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Frederick Canas
Sociology 001
Professor Ortega
12 July 2015
Sexual Education in Public Schools
As shows like 16 and Pregnant and Teen Mom are continuously getting more viewers and
more fans, it has brought up a debate whether sexual education should be mandatory in all public
schools throughout the United States. Sex is a serious topic, a topic that can change a persons
life in moments. It is because sex is so important that schools in the United States give their
students the proper tools and education on how to develop healthy relationships and practice safe
sex, if they choose.
There are very few states that require that sex education to be taught in public schools.
Only 22 states and Washington D.C. require that public schools teach sex ed (NCSL par. 3).
Schools in the other 28 states and territories have the option to either teach it or not. What makes
things worse is that if a school decides to have sex ed then, unless there is a law forbidding it,
they are allowed to give factually inaccurate information to their students. In fact, there are 13
[states] that require that instruction be medically accurate (Schubach par. 10). There has been
reports of how misinformed students are, even when they are sexually active. An example would
be of this girl who thought she could have gotten HIV just by being touched by a boy.
Much of this inaccuracies come from educators who are who often have had little or no
training on human sexuality or on the legal, ethical, and classroom-management concerns
associated with discussing sex with teens in a classroom setting (Blad par. 2). Educators were
not trained to talk to teens about sex and relationship. The educators are usually a physical

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education or health teacher, they are not professionals whose sole purpose is to educate teenagers
and young adults on healthy relationships and sex. In fact, a third of sex education teachers
reported no preservice or in-service training in the subject [of sexual education] (Blad par. 5).
This also adds to the case that because they are not professionals they also do not really know
how to bring the topic to the youth because they will most likely feel awkward.
Not only is unqualified educators a problem but also the quality of sex education students
are getting. Students are being getting taught enough. Most of the sex ed that is taught in schools
creates an exclusive environment for students who identify as part of the LGBTQ+ community.
This happens when schools offer practical advice in avoiding HIV infection and STDs, it is
aimed at straight pupils (Avert). Only students who identify as heterosexual are receiving the
proper information on how to practice safe sex and prevention techniques. The rest of the
students are put at risk because they lack the instruction other students got. In three states,
according to the Huffington Post, it is mandatory that if the school has sex education that they
teach that same sex relationships are bad.
A common misconception about sex education is that is just about teaching students
about sex and the dangers that comes if you decide to engage in sexual activity. Sex education
not only teaches students about sex, how to practice safe sex, and sexual infections but it is also
supposed to teach students about relationships by providing scientifically accurate, realistic,
non-judgemental information (Sexuality Education par. 2). What it means to teach kids about
relationships is to teach them about the importance about respecting ones body and have that
same respect for another persons body. Most importantly they learn the importance of consent.
The problem that is happening across the nation is that rape is something that is happening in
high numbers. Someone people say that this contributed to this notion that people do not know or

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have learned that people are not objects to fulfill sexual desires. Another one of the misleading
information students have gotten in sex education, according to an article by Salon.com, was that
men can not be raped. The teacher backed up this claim by telling her that like sex and that
because they enjoy sex then rape is not a bad thing.
Now the major issue that has created a lot of debate about sex education is whether it
should be abstinence based or if they should talk to students about sex and healthy relationships.
On the side that promotes abstinence based sex education argues that by teaching students sex,
they will choose to engage in it themselves. On the other side, the side that promotes factually
correct sex education, argues that it is not the case, they want its students to know what they are
getting themselves into like a pregnancy or a disease if they engage in sex. This idea of conflict
has spread and has involved into religion into its debate, citing that men are women are meant to
procreate and not fool around. They should engage in sex, if and only if, they are ready to have
children. With that said they also do not teach about contraception either because that is not the
point of abstinence based sex education.
The bad thing for the abstinence side of sex education is that students are engaging in sex
even if they are taught abstinence that 83 percent of teenagers did not receive sex education
before they first had sex (Blad par. 14). The side opposing the abstinence side of sex education
reminded them that holding back things from a group of people is not a good idea and points at
Prohibition and the illegality of alcohol as an example. Teaching students how to use birth
control and how to put on a condom also saves taxpayers a lot of money. Teenage pregnancy has
decreased the past few years but there are teens who are still getting pregnant and sometimes
they decide to go through with the pregnancy but not keep the baby physically. Most of the
children become part of the foster care system and sometimes develop diseases and annually it

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costs taxpayers at least $9.4 billion (NCSL par. 4) to help children who have become part of
the system.
The two sides of sex education need to come together and stop arguing. Schools can
teach abstinence but teach their students if he or she and their partner are ready to take their
relationship to the next level then they will have the knowledge to have sex safely. This fighting
is jeopardizing a student's education.

Works Cited
Blad, Evie. "New Teacher-Preparation Standards Focus on Sex Education." Education Week. 6
May 2014. Web. 11 July 2015.
<http://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2014/05/07/30sexed.h33.html>.
Klein, Rebecca. "These Maps Show Where Kids In America Get Terrifying Sex Ed." The
Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, 8 Apr. 2013. Web. 6 July 2015.

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<http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/04/08/sex-education-requirementmaps_n_5111835.html>.
Schubach, Alanna. "Sex Education in the U.S. Is Screwing Our Kids." Saloncom RSS. 3 Nov.
2014. Web. 7 July 2015.
<http://www.salon.com/2014/12/01/why_sex_education_in_the_u_s_is_an_unmitigted_disaster_
partner/>.
"Sexuality Education | United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization."
Sexuality Education | United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization. 2015.
Web. 9 July 2015. <http://www.unesco.org/new/en/hiv-and-aids/our-priorities-in-hiv/sexualityeducation/>.
"State Policies on Sex Education in Schools." State Policies on Sex Education in Schools. NCSL,
13 Feb. 2015. Web. 5 July 2015. <http://www.ncsl.org/research/health/state-policies-on-sexeducation-in-schools.aspx>.

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