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  • Essay / The importance of sex education in schools

    The topic of sex education in schools has been a hotly debated topic since the 1960s. However, this issue has become increasingly relevant and important in the United States over the years. As each generation succeeds the last, the nation as a whole has become less conservative, and as a result, so have opinions about how sex education should be taught. Some believe schools should only teach about issues related to abstinence until marriage, while others believe it is more realistic to understand that not all students will follow this path, and to teach and encourage the use of safe sex methods. To more effectively achieve the primary goals of sex education in schools (to prevent and reduce rates of unplanned pregnancy and the spread of STDs), the nation as a whole must require that all schools provide sex education medically and factually accurate that is inclusive and to all sexualities, gender identities, and students who may not choose to remain abstinent.Say No to Plagiarism Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay Like many controversial topics, positions on the issue fall on a spectrum of many kinds. One end of this spectrum is known as the Abstinence Only Until Marriage Education (AOUME) movement. The designation is quite explicit and is often associated with this form of religious organizations. education focuses primarily on encouraging and enforcing abstinence until the person in question marries - without exception, it also tends to avoid in-depth education on birth control methods, the LGBTQA+ community or any other sub-theme that could possibly suggest an option other than this. abstinence. In opposition to this is the comprehensive sexuality education (CSE) movement. This method of education generally encourages abstinence, but recognizes the possibility that a percentage of students may choose not to remain abstinent. Recognizing this, there is also education on a wide range of topics and other options for students, such as different types of birth control, education and prevention of STDs/STIs, and the possible risks of sexual relations if not practiced safely; it also generally associates sex with a less negative connotation than AOUME. AOUME Defenders are a group of highly organized, motivated and passionate citizens who have decided to use their rights granted by the Constitution to bring about change in their country through social, political actions and economic means such as rallies, demonstrations, voting, funding and supporting organizations and people who encourage the same ideals and morals. These moral values ​​and ideals usually come from interpretations of the Christian Bible, hence why the AOUME movement has many connections to many churches, religious organizations and Christianity itself. According to Nancy Kendall - who spent several years observing, researching and interviewing teachers, students, parents and other representatives to write her book The Sex Education Debates - sets out some of the most widely held beliefs among proponents of AOUME, such as "...sex is a sacred act that should be kept private and within marriage, that sex that occurs outside of marriage is socially destructive and that when sinful behavior iswidespread, the sinner, society and nation all suffer. AOUME Supporters We believe that teaching these values ​​to students will help restore the country's morality and cure "social ills," including homosexuality, single-parent families, and the STI epidemic. For this reason, AOUME advocates believe that ESC poses a threat to the well-being of the nation and, therefore, "schools were increasingly concerned about negative community reactions to the regarding sex education due to legal threats from AOUME defense groups and court decisions that penalized schools and teachers for providing CSE. » (Kendall) These supporters also tend to be less open to the scrutiny, skepticism and investigations of AOUME's operations, which prove extremely damaging to any research on sex education in schools and to its effectiveness. While the standards required for a sex education method to be considered CSE are more clearly defined, the definitions and requirements for a method to be considered CSE are a little more nebulous. Kendall explains in his book: “ESC definitions arise for a variety of reasons: for example, some are developed in response to AOUME approaches and purport to positively address topics (such as contraception, abortion and sexual identity) that AOUME programs do not address. Others, often developed by individuals and organizations involved in ECS for decades, reflect institutional mandates… "Along with the range of diverse reasons for the formation of these methods, there are also several different ways of teaching CSE This is also explained by Kendall when she states that “CSE programs range from those that heavily emphasize the benefits of abstinence but provide detailed information about contraceptive devices to programs. designed to support adolescents' positive exploration of their own sexuality." CSE is also associated with programs such as Planned Parenthood, the Sex Information and Education Council of the United States (SIECUS), and the organization Advocates for Youth Currently, there is no federal law requiring sex education of any type nationwide, leaving it up to whether or not sex education should be mandatory in state school curricula; Only about half of the aforementioned states have actually taken the initiative to legally mandate sex education in schools, and only 22 of them require education essential to preventing the spread of HIV. Additionally, if students do receive sex education in their school environment, only 18 states require that information about contraception also be provided, and even then, only 13 states require that information be provided about said contraceptives and d other subtopics of sex education are medically accurate. This inconsistency is inherently jarring and only serves to divide the public as misinformation spreads. Such a situation can not only lead to an increase in unsafe sexual practices, but it could and potentially puts lives at risk due to those affected not being informed about STD prevention, as well as increasing the risk of pregnancy, which can raise a myriad of risks. medical problems. Without a government mandate on one of the most essential subjects to teach, this area of ​​education in particular has become a hodgepodge of wildly diverse assertions and approaches that yield, at.