Sex Ed Around the Country

[6qisabela]

Sex ed classes don't gain enough recognition. When underclassmen are given sex ed lessons in the gym in Laguardia, most people don't even pay attention. The scenes where they teach you how to apply contraceptives--arguably one of the most important pieces of information--are censored by the teachers. Yet, it's one of the most important things that you can take from school. Students are always complaining, "when am I ever going to need this information this in real life?" (pertaining to things like parabolas, usually).
Well ladies and gentlemen, sex ed is that class that teaches you about things you're going to need to know in real life. With this in mind, I was surprised to find out that not every state in the country requires sex ed classes. It was also shocking to learn that not every state needs to give medically accurate information about sex ed.

The link below shows maps pertaining to sex ed around the United States:

www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/04/08/sex-education-requirement-maps_n_5111835.html

Before our generation, teaching only abstinence was "sex ed," and the percentages of teen pregnancies were higher than we've ever seen them. Now, with sex ed classes being more accessible that they were before, teen pregnancy percentages are lower (believe it or not). This is no coincidence. It's true that you're not always going to need to know that the mitochondria is the powerhouse of the cell, or that the derivative of cosx is -sinx, but sex ed should gain more recognition. I believe that sex ed classes should not only be required and medically accurate in every state, but it should also be a class of free and open discussion in order for teen pregnancy and STI/STD to become less prevalent. What are your thoughts on the topic?

[10cadrienne]

I can't believe that New York doesn't require students to take a Sex Ed class...

Anyway, I completely agree with your argument. Often, when the STD/STI lesson is given in gym, students don't take it seriously. All they do is shield their eyes from seeing images of genital warts, while screaming "ew!". Plus, we only get ONE lesson... it's just watching that video and that's it. It kind of annoys me how we can't take Health until senior year.

Sex ed classes are important. Along with preventing teen pregnancy, it can also prevent spreading STDs and STIs. Sex ed classes provide information regarding what STDs are, how they're transmitted, what their signs and symptoms are, and how they can be treated.

Back to the article that you posted, I scrolled down to see the rest of the maps that were provided. The third map absolutely horrified me.

New York, let alone other states, feel as if Sex/HIV Education doesn't have to be medically accurate?! I'm sorry, then what's the point of even providing sexual information to teenagers across the country?

This is actually absurd, I'm actually furious to discover this.

[6CJohnnie]

    I find the fact that sexual education classes do not have to be medically or scientifically accurate in 40 of the 50 states to be the most outrageous (source). According to the Advocates for Youth, effective sex education includes medically accurate information that provides positive health impacts, educates the youth about HIV and other STIs, and produces positive behavioral outcomes, such as the use of contraception as well as reducing the frequency of sex and the number of new sexual partners one has. Because of its definition, highly effective sex education is not eligible for federal funding because the national government is not allowed to educate the youth about the benefits of condoms and other forms of contraception. When these highly effective programs are evaluated, they are found to not increase rates of sexual initiation, not lower the age at which young adults begin having sex, and not increase the frequency of sex or changing of sexual partners. Between 1991 and 2004, the teen birth rate in the United States fell from 62 to 41 births per 1,000 female teens. 75% of this decrease is attributed to the increased use of contraceptives among teenagers and young adults.
    Not only is medical information beneficial to the teenage population, abstinence-only programs are ineffective and dangerous. From 1999 to 2003, federal funding for abstinence programs increased dramatically, however, rates of birth and STIs among teens did not decrease. 80% of federally funded abstinence programs were found to contain false, misleading, or distorted data on the effectiveness of contraceptives, risks associated with abortion. These curricula also used religious beliefs and stereotypes of men and women as scientific fact.
    America is ready for change; in fact, 89% of American adults believe that sex education should contain information on abstinence, condoms, contraceptives, and the prevention of HIV and other sexually transmitte diseases and infections. Teenagers, like all people, are given the right to comprehensive and accurate information on sexual health.

[3zoev]

Speaking from personal experience, there are a handful of things that happened to me and the people around me in middle school/early high school that could have been prevented had effective health or sex ed classes been provided, kind of "I wish I had been told his when it was actually helpful." moments. Of course, the things I'm talking about are minor, however in a lot of cases, they aren't. Teenagers are going to engage in sexual intercourse. The fact that this is ignored by school systems globally is infuriating. Instead of blatantly avoiding or shaming people for their sexuality and curiosity about it, people in "mentor" positions should be aiding kids in navigating these things safely. I don't know why this hasn't been addressed yet seeing as how it's not a recently developed issue...

[6vjeremy]

The most ridiculous thing about sex ed in LaGuardia specifically is that it is not provided until senior year. What baffles me is that it is provided at such a late stage for most students. Why offer the course at all at a point which most students would find the information being taught irrelevant?
To further the argument that it should be taught earlier, I can offer the opinion of a teacher at LaGuardia who will not be named. From personal experience having a one on one talk with this teacher, I gathered that she believed it just as ridiculous as the students. She stated that a class so important to this generation of children especially should be taught as early as freshman year, and she was right. As the generations continue, the majority of children engage in intercourse and other sexual activities younger and younger. If they are not given the knowledge from a sex ed class before they partake in such activity, it is useless.