Argumentative Essay on Abstinence-only Sex Education.
Sex education programs were first introduced to public school systems in 1913. Since then, this form of education has been a hot and debatable topic among many Americans. The original reason for sex education classes was to reduce problems such as venereal diseases and prostitution. In recent years, abstinence has become the main form of sex education curriculum. Abstinence means avoiding sex. Though it is the only one-hundred percent way to prevent sexually transmitted diseases and unwanted pregnancies, abstinence-only should not be the only form of sex education taught. Abstinence-only sex education should not be the only form of sex education taught because teenagers need to know about all aspects of sex, and parents may not feel comfortable talking to their children about sex.
Many people also feel that abstinence-only sex education should not be the only form of sex education taught. "Eighty- five percent of all Americans believe that adolescents should be given ALL of the facts about sex, including the facts about how to protect themselves from sexually transmitted diseases and unwanted pregnancies.""(Opposing Abstinence 1) Therefore, teenagers should know about all aspects of sex education. In the twenty- first century, there are more and more teenagers having sex or are considering having sex; "Ninety-percent of Americans are having sex before marriage and fifty-percent of teenagers have sex before marriage."" This is an (Oppose Funding 2). This alarming rate needs to be handled. By teaching abstinence-only sex education, teenagers who are already having sex will not know what risks they are encountering. If some teenagers are already having sex, then it should be essential that another form of sex education taught instead of abstinence-only. It would be redundant to teach these teenagers about abstinence if in fact they are already having sex.
