The Need For Sex Education

I was told to write a short persuasive essay and decided to go with a topic that I really haven't written much about before, but felt like sharing my opinion on.



Much controversy surrounds the comprehensive sex education vs. abstinence-only education debate. Some believe only comprehensive sex education should be taught to students because, in their opinion, abstinence-only education does not work since it fails to teach teens how to protect themselves if they choose to have sex. Others argue that abstinence-only education should be taught to students because it is the only method that teaches fail-safe pregnancy prevention as well as guaranteed STD protection (provided the student has made a commitment and choice to abstain from sex and are not forced to have sex against their will). I believe age appropriate, health-focused sex education should be taught alongside abstinence-only programs for several reasons. First, sex education does not solely promote sex, its goal is to promote protection and health. Secondly, sex education is not something that the students will use only in their teen and High School years, but in their adult (and even married) lives as well. Thirdly, sex education should be taught along with abstinence-only education because it is better for a student to be given the education and information that they need, and never have to apply it, than to not be given the proper information and make an uneducated or poor decision because of it.

Although some parents might complain that that if their teenage children were taught about sex that they would go wild and experiment with all kinds of sexual dangers, I know from personal experience that this broad assumption is not true for every teenager. Even though the school my parents decided they wanted their kids to go to is one whose curriculum is very strict about teaching abstinence-only education, I can honestly say that it is the sex
education that I received outside of the abstinence-only that placed the biggest deterrent on having sex. Having learned about the dangers of STDs, the risk of pregnancy, and also how to properly protect myself from both, has not only given me the empowerment and facts I need in order to be prepared, but also given me an incentive to wait to have sex. Not every aspect of sex is pretty, and teenagers need to be able to see those realities plainly through sex education. I am a virgin, and I can say that the sex education that I have received apart from my school’s abstinence-only teachings is largely to thank.
Another reason sex education should be taught is because sex education does not only benefit students when they are teenagers, the knowledge they gain can be carried and applied to their adult lives and even into marriage. Sex education can equip teens with the knowledge of how to properly use birth control when family planning after they are married. Many people
argue that teens don’t need sex education because they “shouldn’t be having sex as teenagers”, but logically, it is better for teens to be presented with information while they are young in case they do end up needing to put it into practical use before marriage, rather than waiting until the eve of their wedding to be told the process of sex, and truths and facts concerning it.

Finally, it is better to be prepared and never have to use the resources of your preparation, than to be unprepared and regret it. In one split second, a teenager who has made a decision to remain abstinent can change his or her mind, and it is better for them to have the knowledge of safe sex to fall back on than to be lacking and find themselves with an STD or pregnant. Yes, I don’t believe teenagers should be going around having sex, but I also know that when it comes down to it, the decision to have sex or to abstain is solely up to the individual. The decision is not up to the teenager’s teachers, Pastor, or even parents. While I don’t advocate teenagers going against their parents’ wishes for them to not have sex, in reality, I know it still happens. School systems can spend countless hours telling their students not to have sex, but if the teenager is
of legal age (which is 17 in my home state of Texas), and chooses to have sex , then abstinence-only education is not going to help or protect them at all.

If age appropriate, health focused sex education is presented to all students (abstinent or not) it can help equip them with the knowledge to make informed decisions and help protect themselves from the consequences that could have occurred had they not been given the information they needed. I am pro-abstinence, and very much so support abstinence-only
education; I just believe it necessary for students’ health that it to be presented along with comprehensive sex education as well.

It has been proven that abstinence during the teenage years benefits a young person the rest of their lives, and abstinence-only education can be a great tool for letting that be known. Even Planned Parenthood, who is a vehement supporter of teens engaging in and experimenting
with sex, as stated on their website, lists several benefits of remaining abstinent- including a decreased risk of infertility from STDs and cervical cancer. If we can educate teenagers on how to protect themselves through abstinence and safe sex for those who choose to be sexually active, then we can help decrease the number of teens contracting STDs and becoming pregnant. I firmly believe that teaching effective protection and birth control is the most responsible action educators can take. I believe each individual has a duty to be responsible, and being responsible involves making informed decisions, helping others make informed decisions, and being honest about the facts and consequences of those decisions.
Students deserve to be presented with both abstinence-only education along with age appropriate sex education as well. If both are presented together they can help fill in the gaps in education that each one on their own would leave empty. Teaching sex education does not mean
that you are trying to promote sex and it can definitely help save teenagers from pitfalls in the road ahead of them. It is better to educate teenagers now on how to be responsible and knowledgeable when it comes to sex, rather than after they experience the life-long consequences of ignorance.