What is sex education? “Sex education is the process of acquiring information and forming attitudes and beliefs about sex, sexual identity, relationships and intimacy. Sexual education is also about developing a person’s skills so that they make informed choices about their behavior, and feel confident and competent about acting on these choices” (Kaiser). As taught in American schools, sex education seeks both to reduce the risks of potentially negative outcomes from sexual behavior like unwanted or unplanned pregnancies and infection with sexually transmitted diseases. Some attempt to include psychological and sociological aspects such as quality of relationships but most programs stress the narrow aspect of just the sex act and encourage students in modes of contraception and disease control.
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Federal law does not mandate sex education in schools. Some States such as Utah have chosen to encourage abstinence only as an approach to contraception. Other States such as Maine require a broader curriculum to be taught that includes and encourages many forms of contraception but they do not teach about sexually transmitted infections (STI). Each State’s laws are enacted by legislators who are influenced by the voting population. That voting population, consisting of mostly parents, believes their children need basic information about sex and sexual self protection.
According to a survey of students, parents, teachers and principals commissioned by the Kaiser Family Foundation, “parents want a wider range of topics taught than is often included in sex education today.” Ninety-eight percent of parents say they want HIV/AIDS discussed in sex education classes; 85% want “how to use condoms” discussed; 84% think sex education should cover “how to use and where to get other birth control,” and 76% want homosexuality addressed in classroom sexuality education. When asked about what particular areas are appropriate to teach young people at various ages, 12% felt 9th and 10th graders should be taught about abstinence and 25% thought that contraception and birth control should be taught. Acording to a survey done by the Alan Guttmacher Institute in 2002, approximately 4 in 10 young women in the U.S. become pregnant at least once before turning 20 years old.
Sexual activity is rare among very young teenagers, but common in the later teenage years. This graph shows the percentage of males and females who have had sexual intercourse at different ages.
Sources: 1995 National Survey of Family Growth and 1995 National Survey of Adolescent Males.
Although teen pregnancy and birth rates have declined in recent years, the United States has the highest rates of STIs and teen pregnancy of any industrialized country in the world. Each year, 75 million teenagers in America will contract an STI, and one in three sexually active individuals will contract an STI by age 24. There are approximately one million teen pregnancies and about half a million teen births each year.
The HIV/AIDS epidemic remains a serious health concern for young people, and unprotected sexual activity is responsible for a substantial majority of these infections in youth. Among young people more than any other age group, HIV is spread sexually, and sex between men remains a significant risk factor. HIV infection rates among youth remain high, particularly in urban areas. Black and Hispanic women aged 13 to 24 accounts for approximately 75% of all HIV infections among American women. According to a survey conducted by The Alan Guttmacher Institute in 2002, one reason for these shocking statistics may be the lack of information. In a recent survey, only 46% of 15 to 17 year-olds say they knew where to get tested for HIV infection or other STDs. 
It also appears that many adolescents do not have a full understanding of contraception. For example, 21% of teens mistakenly believe that birth control pills are very or somewhat effective at HIV prevention. The Alan Guttmacher Institute 2002 study also indicates that Dynamics within relationships often determine whether contraceptives are used. 52% of teens say that “one of the main reasons that teens do not use birth control because their partners don’t want them to.” This leads many to believe that sex education in schools is not very effective poorly coordinated with health professionals and parents. Can we believe that if comprehensive sex education was taught in all schools and more effectively, that these statistics would fall and that our children would make better choices in matters of their own sexual health?
Their seems to be a concensus that to effectively teach our youth the facts and the social and health implications of sex we need a broader and a more comprehensive program. These programs can be tailor made to meet the needs and expectations of parents, educators and legislators. Many authorities feel that abstinence-only programs with limited information can and should be taught, but alone, does not seem to be effective in protecting our youth. The curriculum must be adjusted to the fact that children under the age of 18 are sexually active. Driver’s training is taught with more depth and care than most sex education programs. Knowledge is power for our teens. Ethical and moral beliefs may cause conservative parents to push for abstinence only education but this is, unfortunately, not doing the job. No matter what parents think the statistics show that our teens are sexual active. What are we going to do to protect them?
For More information about Sex Education visit these sites:
ABC News. No Matter the Approach, Sex Ed Works. 2007. 2 October 2008 <http://abcnew.go.com/>
Guttmacher Institute. Facts on Sex Education in the United States. 2006. 2 October 2008 <http://www.guttmacher.org/pubs/fb_sexEd2006.html>
Kaiser Family Foundation. U.S. Teen Sexual Activity. 2005. 2 October 2008 <http://www.kff.org/youthhivstds/upload/U-S-Teen-Sexual-Activity-Fact-Sheet.pdf >
National Public Radio. Sex Education in America. 2004. 2 October 2008 <http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=1622610>
