Sex education promotes teen promiscuity?

Question

OK, thats my new topic for debate. Personaly I think it does bacause it teaches us kids where to get condoms & other contraceptives. And it tells girls that if they become pregnant and they go to a clinic their parents don't have to know. So what is this all teaching us ? If you are going to do it just be safe. And if you get pregnant, don't be scared cause your parents don't have to know.

But thats my opinion, I WANT TO HEAR SOME OF YOURS !!

OK well most of these answers are saying that no it doesn promote it, but during the summer I took a course called HOPE that you have 2 take to graduate high school. In this cource the teacher never once told us to practice abstinence, he taught us about sponges and what not and how to put them on, also a lady came in and talked about how if a girl got pregnant she didn't have to tell her parents if she went to a clinic unless she wnted to tell them. I thought that was wrong. I think they should have taught us more about abstenence and the benefits of it. I think it draws space between the kid and the parent because this should be and intimate conversation. Also since I had to be for the idea that it promotes promiscuity, and in my search for points I found an article that talks about it and I also found a video about a news report about a middle school that offers condoms & birth control to kids as young as 11 years-old. I think this gives kids the wrong message.

Answer 1

No it does NOT

Answer 2

Kim is right- read her answer. It's the best one here, by far. Sex education DOES NOT PROMOTE promiscuity. It's good preventive medicine, and cheap insurance against situations that no teenager is equipped to handle, no matter how much his or her hormones may be racing. Teaching kids how to protect themselves against unwanted pregnancies and STD's is a good thing, provided that it is done correctly and in a way that teens can understand and relate to. Kids are going to have sex no matter what anyone says or does, and it's better that they know in advance how to protect themselves. It's also considerably cheaper to educate kids on how to use birth control and contraception, than it is to pay for prenatal care or abortions when girls get pregnant. Not to mention that kids who go through sex education are much more likely to use such products and make wise choices than their uneducated peers. Kim is right- ignorance is not bliss, not when it comes to sex and relationships. If we as a society want to lower the teen pregnancy rate and help to stop the spread of diseases like AIDS and hepatitis, then sex education is very definitely a smart step to take.

Enough said....

Answer 3

no, it doesn't. teenagers already have sex. sex education teaches them how to be safe. sex educators aren't saying 'ok, go have sex now! oh btw here's a condom.'. they're just providing the facts and information. and kids shouldn't take anything away from their sex ed classes except information and knowledge. they know where to be safe about having sex, because, face it, without sex ed courses they'll be learning to make condoms out of ziploc baggies from their friends.

statistics prove that kids who take chastity vows and promise to wait till marriage have sex on average 2-4 years after their peers do. however their pregnancy and STD rates are much higher then their peers. so if they're going to have sex, they might as well learn in school how to be safe about it, and learn in church not to do it. then if they do have sex, they won't get accidentally pregnant or get an STD.

of course, many people keep their chastity vows. but married people don't always want to have a baby right away. plenty of married people use contraceptives.

parents can teach kids in teir homes about morality and absticince and everything they want their kids to know. and many of the kids will listen and absorb it. but sex ed is there if they don't. if all of society taught kids about abstinince, we would still have teenage pregnancies. because things happen.

basically, sex education is based on a fundemental law: they will have sex no matter what. kids have been getting pregnant out of wedlock since the dawn of time. so the best we can do for them is educate them, both about abstinince in the family AND safer sex in the schools. it's simply the best choice.

Answer 4

Hey....the kids need to be educated so that they at least know what the hell they're doing. Learning about sex surely isn't going to make a teen WANT to have sex. If they have good morals then they'll stay where they are on that.

Shouldn't kids know where to get birth control? Think of all the abortions and dumpster babies. That's just not cool.

And kids should know where to have abortions, because maybe they aren't ready to have a kid. I'm pretty much against abortion, but that's how society is today.

Answer 5

Yes I think you are right. In reality all we do are doing is telling our daughters to dress like tramps and go have sex as long as they don't get pregnant. With boys we're sending the message that it's ok to knock up as many girls as you can by the time you graduate high school because your under no obligation to help support the baby and can walk out on the pregnant girl at any time during the pregnancy.

Answer 6

I am a 39 year old woman. I think that teens need to be educated on the subject. They are going to have sex if they have birth control or not. You are still told not to have sex. Do you listen? The object of sex education is to teach you how to not get pregnant and how to protect yourself from STD. We don't want you going out and getting abortions but you need to know what is out there. Most girls end up pregnant because they were either told the wrong information or they were told none at all. Looking at these questions on here I am amazed at the things these kids have been told. I have two teenagers and one preteen and they know they are not suppose to have sex but they also know how to protect themselves and where to go if they need help. Kids are not suppose to do a lot of things and they do them anyway and it is the same with sex. Some will not but most of them will. Even if you wait until you are older or married you will still need to know these things. Ignorance is not bliss. We were all teenagers once and we had unprotected sex because we didn't have any birth control. It won't happen to me, right? That is what some of us thought. Some of us were right and some of us weren't. Better to be educated and what you do with that information is up to you.

Answer 7

Well this is one of the many topics of ranting I have. . . . .

First off I don't believe that teaching Sex ed promotes sex. I believe that it's a prevention technique. In a perfect world you cold be told "Save sex for marriage" and every person would. But this isn't a perfect world. We have 14 year olds that are getting pregnant and 11 year olds that are having sex. So if we ('we' as in society) teach them how to stay safe we increase our chances of not having 14 year olds getting pregnant and for the most part ruining their lives. When I was a senior in high school I became fairly good friends with a sophomore. About a week after she turned 16 she was shocked to have me tell her that you can get pregnant at ANY time of the month. A few weeks later she announced she was pregnant. On the 16th of this month she gave birth to a beautiful little boy. I believe that if she had known about that and could have prevented it I know she would. I've seen many question on Answers that have reaffirmed my belief that we should be teaching proper Sexual Education. I consider proper being All about the laws surrounding sex and minors (Age of consent law, Abortion Laws, Teen Birthing laws, etc), How pregnancy occurs, When it can happen, What diseases can be gotten from sex, Where to get any form of birth control, How to use it, and how effective it is. . . and every person male and females should all have to use those life like simulations of real babies. Should they still encourage abstinence??? ABSOLUTELY! I'm a huge believer that sex is for marriage. Although I'll admit that I haven't waited but I am engaged and I chose to give my gift to my fiancee as he did for me.

My own personal education on "sex" was nothing but abstinence (I got that from 6th-9th grade classes in school AND my parents) until I self educated myself.

We have all heard "KNOWLEDGE IS POWER", it really is true!

Now I'm going to address some other things you said. . . You said "If you're going to do it just be safe". .. IF we don't teach safe sex. . How do they know how to be safe??

There are abortion laws. . .. http://www.coolnurse.com/abortion_laws As you will read from this link most states have to have parent signature, knowledge, or permission for anyone below 18 years old.

Plus there are Age of Consent Laws. . .. http://www.coolnurse.com/consent.htm Look here for those and look at your own state.

For anyone who reads this and agrees with me lets all try to make things change. . . Write your governor, congressmen and women and your school board members. It's time for change people. Lets save the future together with a little knowledge.

I just hope that what I've said makes someone think.

Good luck.

Answer 8

They should teach about those things, but definately not lead them, step by step, into how to get "things" and what to do if you screw up (no pun intended). About teachers telling students where to get "things", they shouldn't be told that; if they are not mature and smart enough to get them themselves, they aren't mature enough to have sex. The dangers of STD's and the effects of abortion and pregnancy should be most strongly taught. They should not be telling girls to go to clinics so their parents do not have to know- they should be teaching these young women to confide in their parents. I know they messed up, but parents should be there to help them make the best decisions. I'm sorry, but if you get pregnant, you SHOULD be scared. You messed up, and you have to take this matter into your own hands, like an adult. You should not just kill your baby and act like the whole pregnancy never happened (don't even get me started on abortion); from the time that girl finds out she's pregnant, she's a full-fledged adult. She must now act maturely, make her own decisions, and realize that her mistakes really do affect her life... "Sorry" just doesn't cut it anymore.

Answer 9

I think it teaches to practice safe sex. And if the worst should happen like getting yourself pregnant to go to the doctor and not hide your pregnancy. Even if the parents are not aware the baby doesn't have to suffer and is provided with vitamins to help it grow.

Answer 10

my opinion as a father it does not encourage teens having sex if you have good discipline. if you make strict rules then i think that your kids will think twice because they don't want the harsh consequences and my son wont like it if he does have sex so he will think twice. my opinion about sex education is that i like it i think is is great to teach teens about this topic so at least they know what is going on with there bodies instead of having to learning it when puberty happens, so they get a heads up on whats going on. This is one of the toughest subject to talk about since i had trouble when to talk to my son about human sexuality so i just decided to teach it my my son when the schools start to teach them about whats going on in puberty and stuff like that. when schools teach the teens where to get condoms they usually for the stupid people who want to try it out but yea i think teens like my son can still be adults about it and won't do stupid things.

Answer 11

Take into consideration that it's not like that everywhere. I don't know where you went to school, but it's not like that where I went to school. And actually, the year after I took sex ed., our school started an abstinence sex education program. That was many years ago. And that's all I have to say about that (lol).