about themselves. A lot of people get into unhealthy relationships because they think the harmful

way they’re being treated is normal and natural. Having conversations on what a healthy

relationship looks like could change someone's life and learning how to set boundaries could

create an empowerment. Communication is also an important skill that should be taught in

comprehensive sex education. How to communicate to your partner is a key to a happy

relationship ​(Comprehensive Sexuality Education​). Learning these skills from a young age only

creates successful relationships. That’s why comprehensive sex education should cover sex but

also safe emotional practices as well.

An education system that includes a comprehensive sex guideline would fight the stigma

and open up the conversation of sex so much more. The purpose of this guideline is not to

encourage sex but to inform people how to have safe sex if they choose to. This education

system would decrease pregnancy rates, decrease STI’s, increase healthy relationships and

decrease the shameful stigma about sex. The conversation about sex in schools is very shameful

for teens. We’re teaching teens that sex is bad and if you choose to have it, you are bad. This

doesn't do anything but perpetuate fear of sex and shame. Teaching teens, especially young

women, can be really empowering. Educating a young woman about her body and the ability to

say “no” can make her feel in control and empowered. In high school, teens start to come into

themselves and really start to explore. Helping this exploration in a classroom setting could also

create a comfort at school and make a young woman feel like they have a a place to go if they

have questions about their sexual health if they can’t get this at home. My argument has always
been for education and information. Educating someone on a topic that may directly affect them

should be a necessity.

The argument against the education is that it encourages teens to have sex. Parents are

worried that teaching teens how to have safe sex will make them want to have sex but this

actually isn’t true. A report from The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists says,

“​comprehensive sexuality education programs reduce the rates of sexual activity, sexual risk

behaviors (eg, number of partners and unprotected intercourse), sexually transmitted infections,

and adolescent pregnancy” ​(Comprehensive Sexuality Education). ​Parents are worried about

something that isn’t factual. It’s interesting that when education is more apparent, teens are less

inclined to rebel. Making sex a shameful conversation heightens teens curiosity and increases the

chance of teens engaging in sexual activities.

Comprehensive sex education should be a more open conversation addressing all aspects

of sex. This should include educational condom demos to teach teens, going over the multiple

types of birth control, how to treat and STI and how to have healthy and successful relationships.

This is all information anyone could benefit from and if we changed the curriculum we could see

great improvements as a society.

 Works Cited

Stanger-Hall, Kathrin F, and David W Hall. “Abstinence-Only Education and Teen Pregnancy

Rates: Why We Need Comprehensive Sex Education in the U.S.” ​PloS One​, Public Library of

Science

Parenthood, Planned. “Where Can I Buy Birth Control Pills & How Much Do They Cost?”

Planned Parenthood

“Birth Control Pill: Side Effects, Effectiveness, How the Pill Works, and Types.” WebMD

Parenthood, Planned. “What Is the Effectiveness of Depo-Provera?” ​Planned Parenthood,​

Stanger-Hall, Kathrin F, and David W Hall. “Abstinence-Only Education and Teen Pregnancy

Rates: Why We Need Comprehensive Sex Education in the U.S.” ​PloS One​, Public Library of

Science

“The Pre-Antibiotic Age: Not Ideal for Gonorrhea Infections.” ​STD Triage App

Parenthood, Planned. “What Is the Effectiveness of Condoms?” Planned Parenthood