(855) 4-ESSAYS

Type a new keyword(s) and press Enter to search

The Sex Education Debate

            Everyone has an opinion about sexuality education. From opinionated parents at local PTA meetings to state governors who must choose the best way to apply federal funding to the programs teaching it. The sex education debate in America takes on special relevance because sex and its related health implications are a reality in the lives of many young people. The two most popular methods used in schools in the United States are abstinence education and comprehensive sex education. And, while the federal government continuously funds programs that suggest refraining from sex until marriage, there has been no research to confirm the program's effectiveness.
             The mission of abstinence education is that children and teenagers avoid engaging in sexual activities altogether. In 1996, the United States government passed a law giving funding to states offering programs that support this approach in public schools. Schools receiving these funds must teach students that they should "just say no" to sex and are not allowed to teach about safe sex. They encourage students to develop a strong sense of self and to avoid the negative consequences that might result from sexual activity completely.
             Advocates for abstinence-only programs believe that they help youth avoid the emotional damages of sex. The late Robert Rector, from the Heritage Foundation, was an expert on many social issues including poverty and inequality as well as marriage and family. In his article, "The Effectiveness of Abstinence Education Programs in Reducing Sexual Activity among Youth", he states, "Sexual relationships among teenagers are fleeting and unstable, and broken intimate relationships can have serious long-term developmental effects." These supporters are concerned that teens who are involved in sexual activity early on will have trouble maintaining relationships later on in life. However, the mere acknowledgment that teens could be participating in sex speaks for itself.


Essays Related to The Sex Education Debate

1. Abstinence and Sex Education in the Classroom

... and sexually transmitted diseases and instead push abstinence only as the only way to be safe, despite parents support of comprehensive based sex-ed. "The abstinence-only movement has [triggered] a debate around the country about whether contraception should be discussed at all," observes Douglas Kirby, director of research at ETR Associates, who studies the impact of sex education programs (Donovan). These courses teach that a monogamous heterosexual relationship with ... marital status is the only relationship that should be engaging in sexual activity ... ...

  • Word Count: 1440
  • Approx Pages: 6
  • Has Bibliography
  • Grade Level: Undergraduate

2. Pregnancy, Abortion and the Right to Life

... support women's right to choose an abortion have called themselves "pro-choice"" (Gay 15). For this reason, there is a debate on whether abortion should be legal or illegal. As a result, there are two sides to the issue and each side has its own opinion about abortions: For example, pro-life advocates may have no religious faith; they may be ... send out bomb and death threats. This was not how the outcome should have been, but the organization wanted to express how they felt about the decision made. A human's life should be more valuable than just a choice. In order for the violence to...

  • Word Count: 5764
  • Approx Pages: 23
  • Has Bibliography
  • Grade Level: High School

3. The Long Process of Treating Sex Offenders

... of adult sexual offenders (Finkelhor, et al., 2009). Often, family members, treatment personnel, and the justice system, are likely to perceive juvenile sexual offenses as sexual experimentation or curiosity, enabling underreporting of offenses (Kalogerakis, 1992). It seems to be a constant debate distinguishing normal acceptable sexual behaviors and experimentation/exploration, in comparison to victimization (Kalogerakis, 1992). Overall, ... to men who tend to use more physical coercion (CSOM.ORG, 2012). According to the Correctional Service of Canada (1999), female sex offenders are u...

  • Word Count: 8141
  • Approx Pages: 33
  • Has Bibliography
  • Grade Level: Undergraduate

4. The Ineffectiveness of Abstinence Programs

The issue of sex education in schools has been a debate among parents, school administrators, health officials, and religious organizations for years. We all know that the safest sex is no sex at all, yet we continue to engage in that activity. If we are not, then we are thinking about it, planning on doing so in the future, or being bombarded by it in the media. Abstinence-only sex education ... persuades teens to wait until marriage before having sex, but totally ignores all other aspects of comprehensive sexual education, like safe sex and the use of contraceptives and birth control ("Trut...

  • Word Count: 1602
  • Approx Pages: 6
  • Has Bibliography
  • Grade Level: Undergraduate

5. Sex Education - Educating Our Future

... seem that teaching sex education reveals a heated debate from previous generations, the actuality is that for many parents and communities, it remains a highly controversial issue. If our generation fails to educate the younger generation, our prosperity will be left to pay the price. Opponents to sex education feel that the courses themselves authorize this movement. First and foremost, sex education in public schools deems to be a duty of the American school system ... . With the growing rate of ... ...

  • Word Count: 966
  • Approx Pages: 4
  • Has Bibliography
  • Grade Level: Undergraduate

6. Sex Education in Public Schools

... undergo training to be fit to teach sexual education to the youth. The issue of sexual education was just beginning at this point. It did not progress until 1940 when the U.S Public Health Service further encouraged schools across the nation to add sexual education to their curriculum. This all led up to the production of the "sex education series" pamphlets by the American Medical Association that are still found in ... that the book was useful in explained the ways of the reproductive system. The biggest controvery over the book seems to be over the information the book contained on m...

  • Word Count: 2898
  • Approx Pages: 12
  • Has Bibliography
  • Grade Level: Undergraduate

7. The Biological Reasons for Gender Difference

... (Adams 4). Furthermore, some addition is needed to create a male is created. So, the first distinction is observed while the baby is created. This is the first step for differentiation between the sexes. Moreover, males and females are different in terms of chromosomes. Women cells only contain X sex-determine chromosome while men carries X and Y. As it seen, nature is creating a difference ... females. Analyzing for hormones, brain activities and behaviors are not enough for understanding gender differences. Nurture side of the debate is not innocent and this side also has a considerabl...

  • Word Count: 1571
  • Approx Pages: 6
  • Has Bibliography
  • Grade Level: Undergraduate

8. Sex Education - Proposal Paper

... HIV, aids and STDs, and understanding the whole process of pregnancy and the after-birth. Rationale Providing all information regarding sex in the new sex education curriculum seems to be a great idea at hand, but there are some that disagree. A website entitled Debate.org held a poll with the question, "Should children be given sex education in school?" The votes were divided in half with fifty percent ... saying yes and the other fifty percent saying no. One of the comments for the no votes stated ... that, "It is the duty of parents preferably of same sex, girls should get it from m...

  • Word Count: 1504
  • Approx Pages: 6
  • Has Bibliography

9. Sex Education Reality Check

... Act, in 1996 made the abstinence-only approach primary by granting states the funds for sex education programs who assured they would follow the guidelines. The debate over which method should be used became so controversial, it seemed to have "taken over from abortion as the leading symbolic fight in the culture wars," (Malone/Rodriguez, 2). The decision was torn between a number of factors including religion, race, upbringing, region ... , etc. In the absence of proper sex education, young adults look ... ...

  • Word Count: 988
  • Approx Pages: 4
  • Grade Level: Undergraduate

Got a writing question? Ask our professional writer!
Submit My Question