Question about sex education?

Question

I've seen enough questions regarding the possibility of pregnancy after unprotected sex to inspire me to ask...why do you think both parents and schools are failing? and Most importantly, should schools teach more than just abstinence during sex ed?

Please do not bring religion into this, it has nothing to do with teen pregnancy and lack of education.

Answer 1

I just read that teens taught abstinence only are no more or less likely to have premarital sex than their counterparts who are taught about birth control. Seems to me the best thing would be to teach about birth control. I think lack of education about and availability of birth control is the cause of many of our world problems: disease, hunger, homelessness, welfare, overpopulation...Scare tactics are not a good way to keep people from having unprotected sex, education is the key.

Answer 2

I agree with "el che" above me. Parents seem to think paying for their children's every whim and fancy covers their responsibilities (not that I can blame them, keeping up with this consumer-geared society is a huge undertaking in itself). The job cannot be left entirely up to schools, especially when politics and the very few actively participant parents are always on their throats about religion and abstinence and "school-appropriate content". In a perfect world, sex ed classes should explain birth-control options and the contagious nature of STDs in a lot more detail than they do, but it seems abstinence will be all they emphasize as long as most *adults* don't understand the importance of thorough information.

Answer 3

The parents and schools are failing becuase they do not practice what they preach... How can you tell a child that there is more to life than having sex at an early age when the environment she/he is in is over sensationalizing sex?

Schools are afraid of offending anyone.. (don't get me started on things ... about that)

More importantly, the parents, the family, the inner circle...when there is an open communication between parents/care givers and the child, the chances of teen pregnancy and std at an early age can be avoided.

Media over sensationalizes sex and if parents don't even care what thier children watch, talk about or listen to... what do you expect?

Answer 4

Abstinence usually doesn't work. Education of disease, pregnancy needs to be taught more. Condoms, birth control, and lots of education regarding the consequences.

Answer 5

Yes sex education should be taught in schools, but they should not make too big a thing of it.

They teach you about bones and muscle and organs in school, which is good and educational. Teach 'em about the genitals in the same scholarly way, I say. It'll give them a more mature perspective.

A mate of mine who's quite a bit younger than me says she was given a condom in a lesson and asked to blow it up. That's going too far (unless she was lying, which is quite possible).

Answer 6

From my point of view, all comes down to family, if you not only educate, but gain the trust of your children, and have a great comunication, believe me no matter what their classmates at school say, they would be more careful on it.

I believe parents these days are more worryed about paying and buying everything that their own children, and expect that school teacher solve everything.

But as I said, that's what I believe

Answer 7

Kids are going to experiment with sex. whether you want them to or not. Teaching just abstinence is not giving them the tools to have protected sex! I would rather my teenager have and know about protected sex then put it all in her hands that she wont have sex at all. The sexual urge is very strong in teenagers. It's just silly to think they will all abstained because we tell them to.