By Cassidy Johnson
Let’s talk about something that people never like to talk about in school: sex. And therein lies the problem. Sexual Education is in large part a failure because of social qualms. No one wants to talk about sex. No one ever wants to talk about it in schools. God forbid we even come close to teaching children anything related to sexual activity. And this is entirely at the child’s expense.
Proper sexual education is critical. If done right, it can be quite effective. Adults should not be afraid to teach kids what they need to know. They should not be made uncomfortable by the expansion of knowledge. When have fear and inhibition ever bred anything positive?
The greatest failure of Sexual Education resides in the program Abstinence Only, which plainly put, is stupid as hell. I get it, it’s a natural instinct for adults to want to protect children’s innocence, protect them from what they feel they should not know yet. Ignorance is a double-sided coin. Take note, I am in no way condoning kids and teens having sex of any kind. But if a kid wants to get laid, they will. It’s better to get the front of the curve, make sure they have all the necessary information at their disposal. An informed decision is better than one made in ignorance every time. Do people really think an entire generation of kids making “That’s what she said” jokes already knows everything it needs about sexual activity? Shouldn’t adults prefer that children are informed about sexual activity and the dangers that accompany it?
There’s no problem with the religious and moral standpoint that sex should be reserved for matrimony. That’s safer and a lot more pragmatic for sure. However, religious leanings should have absolutely no effect on the dispersal of public health information. None. Period. Teach children abstinence only in your churches, your temples, your mosques. But in school–the place they are required to be to learn–teach them for God’s sake.
Sex Ed is not even a requirement in all 50 states. According to the National Conference of State Legislators, 33 states require public school students to be taught about HIV and AIDS and only 24 states require that Sex Ed is taught in public schools. Washington DC mandates both be done. Most alarmingly, just 20 states in this country say that if Sex Ed is provided it must be “medically, factually, or technically accurate.” Should accuracy not be a given? By these numbers, it can be determined that thousands of American teens do not receive proper if any, sexual education. That is completely unacceptable.
Sex Ed is necessary–and it’s necessary that it’s done right. How else will teenagers learn about the benefits of circumcision? The plethora of Sexually Transmitted Disease and Infections and their effects? HIV and AIDS? Teen pregnancy stats? Kids need to know exactly what sex is, what it entails, and what it leads to. American teenagers are the largest group affected by STIs. They need to know how to have sex safely. If they then decide to have intercourse and negative consequences arise, then blame is entirely on them.