Abstinence, which simply means the act or practice of refraining from some action, in this case, sex, may be the only 100% guaranteed method to remain safe, but is it realistic in today's society? Sex is being marketed everywhere; TV, music, and magazines and is being viewed by youth all over the world. The idea that teens are not going to act on their impulses and feelings is simply irrational and unwise. According to an article on CitizenLink, a Public Policy Partner Focus on the Family, younger teens ages from 12 to 14, 5 percent of 12 year olds, 10 percent of 13 year olds, and 20 percent of 14 year olds, are sexually active ("Teen Sexual Behavior" 1). What's even more shocking is the fact that more than a quarter of these younger teens have had more than one sexual partner. Sex is a natural part of life and many are experiencing it at a younger age. Curiosity and sexual desires happen during puberty and teens will act on these urges, being naive to this fact and teaching abstinent only sex education can harm the adolescent more than we know. Sex education is there to be a safe gateway to discuss these topics rather than promote something as old fashioned and obsolete as abstinence. .
Teens and preteens will think about, talk about, and experiment with sex and everything that comes along with it. Teaching them safety and opening their minds past the alluring expectations of sex will create a healthier and more enlightened way to make decisions. Sex education can offer statistics on diseases, pregnancies, and serious untreatable viruses such as HIV, will allow these kids to see that there is more to sex than just the act itself. Young people from the ages 15 to 29 contract 19 million STD's annually. More than 750,000 girls ages 16 to 19 become pregnant, and the scary part about this statistic is that almost 80 percent of those pregnancies are unintended ("11 Facts About Sex Education"1).
