Comprehensive sexual education in public schools is crucial to our youth’s sexual health. The government’s proposition to enforce an abstinence-only curriculum in schools is not only misleading and misinformed, but dangerous. Denying students a balanced sexual education puts them at a higher risk of displaying unhealthy sexual behaviors, teenage pregnancy, as well as contracting and spreading sexually transmitted diseases. Introducing comprehensive sex education will provide alternative and accurate information about contraceptives and STD prevention to help teens practice healthy sexual behavior. The implementation of comprehensive sexual education in public schools will not only promote healthy sexual behavior, but will …show more content…
Teens are being unconsciously exposed to sex on a daily basis. With the internet and mobile phones becoming an unlimited source of communication, teens are utilizing these features as a form of sexual-expression and sex-education. Sexting for example has become a common interest among teens, in a survey conducted of 1200 teens who have sexted, showed that girls who had sexted admitted to participating in the action to be “fun and flirty, give a sexy present, or to feel sexy and confident, and only 13% said they were pressured into sexting.” (2015) Teens are clearly drawn to exploring their sexuality and many are volunteering these explicit images of themselves as a form of validation, this type of behavior, …show more content…
Unfortunately abstinence-only education fails to reach 100% of teens. As Watkins states,
Abstinence-only sex education doesn’t work. There is little evidence that teens who participate in abstinence-only programs abstain from intercourse longer than others. When they do become sexually active, though, they often fail to use condoms or other contraceptives. Meanwhile, students in comprehensive sex education classes do not engage in sexual activity more often or earlier, but do use contraception and practice safer-sex more consistently when they become sexually active. (2005)
In addition the government fails to recognize that sexual education and exposure goes far beyond the classroom, therefore the chances of abstinence-only education effectively decreasing the rate of teen sexual activity and teen pregnancy are slim.Withholding crucial information from teens can put their sexual health in danger. Therefore rather than disputing which type of education works best, extensive information should be readily available to all teens. Often times providing them with realistic information encourages teens to abstain from sex or delays sexual initiation among