I would like other people's opinions on sex education. Do you think it should be taught in school and why? What are the pros and cons of sex education in school?\n\nThis is for a school research I'm doing.\n\nThanks.
201446
Huge debate there... not sure where to start.\n\nPros:\n-Educates the masses about STDs.\n-Educates the masses on reproduction and general knowledge of health issues and care for ones reproductive system.\n-Takes the stress off of the parents who may feel too embarrased to discuss with thier children.\n-Offers relief to those who wonder if the changes they are experiencing are "normal".\n-Helps remove the shame western cultures have towards sexuality.\n-Demystifies controversial topics like homosexuality.\n-Give a third party the opportunity to observe behaviors in the student that may suggest sexual abuse.\n-Educates student on safety issues.\n\ncons:\n-Does not (and should not) explain moral issues.  This is the sole responsibility of the parent, not the government.\n-Does not give the parent the decision of what time is best for thier child to be exposed to sexual topics.\n-Does not (and should not) cover religious issues. Also the sole responsibility of the parent.\n-Invites curiosity in the students which might lead to experimentation.\n-Introduces students to topics that parents may not approve of, like homosexuality.\n-Depending on the maturity and psychological state of the student, could create fear or anxiety.\n\nMy personal opinion, I am pro-education on all topics.  My only request is that the schools let me know the curriculum and agenda so that I can cover the topics with my child first.  She should understand our families moral and religious views before she is introduced the topic by a stranger or government employee.
551585
The same reason people promote abstinence-only sex ed and refuse to allow for distribution of condoms to minors--they are deluded into thinking that if we don't talk to our children about sex, they won't have sex.  Clearly, that's not working--we need to equip our children to be able to protect themselves.
347920
It sounds fallacious to me.  It's non-sequitor (it doesn't logically follow) and slippery slope (it over-exaggerates the consequences).  Maybe you could find support if you change your argument to something else like, "if we start selling condoms in high schools more people will have sex." or "if we start selling condoms in high schools then the students will have less STDs."
68908
I personally think it's a good thing that people are asking questions. Reguardless of age. You dont know who is asking these questions. Not many families talk to their children about sex. Kids go out there and try and learn from the tv or whatever. Its people that aren't educated about sex that are out there spreading diseases. The more knowledge someone has on a topic the better off they are. Knowledge is power folks. Whatever questions you have, if I have something to offer I will give my best and honest answer I can. I think that's the reason for a site of this nature.
132784
Yes. It would be useful everywhere. Most countries (i.e., the United States) have very poor teen pregnancy control strategies. I can't wait for them to implement the "abstinence only" non-sex ed to see a skyrocketing number of teens getting pregnant.\n\nJust because birth control options are there doesn't mean people will not have sex. However, the reverse goes as well; if they're NOT there, teens will have sex, get pregnant, get STDs, and live miserably through adulthood.\n\nI don't know much about what you're asking as far as the Caribbean specifically. But I'm all for public health methodologies: PREVENTION.
358750
I wouldn't put it past them. When you are in the death business, you have to keep them coming back so you wouldn't want abstinence taught in sex ed.\n\nA 1996 study on Project Reality’s use of choosing the best curriculum, indicated a 54% decrease in sexual activity after teens were exposed to the abstinence curriculum.\n\nFrom 1971 they change sex ed in schools from abstinence to safe sex. The philosophy was it's OK to have sex with anybody you want as long as you wear a condom.\nWell, since they turned away from abstinence the number of girls who became pregnant while using contraceptives rose 266%. There was also a 107% increase in those who had abortions and a 93% increase to those who contracted STDs
62680
No.  It's called sex ed in 4th grade.  Unfortunate for you if you didn't get that education.
9419
The problem with sex being taboo is that it makes the curiousity level go up even higher.  By not having talked about it with someone who knows and can explain the ins and outs (no pun intended) of the subject, kids are left to their own devices to find out about it -- and I think we all know that with raging hormones, that is obviously a big mistake.  Adults need to be honest, frank, and thorough when discussing the subject with kids (and they need to ACTUALLY DO SO whenever the opportunity arises).\n\nBC pills will certainly help reduce the level of unwanted pregnancies, but they won't do a darned thing for STDs -- in fact they'd probably raise the risk if one assumes (justifiably, IMHO) that kids would be more likely to have frequent sex because of the significantly reduced fear of getting pregnant.\n\nThe only hope in that case is that kids are willing to use condoms, which I think might only happen for maybe roughly half of said teens.  There are a variety of reasons for the other half (spontaneity of the sex act; loss of sensation complaints; no condom on hand, but too horny to make that stop them, etc.), but the end result is the same.\n\nSo, to answer your Q, the acts of providing those things themselves will not do any good, but accompanying them with proper full-time availability of advice and good parenting WILL.
284302
Well, my boyfriend is the health teacher in our building and let me tell you that kids have no idea about health.\n\nFor example, here is what one student said after a semester of male anatomy, they called the pituitary gland the testicles.  In one way she was right that some guys do think with their "lower brain."\n\nMany of my students do not know about the anatomy and the effects of drugs/alcohol.  Do you want the future generation to think that the pituitary gland is really the testicles?  I know I don't.
530566
"Taught" in school.\n\nDon't worry about sex ed, fix your English first.
538069
I am not liberal or a conservative, but I do think that it is wrong to teach children that there is a difference in peoples sexual preferences.  Children at that age should not know anything about what adults do.  I know it is hard to keep them from hearing everything, but there is no reason to put it right in front of them.  The schools should teach acceptance of all people despite race, gender, etc.  I think that in this day and age it is hard for us to protect our children from all the harsh realities of life.  Your son will be exposed to this at some point in the future but it is up to you to teach him what you want him to know.  And, you have to be ready for your child to make his own decision on how he feels when he is older.  His best friend may end up being gay or something you don't like.  I think that you have every right to raise your son how you want to, but you need to be ready for him to rebel in some way, or to just not have the same convictions as you.  I know that my parents are proud of me even though I don't have the same beliefs as they do.  My parents never tried to force their beliefs on me, but they did try to influence my decision by telling me what they thought was right.  \n \nDon't try to understand the agends of the political world.  The basic thing is to make the other guy look bad so you will always look good.  It is all a bunch of crap anyway.  Go with your feelings and forget the rest of the junk.\n\n\nI would also like to ask a question:  Why does being gay have to be an issue?  Is a gay person not still a person just because he is gay?  Why do we have to fight over gay rights?  I thought that as a person we already had all the rights we needed to be allowed to live.  " the right to life, liberty, and the persute of happiness"  How does being gay change those rights?  If being gay is what makes a person happy then they have the right to be gay without being treated differently.
365207
i do believe there's much too much sex on tv. i know i sound like a prude, but it's a fact. sex sells. and that's all the television programs are concerned with - making money. i believe it is completely a parent's responsibility to educate their children as to what is right and wrong. parents are at duty to monitor what their children are getting into and to set limits so that young children will not grow up thinking that everything on tv is "ok". we cannot blame television alone or even strongly blame it for high teen pregnancy rates because the fact of the matter is that those youths most prone to promiscuity and sexual tendencies(not to mention violence and drug use) are those raised in households  with less family support and guidance (more often then not). the same is for the obesity problem rising in this country - we can take ads out and change the menus in our children's schools, but it is really up to the parents to explain to their children what is healthy or not, and instill in them, as early as possible, healthy habits that they can carry into their adulthood. by blaming the media, we are basically saying that our children are solely raised by it (the media) and this is simply not the case. every child has a guardian of some sort raising them, and it is the obligation of every guardian to raise their children with morals and ethics proper for healthy growth in society.
632096
yes...\n\nbut most school districts don't teach everything, due to cetrant concervitive parents/school boards (or just plain anal/control freaks/parents starerptypes that they're children will repeat the same stuff parinoid parents).\n\nThere are sex eds that do teach a veriety of stuff, such as abstance, safe sex, and other procotions to other types of sex for safe sex.\n\n;-)\n\nWhy are some people still ignorant, well it's up to them to pay attention in class.\n\nParents need to do more (like be open minded), you'd rather have a young person prepared then to fall into something that they haven't been fully educated on. That way you run less of a risk hearing "Mom, I'm pregnant". "Mom/Dad I think I got something (STD)", or the stupid people who become addicted to sex or the werdos who just were deprived of everything logical about it.\n\nYou got to admit that someone can still get an STD even from a simple kiss, skin contact, and of course oral sex, and regular sex. There are safe practices for oral sex, but not all sex  eds teach it so some youth think it's risk free. That's why they should be informed so they can make an informed decision.\n\nBUT yes parents NEED to pick up the slack (and remeber to not assume that they're youth will not experiment, such as have premarital sex, or even have sexual relations with the same sex as them or not... you just can't assume anymore now-a-days so it's just best to teach them everything, half of the most homophobic people I've meet turn out to be denying their own sexuality b/c they have done or are thinking of doing something with the same sex their just to brainwashed to think that might be ok).\n\nNEVER asume.\n\nThe earlyer the better (in education to keep them safe). My BF's little sister is having probs in Middle School... there's even 8 year old for some odd reason trying to have sex... some thing needs to be done and tooken seariously, for one they should at least be told it's unhealthy even more to do it before puberty... this is crazy...\n\n::: Peace :::
539922
Right now the religious conservatives, unfortunately, have more political pull especially among the southern and mid-western "bible-belt" states. They set up policies that threaten to pull educational funding if anything other than an "Abstinence-Only" program is taught in school. The rest of us pay to fund education, but the policies and political hacks are the ones that redirect the money into these religious-based programs.\n\nAbstinence-Only programs should not be in public schools. The purpose of public schools are to teach an educate students with knowledge, not feed them partial and erronious information to keep them ignorant. Public schools should teach proper sex education information on puberty changes, venarial diseases, pregnancy, and safe sex (INCLUDING the abstinence option) so that students have a decent knowledge of what's really out there. The course should be voluntary and parents that don't want their child in a sex ed class should opt-out rather than trying to keep everyone else's kids ignorant. The only school that should have an Abstinence-only program is a private school or religious school.\n\nPublic schools are meant to provide knowledge that will allow students to become potentially productive members of society. How that knowledge is used is determined by the student's personality the same education could be a stepping stone to become a doctor, engineer, police officer, criminal mastermind, or terrorist. \n\nTeenagers are going to have sex or abstain from sex depending on the relationship with thier parents, not what the school teaches them. If a student has taken a sex ed class at least they will be prepared when the time comes, but a student that has only an "Abstinence-Only" course will never be prepared no matter how old they get.
669973
I know many kids who get pregnant and they have unprotected sex because their parents are too scared to talk about that touchy subject with their child.\n\nMost schools teach about the science of sexual intercourse. How its done, how STDs and HIV are transmitted, and they teach about the cycles of pregnancy.\n\nIt is the parents' "job" to teach their young ones about teenage pregnancy and about the emotional effects of sex. If your kids do not know about what sex is, then how will they know if what they are doing is right or wrong? Schools will not teach our kids about the emotions that come with sex. \n\n"What happens if my partner leaves me after sex and after I get pregnant?"\n\n"What happens if I get pregnant, what are my options? What if my parents will kill me?"\n\n"Does sex hurt? What are the reprecussions of having unprotected sex?"\n\n"If my partner wants to have sex, does that mean I should just do it?"\n\nThese are questions that only a parent can answer. Schools do not have the authority or the "legal rights" to answer them since they can only teach students the science of it.
101231
I think a bigger question or a different approach is " does it hurt the student's actions. And what religion are you talking about? If it's Christianity then how can the teaching of love, morals, respect, and humility hurt? Religious classes shouldn't be forced in school but it could be an elective.
121606
For. If you are able to do it then you should learn about it. And sadly, even wayy back when I was in school, there were always some that did it. I had sex education in the sixth grade.It didn't hurt me at all.