Why adolescents should be provided with sex education
Posted By SEX on July 23, 2010
The issue of whether schools should offer sex education to their students and how explicit these lessons should be has been a controversial one for decades. It always seems to initiate disputes. In 1994 Surgeon General Joycelyn Elders in the US, was fired for stating that it is essential that students be taught about masturbation as part of sex education. At that time Bill Clinton and his conservative Republicans had been leading the country, who felt strongly about shielding children from corrupt sex talk. Of course when Clinton’s own sexual life with Monika Lewinsky came flashing through headlines on newspapers, TV Channels and then on the Internet, nothing was hidden from anyone and with this, all sorts of sexual content became available for all (Irvine, 2002). The Internet has proved to be a major catalyst in the spreading of sexual material, primarily because of the lack of control over its content. Nowadays sexual content is manifested to children in numerous ways through the media, where magazines, books, television, movies and also songs exhibit sexual material.
Today’s children are well exposed to sex talk. If it is not made available for them through refined sex education in schools, they will probably have to confront the vulgar and obscene facet of it elsewhere. Sexuality should be openly discussed since it determines so much in our lives. Children should be educated and prepared about the hormonal changes they will undergo in their years of adolescence and how they will experience unfamiliar emotions (Gale, 2005). With sex education, adolescents will better understand the reasons and causes of their fluctuating emotions and desires (Harrison, 2000). They will appreciate being trusted with the provided knowledge and more importantly, will be aware of the risks and the potential aftermath, which will result to them making healthier and more sagacious decisions regarding their sexuality.
SIECUS (Sexual Information and Education Council of the United States) which was founded in 1964 spent years struggling since people were unwilling to approach it. The foundation had been cofounded by Mary Calderone who had made it a goal of her life to get people to “say sex” (Irvine, 2002, p.17). “Open sexual discussion would foster socially responsible sexuality”, this is the principal the SIECUS foundation followed (Irvine, 2002). However, this was difficult since people hesitated. Many confuse sex education with lectures promoting abstinence. The foundation supported abstinence but at the same time believed in ‘sexual fulfillment for all’ (Irvine, 2002, p.18). It was not fond of traditional and religious limitations because of how it led to guilt and embarrassment of sexually active individuals. In the early sixties, sex education barely existed. It was said that the bathroom walls were more edifying then the books in those times. Books in the mid sixties had become a little less restrictive and now focused on dating and “appropriate gender role behavior” (Irvine, 2002). Some authors began to mention sexual pleasure in their books, intending to inform the youth, however avoided to discuss issues such as masturbation, premarital sex and homosexuality. Such issues would create controversy(Irvine, 2002). The youth of the country had been progressing in all other fields. They experimented with LSD, the protested against the Vietnam War and marched in civil rights demonstrations. The country was undergoing serious social changes and sex educators of the time put in tremendous effort to keep quiet about sex however they were incapable of holding back the sexual revolution that followed (Irvine, 2002).
Premarital sex no longer remained uncommon amongst the new and rebellious generation. The rate of unmarried pregnant women soared. Bitterness about the well-being of women began debates of whether sex education should be enhanced. Abortion, which was considered a major and one of the most prominent of crimes, was the only option for unmarried women (Irvine, 2002). It was not dealt with professionally thus lacked sanitation and proper technique and at times, could be fatal. The birth control pill had been introduced in 1960 but the youth remained ignorant because of the frail sex talk. Black pregnant women who were unmarried were considered burdens and white pregnant unmarried women were looked up as “species of the mental state”(Irvine, 2002). Gradually homosexuals overtly confronted the world, expressing their ‘queer’ sexuality and they were also looked down at. The nation began dividing into groups, people were not willing to understand one another instead many made an effort into showing themselves off as the ‘right kind’ by dressing conservatively. Slowly magazines such as Playboy and America’s first lesbian magazine were published(Irvine, 2002). The new generation had changed the face of ‘youth sexuality’ and the previous generation was forced to accept it. However, although the youth had changed concepts of sex, they remained unaware of the consequences such as STDs, the nerve wrecking stress of early pregnancy and sex addiction. It was vital for them to be educated for them to take control of their sexuality.
In the present world, Media has the most apparent influence in children and teenagers, from which they tend to mimic or reproduce what they see in magazines, television or what they hear in songs. Headings such as “What everyone is really doing in bed”, which was published Glamour June 2005, are customary. These are made to attract customers and usually target those who are not familiar with the content (Plante, 2006).
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