PersonalandSocialPositionPaper

Whether ornot people wantto talk about it, sex isanaturalpartoflifeandakey

component inthesurvival of ourspecies. Yet the taboosurroundingsexandteenagers
in todays society is something often frowned upon by elder generations as well as
censored or avoided in conversations and education. How do we say it's okay for
schools to teach children about math, science, history, and numerous other subjects,
yet grimace when biologyistakenastepfurthertofocusonsex?Toomanyparentslive
in denial about their children having sex,leavingkids with littleto no support regarding
safety and prevention. Whether it's safe sex practices or even abstinence, all of these
issues must bedealt with in an educational setting,because when welook attheteen
pregnancy rates, sexually transmitted diseases, including HIV/AIDS, it only makes
sensetohaveasmucheducationaspossible.
Thinking about sexeducationconjuresupallofthoseuncomfortablemomentsas
an adolescent when we had to listen to our health teachers talk about things that we
joked about withfriendsbut neverwantedtohaveaconversationaboutwithadults.But
things have changed a lot since then there has been an increase in the number of
LGBT students and we are constantly surrounded by images that leave little roomfor
imagination. But young people face a barrage of confusing messages. Along with
provocativeimages fromthemedia,somekidsaretoldto justsaynotosex.Inschool,
others aretaught how toput condoms onbananas inpreparationfortherealthing,and
otherchildrenreceivenoinformationwhatsoever.

Transcending the uproar ofmixed messages is ahostofalarmingfacts:kidsare

becoming more sexually active at an earlier age. Sixtysix percent of American high
school studentshave had sexbytheirsenioryearandthesesameteensarepayingthe
price by contracting dangerous sexually transmitted diseases. According to theCenter
for Disease Control and the Kaiser Family Foundation, approximately65 percentof all
sexually transmitted infections contracted by Americans this year will occur in people
under24. One infour newHIV infections occurs inpeopleyounger than22.Theresa
disconnect somewhere. Someones not getting the message.Weneed to find outwhy
and help our kids be more responsible, said Dr. Ted Feinberg, assistant executive
directoroftheNationalAssociationofSchoolPsychologists.
Advocates for Youth believe, "Accurate, balanced sex education including
information about contraception and condoms is a basic humanright of youth. Such
education helps young people to reduce their risk of potentially negative outcomes,
suchasunwanted pregnancies andsexuallytransmittedinfections.Sucheducationcan
also help youth to enhance the quality of their relationships and to develop
decisionmakingskills that will prove invaluable over life. This basichumanrightisalso
a core public health principle that receives strong endorsement from mainstream
medical associations, public health and educational organizations, and parents."
Soaring rates of sexuallytransmitted diseases among teens are adding urgency tothe
need for moresexeducation. Conservativesclaim the alarmingstatistics illustratewhy
abstinence should be the focal point when it comes to sex education, while Liberals
arguethattheincreaseindiseaseisthestrongestcaseformoredetailedinformation.

In conclusion, the answer is seemingly a nobrainer why take the risk of not
teaching children and teenagers detailed, unfiltered and proper sex education in
school? The benefits far outweigh the cons, andbycreating a moreopen platform for
the topic of sex,itbecomessomething tobeunashamed of. Thereality isthat sex isa
vital part of our nature, and it isessentially inevitableasthe humanrace depends onit
foritscontinuation andsurvival. Rather than shunning theact,betterinformingchildren
andteensofsafetyandtherisksinvolvedwillgreatlybenefiteveryone.

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Gonchar, Michael. "How Should Children Be Taught About Puberty and Sex?"
The
LearningNetwork
.NewYorkTimes,27Feb.2013.Web.25May2016.
Martin, Roland. "Sex Education Should Be Mandatory in All Schools."
CNN
. Cable
NewsNetwork,29Oct.2011.Web.25May2016.
Masland, Molly. "Carnal Knowledge: The Sex Ed Debate."
Msnbc.com
. N.p., 01 July
2004.Web.25May2016.