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GraceAnn Shaner

Prof. Stalbird

ENG 1201

March 28, 2020

Why is Sex Education so Important in Schools?

Sex education in schools has been a controversial topic for years. Whether it should be

taught to all students, or completely banned all together. Most schools that decide to “teach sex

education” teach abstinance, the act of waiting until marriage. As studies have shown, this does

not work well with adolescents, especially teenagers. Many believe abstinence-only programs in

schools are worse than not teaching anything at all. Why should we teach everything in sex

education and not just abstinance?

It is not unknown that teenagers are curious about sex, have sex, think about sex, and

more. It is, however, widely ignored and frowned upon in society. As many studies have shown,

simply ignoring these teenagers’ curiosity and impulses will do more harm than good. This

eventually leads to many more cases of teen pregnancies, HIV/AIDS, STDs, and more.

Organizations, such as Planned Parenthood, have come forward to advocate for sex education in

schools and some have even created programs that have proved effective numerous times.

A study done in 2011 showed that the need for sex education scored a 75%, meaning ¾

of the students included in the study felt or showed a lack of understanding in sex education.

Teenagers with a lack of understanding have been proven to be more impulsive, leaving them to

be more susceptible to teen pregnancies, STDs, and more. The result of this study led to the

conclusion that programs to teach sex education instead of abstinence only programs were

necessary for the overall health of adolescents.

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Some people claim that abstinence-only programs are the most effective in reducing teen

pregnancies and raising the percentage of high school students who are not sexually active. The

statistics given to help prove this claim came from sources such as the CDC. These statistics

show, in 1991, that 46% of high school students were not sexually active while in 2016, nearly

60% of high school students were not sexually active. Abstinence-only programs had risen in

number between these years, creating the idea that the amount of students that were not sexually

active was due to the programs. While this may seem logical, studies have shown that

abstinence-only programs don’t reduce risky behaviors. In fact, withholding information about

proper protection and the consequences of being sexually active is extremely dangerous. This is

because even though lots of teenagers are not sexually active, those who are will not know how

to be safe and will result in STDs, pregnancies, emotional issues, and more. Not only that, but

not teaching everything there is to know in sex education is a violation against people’s rights to

health and wellness. Teenagers need to know this information so that they can make safe and

smart choices.

Overall, while abstinence-only programs may seem to be effective and the most accepted

in society, they are not the best choice for teenagers. Allowing teenagers to know about

consequences, being safe, and their sexual health is a part of their rights to understand how to

take care of themselves. Teaching abstinence-only will not decrease risky behaviors and could

even increase them. Sex education should be taught in every high school to every student by not

only explaining abstinence as an option, but all the ways they can protect them selves and stay

safe to prevent consequences.

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Works Cited

Parenthood, Planned. “Goals of Sex Education for Teenagers: Youth Health Services.” Planned

Parenthood, www.plannedparenthood.org/learn/for-educators/what-are-goals-sex-

education-youth.

Oas, Rebecca, et al. “Abstinence Education Works, Condoms Don't: New Teen Pregnancy Data -
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C-Fam.” C, 30 June 2016, c-fam.org/friday_fax/abstinence-education-works-condoms-

dont-new-teen-pregnancy-data/.

Perry, Susan, et al. “Abstinence-Only Programs Don't Delay Teen Sex or Reduce Risky

Behaviors, Research Finds.” MinnPost, 25 Aug. 2017,

www.minnpost.com/second-opinion/2017/08/abstinence-only-programs-dont-delay-teen-

sex-or-reduce-risky-behaviors-resear/.

“Why Schools?” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Centers for Disease Control and

Prevention, 17 July 2019, www.cdc.gov/healthyyouth/about/why_schools.htm.

Yang, Ya Ki. “A Study on Knowledge, Attitudes, and Need for Sex Education in High School

Students.” Korean Journal of Women Health Nursing, vol. 18, no. 3, Sept. 2012, pp.

159–169. EBSCOhost, doi:10.4069/kjwhn.2012.18.3.159.