Teaching Sex Ed. In School
How to teach school based programs on sexuality and sexual health is a hot topic in today's society. The government, including President Bush, has stated that schools should implement abstinence only' teaching programs to educate students to wait until marriage to engage in sexual activity. However, there is a small amount of statistical data and positive results documented to support this intervention about sexual health. Is it truly the most effective way to prevent students from participating in sexual activities before marriage? The reality is that in 2002, "the proportion of never-married females aged 1519 who had ever had sexual intercourse was 46 percent." (Center for Disease Control, 2). This is an astounding number and it certainly seems that an abstinence only approach is not effective.
I believe that the abstinence-only program sets non-realistic goals that are almost never met. Also, a majority of them do not provide education on contraceptive use, abortion, or sexuality. These are essential factors that students want to know more about and need to know. Perhaps the most outrageous comment about why abstinence programs should be used states that, "Sexual abstinence could protect you from being victimized or manipulated by older boys to engage in sex." (Zanis, 59). In other words, they are saying that if the students are educated to not engage in sexual activity at all before marriage, that girls will not be as easily manipulated by older boys. Also, another interpretation could be stated that older boys would possibly not victimize younger girls because they will know not to have sexual relations before marriage. This whole idea is ridiculous and impractical. Of course women can protect themselves from being victimized by practicing certain safety measures such as not walking alone at night. However, if they are practicing abstinence truly does not effect whether or not they will be victimized. Also, manipulation from older...
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