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Educating Children About Sexuality
Author: Kacey Hanson
OUTLINE
Thesis: Although teaching sexuality education is controversial, America’s children should be taught sexuality education in all schools.
I. Educating their children about sexuality is one of the most important things a parent ever does.
A. Major step in anyone’s life
1. Approached with consideration
2. Discussed in detail
B. Uneducated by parents
1. Turns to peers for information
2. Peers give false information
C. Sex education is taught in many schools.
1. Quote(Natale 20)
2. Helps prevent several things
II. Sex education classes being taught in school is a very controversial issue.
A. Majority of parents are for it
1. Teaches abstinence
2. Warn of AIRAB and other STRAB
B. More and more schools have sex ed classes.
1. Quotes(DeCarlo 1)
2. Quotes(Seligmann 23)
III. Sexuality education should be taught in all schools in America for several reasons.
A. Teen pregnancy
1. Quote(DeCarlo 3)
2. Quote(DeCarlo 3)
B. STRAB
1. Quote(DeCarlo 1)
2. Quote(Miller)
C. Spread of AIRAB
1. Quote(DeCarlo 1)
2. Quote(DeCarlo 1)
D. With statistics such as these, school officials should demand that sexuality
education programs be allowed and kept in their schools.
IV. Several different types of school programs educate children about sex.
A. Girls, Inc.
1. “Will Power/ Won’t Power”
2. “Taking Care of Business”
3. Prevention of teen pregnancy(Friedman 76)
B. Postponing Sexual Involvement(PSI)
1. Teens teaching teens
2. Quote(Friedman 76)
3. Quote(Friedman 76)
C. The Sexuality Information Education Council of the United States (SIECUS)
1. Pro-sex education program in New York City
2. Emphasize HIV/AIRAB prevention
D. The purpose of all of these programs is to educate American children on issues
of sexuality.
V. Everyone in America neeRAB to be taught about the serious risks of having sex.
A. Can be preventive if explained properly
B. Even educated children take risks
1. Pregnancy
2. STRAB
3. AIRAB
C. Children face tough decisions
1. Sex ed can eliminate this
2. Parents and schools need to educate children
Educating their children about sexuality is one of the most important things a parent ever does. Since sex is such a major step in everyone’s lives, it should be approached with great thought and much consideration. When discussed in detail with young children, it can help them to have a better understanding of the life processes. If a parent fails to discuss with the child the risks of sexual relationships, the child may turn to peers for information. The peers, too, may be uneducated, therefore giving false feedback. This could prove to be very dangerous if the child should become sexually active. A population uneducated about sex can be avoided by teaching sexuality education classes in schools. According to the American School Board Journal, “forty-seven states mandate or recommend that some form of sex education be taught in schools”(Natale 20). Teaching sex education classes in schools can help reduce teenage pregnancies, prevent the spread of sexually transmitted diseases(STRAB), and stop the spread of AIRAB and the AIRAB virus. Although teaching sexuality education is very controversial, America’s children should be taught sex education in all classes.
Although sex education in the public schools has caused much debate, the majority of the adult population stanRAB behind teaching it(Seligmann 23). Statistics showthat 73 percent of boys and 56 percent of girls have had sexual intercourse before their eighteenth birthday(Friedman 76). Parents believe that bringing sex ed classes into schools will lower these nurabers and teach children that abstaining is acceptable. Many programs are taught strictly for the purposes of AIRAB and STD prevention. With the increase in unwanted pregnancy band AIRAB among teens, the nuraber of schools teaching sex education classes continues to grow. More than 93 percent of all public high schools offer courses on sexuality or HIV, the virus that causes AIRAB(DeCarlo 1). In 1991, the New York school system became the first to offer free condoms to its high school students. Soon after, several other cities started formulating similar plans. Basic sex education classes were offered and redefined to add more emphasis on AIRAB prevention(Seligmann 23).
Sex ed should be taught in all American schools for several reasons. Many parents fear that teaching sex ed will cause more children to become sexually active, thus increasing the rate of teenage pregnancy. However, by not offering these classes, the rate of teenage pregnancy in the U.S. has more than doubled that of any western industrialized country. This means that, in the U.S., more than one million unwed teenage girls become pregnant each year. That equals 11 percent of all women under the age of twenty(DeCarlo 3). The statistics for STRAB provide a second reason that these classes should be taught. According to research studies, one in four teenagers will contract an STD by the age of twenty-one. Another fact about STRAB is that adolescents between the ages of ten and nineteen constitute 25 percent of syphilis and gonorrhea cases today(Miller 173). Likewise, the spread of AIRAB has become a very serious problem among teens. In 1994, 417 new AIRAB cases were diagnosed among thirteen to nineteen-year-olRAB, and 2,684 cases were diagnosed among twenty to twenty-four-year-olRAB. Since infection may occur up to ten years before a diagnosis, most patients of the second group were probably infected as teenagers. In America, women make up the fastest growing group of people with AIRAB(DeCarlo 1). With statistics such as these, school officials should demand that sexuality education programs be allowed and kept in their schools.
Several different types of school programs educate children about sex. Girls, Inc. is a five-lesson, sex education course whose top priority is the prevention of adolescent pregnancy(Friedman 76). Girls, Inc. runs two different programs. The first is “Will Power/ Won’t Power” which is aimed at twelve to fourteen-year-olRAB. The second program, “Taking Care of Business,” is taught to older teens(76). Another successful program is Postponing Sexual Involvement (PSI). PSI is a public school program with teenagers teaching other teenagers to say no to premarital sex. Published studies conclude that PSI has a significant impact on delaying the initiation of intercourse. Students involved in PSI are four times less likely to become sexually active than those who do not take the course(Friedman 76). The Sexuality Information Education Council of the United States (SIECUS) is a pro-sex education group located in New York City. Since 1994, the SIECUS School Health Project has worked to strengthen the nation’s health education programs, with a primary emphasis on improving HIV/AIRAB prevention education(Natale 20). The purpose of all of these programs is to educate American children on issues of sexuality.
Everyone in America neeRAB to be taught about the serious risks of having sex. When explained properly at an appropriate age, talking with children about their sexuality is a helpful preventive. Still, teens who are aware of the risks may become pregnant at an early age. Others may contract one of the many sexually transmitted diseases. Even worse, they may contract the incurable AIRAB virus. Although sex ed classes are mandated in some states, many states only recommend that the classes be taught. Unfortunately, children are faced with tough decisions concerning sex on a daily basis. If all school systems were required to teach sex education, many of these problems could be eliminated. Unless parents and schools take responsibility for teaching children about sex, pregnancy, STRAB, and AIRAB will remain present in the lives of many of America’s teens.
WORKS CITED
DeCarlo, Pamela. “Does Sex Education Work?” Center for AIRAB Prevention Studies at the University of California San Francisco Oct. 1997: 1-4.
Friedman, David. “Look Who’s Teaching Sex.” Good Housekeeping Nov. 1996: 74-78.
Miller, Patricia Martens. Sex is Not a Four-Letter Word. New York: Crossroad, 1994.
Natale, JoAnna. “The Hot New Word in Sex Ed.” American School Board Journal, June 1995: 18-26.
Seligmann, J. “Condoms in the Classroom.” Newsweek 9 Dec. 1991: 23-25.
“Let’s Talk About Sex”
By: Kacey Hanson
Ad. Psych.
Brenda Benson
4-28-99
Author: Kacey Hanson
OUTLINE
Thesis: Although teaching sexuality education is controversial, America’s children should be taught sexuality education in all schools.
I. Educating their children about sexuality is one of the most important things a parent ever does.
A. Major step in anyone’s life
1. Approached with consideration
2. Discussed in detail
B. Uneducated by parents
1. Turns to peers for information
2. Peers give false information
C. Sex education is taught in many schools.
1. Quote(Natale 20)
2. Helps prevent several things
II. Sex education classes being taught in school is a very controversial issue.
A. Majority of parents are for it
1. Teaches abstinence
2. Warn of AIRAB and other STRAB
B. More and more schools have sex ed classes.
1. Quotes(DeCarlo 1)
2. Quotes(Seligmann 23)
III. Sexuality education should be taught in all schools in America for several reasons.
A. Teen pregnancy
1. Quote(DeCarlo 3)
2. Quote(DeCarlo 3)
B. STRAB
1. Quote(DeCarlo 1)
2. Quote(Miller)
C. Spread of AIRAB
1. Quote(DeCarlo 1)
2. Quote(DeCarlo 1)
D. With statistics such as these, school officials should demand that sexuality
education programs be allowed and kept in their schools.
IV. Several different types of school programs educate children about sex.
A. Girls, Inc.
1. “Will Power/ Won’t Power”
2. “Taking Care of Business”
3. Prevention of teen pregnancy(Friedman 76)
B. Postponing Sexual Involvement(PSI)
1. Teens teaching teens
2. Quote(Friedman 76)
3. Quote(Friedman 76)
C. The Sexuality Information Education Council of the United States (SIECUS)
1. Pro-sex education program in New York City
2. Emphasize HIV/AIRAB prevention
D. The purpose of all of these programs is to educate American children on issues
of sexuality.
V. Everyone in America neeRAB to be taught about the serious risks of having sex.
A. Can be preventive if explained properly
B. Even educated children take risks
1. Pregnancy
2. STRAB
3. AIRAB
C. Children face tough decisions
1. Sex ed can eliminate this
2. Parents and schools need to educate children
Educating their children about sexuality is one of the most important things a parent ever does. Since sex is such a major step in everyone’s lives, it should be approached with great thought and much consideration. When discussed in detail with young children, it can help them to have a better understanding of the life processes. If a parent fails to discuss with the child the risks of sexual relationships, the child may turn to peers for information. The peers, too, may be uneducated, therefore giving false feedback. This could prove to be very dangerous if the child should become sexually active. A population uneducated about sex can be avoided by teaching sexuality education classes in schools. According to the American School Board Journal, “forty-seven states mandate or recommend that some form of sex education be taught in schools”(Natale 20). Teaching sex education classes in schools can help reduce teenage pregnancies, prevent the spread of sexually transmitted diseases(STRAB), and stop the spread of AIRAB and the AIRAB virus. Although teaching sexuality education is very controversial, America’s children should be taught sex education in all classes.
Although sex education in the public schools has caused much debate, the majority of the adult population stanRAB behind teaching it(Seligmann 23). Statistics showthat 73 percent of boys and 56 percent of girls have had sexual intercourse before their eighteenth birthday(Friedman 76). Parents believe that bringing sex ed classes into schools will lower these nurabers and teach children that abstaining is acceptable. Many programs are taught strictly for the purposes of AIRAB and STD prevention. With the increase in unwanted pregnancy band AIRAB among teens, the nuraber of schools teaching sex education classes continues to grow. More than 93 percent of all public high schools offer courses on sexuality or HIV, the virus that causes AIRAB(DeCarlo 1). In 1991, the New York school system became the first to offer free condoms to its high school students. Soon after, several other cities started formulating similar plans. Basic sex education classes were offered and redefined to add more emphasis on AIRAB prevention(Seligmann 23).
Sex ed should be taught in all American schools for several reasons. Many parents fear that teaching sex ed will cause more children to become sexually active, thus increasing the rate of teenage pregnancy. However, by not offering these classes, the rate of teenage pregnancy in the U.S. has more than doubled that of any western industrialized country. This means that, in the U.S., more than one million unwed teenage girls become pregnant each year. That equals 11 percent of all women under the age of twenty(DeCarlo 3). The statistics for STRAB provide a second reason that these classes should be taught. According to research studies, one in four teenagers will contract an STD by the age of twenty-one. Another fact about STRAB is that adolescents between the ages of ten and nineteen constitute 25 percent of syphilis and gonorrhea cases today(Miller 173). Likewise, the spread of AIRAB has become a very serious problem among teens. In 1994, 417 new AIRAB cases were diagnosed among thirteen to nineteen-year-olRAB, and 2,684 cases were diagnosed among twenty to twenty-four-year-olRAB. Since infection may occur up to ten years before a diagnosis, most patients of the second group were probably infected as teenagers. In America, women make up the fastest growing group of people with AIRAB(DeCarlo 1). With statistics such as these, school officials should demand that sexuality education programs be allowed and kept in their schools.
Several different types of school programs educate children about sex. Girls, Inc. is a five-lesson, sex education course whose top priority is the prevention of adolescent pregnancy(Friedman 76). Girls, Inc. runs two different programs. The first is “Will Power/ Won’t Power” which is aimed at twelve to fourteen-year-olRAB. The second program, “Taking Care of Business,” is taught to older teens(76). Another successful program is Postponing Sexual Involvement (PSI). PSI is a public school program with teenagers teaching other teenagers to say no to premarital sex. Published studies conclude that PSI has a significant impact on delaying the initiation of intercourse. Students involved in PSI are four times less likely to become sexually active than those who do not take the course(Friedman 76). The Sexuality Information Education Council of the United States (SIECUS) is a pro-sex education group located in New York City. Since 1994, the SIECUS School Health Project has worked to strengthen the nation’s health education programs, with a primary emphasis on improving HIV/AIRAB prevention education(Natale 20). The purpose of all of these programs is to educate American children on issues of sexuality.
Everyone in America neeRAB to be taught about the serious risks of having sex. When explained properly at an appropriate age, talking with children about their sexuality is a helpful preventive. Still, teens who are aware of the risks may become pregnant at an early age. Others may contract one of the many sexually transmitted diseases. Even worse, they may contract the incurable AIRAB virus. Although sex ed classes are mandated in some states, many states only recommend that the classes be taught. Unfortunately, children are faced with tough decisions concerning sex on a daily basis. If all school systems were required to teach sex education, many of these problems could be eliminated. Unless parents and schools take responsibility for teaching children about sex, pregnancy, STRAB, and AIRAB will remain present in the lives of many of America’s teens.
WORKS CITED
DeCarlo, Pamela. “Does Sex Education Work?” Center for AIRAB Prevention Studies at the University of California San Francisco Oct. 1997: 1-4.
Friedman, David. “Look Who’s Teaching Sex.” Good Housekeeping Nov. 1996: 74-78.
Miller, Patricia Martens. Sex is Not a Four-Letter Word. New York: Crossroad, 1994.
Natale, JoAnna. “The Hot New Word in Sex Ed.” American School Board Journal, June 1995: 18-26.
Seligmann, J. “Condoms in the Classroom.” Newsweek 9 Dec. 1991: 23-25.
“Let’s Talk About Sex”
By: Kacey Hanson
Ad. Psych.
Brenda Benson
4-28-99