Complex issues contributing to lack of or limited formal sex education has led to many downfalls and

disadvantages, therefore increasing the vulnerability of a child to many risky behaviors, including
unprotected sex at a young age. This problem is compounded by others as we see increased rates of
sexually transmitted diseases and unwanted pregnancies, opening doors to poor economic choices, lack
of education, low self-esteem, abortions, and suicide. When opponents of sex education argue that their
children are not receiving proper education because “schools are pulling too far away from the basics”
and becoming “side-tracked with social issues”, maybe they should look at the statistics and ask again
what the “basics” should cover.

Former US Surgeon General Joycelyn Elders from Arkansas, says that “the reason for high HIV and STI
rates in the Southern States is because they are less likely to have sex education and talk about it as part
of our schools and a part of our system.” She adds that “abstinence-only programs that do not teach
contraception will not solve the issue” (qtd. Lack of Sex Education in U.S. Increases). A report published
in December 2006 found on www.guttmacher.org, states that by their 18th birthdays, six in ten teenage
women and more than five in ten teenage men have had sexual intercourse. Whether we like it or not,
teenagers are having sex, and most of them without the proper education that they deserve. Parents
need to realize that it is much better that teenagers are equipped with the knowledge, given the fact
that more than half of their children are engaging in sexual intercourse.

In an article published in medicalnewstoday.com on July 10, 2005, experts say that lack of sex education
and contraceptive use are the main causes of high abortion rates (1/8 of the population every year). A
survey conducted by the National Committee for Population, Family, and Children in Korea, report that
“the average sexual debut in the country has decreased from age 19 to 14.5 today.” It is not uncommon
for a 14-year old girl to want or seek abortion. A 14-year old girl is still a child herself and a whole lot of
education, more than the comprehensive sex education, is needed to help her live the rest of her life
after abortion, adoption, or a decision to keep that baby. As much as we’d like to believe in the
sacredness of our bodies, we cannot deny these statistics, and we cannot continue to believe that what
we’ve been doing is enough to solve some of the adolescent issues that we are facing in the community
today.

Comprehensive sex education can be beneficial for both parent and child. Reuters.com reports that
adolescents who received comprehensive formal sex education were 60% less likely to have been
pregnant or gotten someone pregnant than teens who had no formal sex education. Although
abstinence-only programs can be effective, comprehensive sex education has been proven to be much
more successful. An article found at http://social.jrank.org, states that abstinence-only education
accounts for about one-quarter of the decline in pregnancy, but three-quarters is due to better use of
contraceptives.” An article by Sullivan Anderson says that “students need programs that do not end after
two weeks” but instead give them “a safe space to return to for advice” (qtd. in “Most Arguments Over
Sex Education…”). Sex education does not only prevent unwanted pregnancies and sexually
transmitted diseases, but also helps teenagers to “deal”. It is not easy being a teenager.

Although decision-making adults including parents and educators have deep-rooted beliefs, be it
religious or otherwise, they still need to consider the mind of teenagers and the changes that their
bodies are going through. It cannot be guaranteed that the young, peer-pressured and hormone-driven
adolescent will abide by the teachings of the church or “just because” explanations. The world is
changing and adolescents are being exposed to newer issues, including explicit sex in the media which is
not necessarily the education on the topic that we would want teenagers to receive. Parents need to
realize that formal and appropriate sex education does help, and in ways that go deeper than just
delaying sexual intercourse. These include issues that the individual will have to face in the course of
one’s life and decisions that cannot be reversed. I think this is an area of research worth exploring and as
more and more are educated that there is such thing as “appropriate” sex education, they would be
more open to the idea. This would be a giant leap in the controversy over sex education.