Mother Might or Might Not Know Best

Steve Jobson
The sexual revolution is over. And the uprising won. The members of my generation, the millenials, are
surrounded on all sides by imagery of a mature, adult nature. More teenagers than ever (47.4% of high-school
students) are having sex, and thats just the ones who feel comfortable admitting it to an adult (Siebold).
However, despite all of these efforts towards greater learning on the subject, our knowledge about the birds
and the bees is lacking, according to the Guttmacher Institute, which states that Among teens aged 1819,
41% report that they know little or nothing about condoms and 75% say they know little or nothing about the
contraceptive pill. We have the highest teen pregnancy rate (with 68 per 1,000 teenage females getting
pregnant as of 2008), as well as one of the highest sexually-transmitted disease rates, of any of the first-
world countries. We need to increase awareness on this front, and the most efficient way to do this is to have
our school sexual education programs take the lead, regardless of the views held by a few individuals. Giving
the state the responsibility of the parents to talk "The Talk" is a point of contention by moral guardians, but
necessary.
Logically, one would start this discussion by bringing it up with those who the outcome has the most
impact on: Todays teenagers. We will discuss my perspective more in-depth, but for now Id like to maintain a
semblance of objectivity in this article. For now, Ill look at a social media interview conducted by an NPR-
affiliated radio station. The opinions of the teenagers vary just as much as the opinions of their older peers,
and rhyme and reason frequent their arguments with the same regularity (Robledo).
The main argument made against my position of promoting sexual education in an environment with
their peers is a moral one. My opponents claim that teaching kids about sex at school is reprehensible,
immoral, and will only encourage them to have more sex (Brown). These points, nay, these claims of
immorality or ignorance, tend not to be followed with any real evidence, but more arguments of I believe this,
so it must be true. Broad statements like this are protected by our First Amendment rights, and indeed, this
argument does come down to protection of freedom of speech and freedom of thought. The issue with these
statements is that they are not open to intellectual debate.


The question is, how does one define the moral values involved in this argument? Is it really a matter of
pragmatism or personal belief to allow sex-ed in our schools? Constitutionally, one could argue that the First
Amendment, granting us all these liberties, is the be-all and end-all to this argument. This is a valid point, but
look at the numbers. Since education focusing on abstinence was introduced into schools, teen pregnancy
rates have dropped significantly (Guttmacher).
There are a few great philosophers who, would have radically different views on the subject and who
summarize the morality of this particular issue more concisely, and perhaps more poetically than I could.and
whose views provide reasoned arguments with which to define the moral impetus involved in this debate.
Firstly, theres the point of view that would be taken by a libertarian philosopher. Libertarianism espouses
individual rights. If people want to teach their kids about sex on their own time, let them. We all have the right
to free speech. Parents can say what they want to their teenagers, and that is as it should be(Reed).
On the other hand, we have Utilitarianism, the basic premise of which is that needs of the many
outweigh the needs of the few, or the one. We cant have people withdrawing their kids from sex-ed, from
school, and sheltering them from the harsh realities of sex. These uneducated individuals could pose a threat
to any future partners, through carelessness or ignorance. This blindness is not theirs alone, but also imprinted
upon them by their teachers in what J.S. Mills called the magical influence of custom, which is not only, as
the proverb says, a second nature, but is continually mistaken for the first. Regardless of their individual
morals and beliefs, the information is a vital part of the human bodys instruction manual.
The right way of teaching teens these important life lessons is clearly muddled in the minds of everyone
involved with the decision making. Therefore, as one of the people who the situation affects, allow me to offer
my input. Yes, the right of parents to tell their children what you want them to know is undeniably theirs. Of
course, their right as a parent to help the child however the parent can is more than a right, but the parents
obligation. However, there may be topics which the parents or the teenagers are uncomfortable with.
How do we get people more comfortable in their own skin? The solution is to have a professional
discuss these matters in a safe environment and start early. Dont be explicit with young children, but let them
know that their bodies are okay. One could make the claim that many of our issues with gay rights and


women's rights have to do with a lack of education on the subject, as well as deep-seated ancestral biases.
Thats a major issue as well, if not one Ill delve into here.
Lets imagine, for a brief moment, a world in which everyone is educated, not about techniques or any
of those other, more in-depth things, but about the basic mechanics and biology of sex. Imagine that everyone
has the same set of instructions for how sex works. It could ease all sorts of pressure, and could significantly
reduce issues with homophobia. Itd generate accepted facts, and thats what institutionalized sex ed offers. It
offers us a more universalized, ideally more tolerant view.





Work Cited
"American Teens' Sexual and Reproductive Health." American Teens' Sexual and Reproductive Health.
Guttmacher Institute, May 2014. Web. 15 Oct. 2014.
Martin, Roland. "Sex Education Should Be Mandatory in All Schools." CNN. Cable News
Network, 29 Oct. 2011. Web. 17 Oct. 2014.
Rita, Diller. "Sex Education: Why Is It Wrong? ALL. American Life League, 8 Jan. 2010. Web.
17 Oct. 2014.
Reed, Harry. "Sex Education among the (non) Libertarians." Examiner.com. The Examiner, 22
Apr. 2013. Web. 17 Oct. 2014.
Robledo, Laura. "We Need to Teach Sex Ed at an Earlier Age." KQED Public Media for Northern
CA. NPR, 21 Feb. 2014. Web. 17 Oct. 2014.
Siebold, Steve. "It's Time to Make Sex Education Mandatory in Our Nation's Schools." The
Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, 09 Apr. 2013. Web. 17 Oct. 2014.