How Implementing Safe Sex Education in Schools Will Greatly Reduce Teenage Pregnancy

How Implementing Safe Sex Education in Schools Will Greatly Reduce Teenage Pregnancy

Outline

Introduction

1 . Sex Education in Schools

2 . Reducing Pregnancies Through Knowledge about Safe Sex

3 . Overcoming the Stereotypes

4 . Teaching about Relationships

5 . Learning to Overcome Abuse

Conclusion

Works Cited

Introduction

Safe sex education that seemed an oddity just a few decades ago may soon become the reality of many US schools . With teenage pregnancies a serious problem and AIDS spreading all over the country , telling teenagers early on about the possibility

of safe sex and its advantages is a serious endeavor that can help save and improve many young lives There are reasons to believe that sexual education in schools can have a great impact on the rates of teenage pregnancies . Given the fact that these pregnancies are typically unwanted , this can make a big difference in adolescent lives

Teen pregnancy is named one of the top issues that America has to grapple today . As of present , the US is a country with one of the highest rates of teenage pregnancies in the world , and about 4 out of 10 girls in the United States will get pregnant by age 20 - about 1-million of them each year (Rip n Roll . Britain is following closely with the highest rate in Europe . The costs to society are significant as in nation where education often defines a person 's future and income outlook , dropping out of school due to pregnancy can have disastrous consequences . Together with health and social risks to teenage mothers and their children , that is why US , UK and other countries have turned to sex education as a powerful tool in reducing teenage pregnancies

1 . Sex Education in Schools

Sex education in schools can serve a variety of purposes . In the first place , its function is to inform and educate the adolescents about their body and various processes that happen in puberty , letting them have a better understanding of their physical lives . In addition , it can prepare them for a fulfilling and enjoyable sex life , by revealing its difficulties and pitfalls early on . Sex education can teach them about feelings involved in this process , preparing them to regard their partners with respect , as emotional individuals with their aspirations and wants . It can help them to reduce the rate of transmission of sexual diseases , teaching them to use condoms and take necessary measures against it . Equally important is the ability of sex education implemented in schools to reduce teenage pregnancy rates (Halstead Reiss 2003 : 135-145

Sex education has a variety of ways to influence teenage pregnancies . A popular one is abstinence education that aims to reduce general rates of sexual intercourse in teenage populations . The program of abstinence education was approved by US Congress in 1996 . although teaching teenagers to abstain from sex and to delay the first sexual experience till a later age has its merits , opponents have claimed that it is fear-based , failing to take into account student diversity and divisive (Halstead , Reiss 2003 :145...