SEX!
Do I have your attention? Yes? Good. Sex is a taboo topic in the United States, but we need to have conversations early and not shame children and teenagers for asking valid questions. Sex education does not only pertain to sex but also includes important information on reproductive health, self-esteem, and building healthy relationships and highlights the responsibilities that come with making important decisions. Our society is fine with sexualizing women on advertisements and commercials but we for some reason have an issue with educating kids and teens with facts and teaching them how to be safe, responsible adults.
According to the CDC, a December report found that less than half of U.S. high schools and only one-fifth of middle schools are meeting the CDC's recommendations for educating kids about sex. The problem with abstinence-only sex education or no sex education is that it’s not effective and does our children and teens a disservice in not preparing them for real life.
There’s no other academic program we would allow to not prepare kids for the future. Learning algebra is great, but learning about sexual health is something you will definitely need for the rest of your adult life.There needs to be open discussion about sex and a safe space provided for questions and conversations. There needs to not be this stigma and taboo about discussing sex.
Kids are only going to be uncomfortable talking about sex if the adults in their life are. If it’s all downplayed and locked away as if it’s something to be ashamed of or hidden, that only leads to confusion and misinformation. Being open and honest will be more beneficial to kids rather than lying to them or not educating them and then wondering how they got an STD or why they have a plus sign on their pregnancy test. This is not to say that pregnancies and STDs will not occur but they will be less frequent.
Some may argue that it the parent's job to educate their children on this topic and this may be ideal for sex ed to be taught at home, but what if parents don’t talk about it at home and it’s not taught in school, where will students turn for information? Most likely to the internet or their friends, where students will find out about sex through misleading, inaccurate, and potentially damaging sources of media such as pornography. A study in the southeastern U.S. found that 53 percent of boys and 28 percent of girls (ages 12-15) reported use of sexually explicit media. The Internet was the most popular forum for viewing. It is better for medically accurate comprehensive, sex ed to be taught in school in a regulated and safe environment.
I think It is worth it to deal with momentary discomfort of discussing sex education if it means we are empowering future generations and teaching them to lead healthy responsible lives.
