Sex Ed

IntroductionWhile it may seem that teaching sex education is a debate from previous generations, the reality is that, for many parents and communities, it is still a highly controversial issue.  It is believed that incidents of school-age children engaging in sexual practices are increasing, as the media continually reports that the ages of these young people are decreasing.  Opponents to sex education feel that the courses themselves empower this trend.  The reality, however, is different: studies made by the Center of Disease Control in the 1990s, for example, reveal that fewer adolescents are having sex than in previous years (Males  90), and this is likely due to the influence of sex education itself.  More importantly, in an age when HIV remains a dangerous element, it is essential to educate children about the very real threats to health and life posed by unprotected sex.   Teaching sex education, finally, is never a means of encouraging sex, and concerned parents are still responsible for giving their children the values they believe they must have.  Sex education in public schools is, first and foremost, education, and is therefore an obligation of the American school system.Supportive ArgumentsSeizing upon that last point, there is no moral or religious component to sex education at all, except that which opponents often seek to add to it.  It cannot be argued that the school system exists to prepare young people for adult life, and this often takes forms removed from traditional “education”.  For example, schools typically have driver education classes, which are in place not to urge the students to drive, but to teach them how to do it safely.  Education in all arenas of society is very much built into public schools, and the inescapable reality is that sexuality is a part of adult life.   As the school is responsible for providing children with the information they need to decide on careers and learn the basics in general areas of knowledge, so too must...