Pro Side For Sex Ed In Schools

            
             Specific Purpose: To convince my audience that Sexuality Education must be taught in our schools.
             Birds, Bees and ABC's: the need for Sexuality Education in schools.
             Capture: Have you ever seen the bumper sticker that says, "If you think an education is expensive, you should try ignorance."? This is especially true when speaking about our children being ignorant of the causes and prevention of pregnancy and STD's. .
             Motivate: I'm going to show you some statistics about teenage sexuality that will shock and compel you.
             Assert: Clearly there is a need for comprehensive Sexuality Education in our schools to best inform and prepare our children to make responsible decisions about their own sexual activity. .
             Preview: First I'll show you some pregnancy and disease figures and then, as if that's not enough, I'll further demonstrate the need for Sexuality Education in our schools.
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             Body.
             I. Teen Pregnancy statistics are startling.
             A. According to the Centers for Disease Control, as published in the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, the US leads industrialized countries in teen pregnancy rates, by more than double. .
             B. 50 of every 1000 girls aged 15-19 are becoming pregnant each year. (National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy ).
             C. This number of 20% lower than the 1991 statistics thanks to comprehensive sexuality education in most schools.
             D. 14% of high school males report causing at least one pregnancy. (National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy ).
             II. STD infection rates among teens are disproportionally high.
             A. Teenagers have the highest rates of STD's of any age group.
             B. Department of Health and Human Services reports that one in four young people contract a STD by age 21. .
             C. One on four new HIV infections occurs in people younger than 21. (New England Journal of Medicine) .
             D. WebMD CNN.Com web article posted 2/23/00 reports that a female teen, with just one instance of vaginal intercourse with an infected partner has a 30% chance of contracting genital herpes, 50% chance of getting gonorrhea and a 1 in 100 chance of getting HIV.