This week's Glee episode got me thinking about sex education. In the show there was a debate between teaching teens about abstinence and teaching them how to have safe sex and the consequences of sex. The side that believes in abstinence thinks that if teens learn how to have safe sex, they will feel encouraged to go out and have sex. They teach students that the only form of safe sex is abstinence. The other side of the debate believes that students should know about how to have safe sex and the consequences of having sex because teens will be having it anyway and they should be informed beforehand. At my high school they taught us that abstinence is the only form of safe sex. However they also taught us about different types of birth controls, STDs, and the consequences of teen pregnancy. What was your sex education like? What do you think educators should do to improve it?
Watch the full episode here.
To look back my memory of sex education in my high school, it was horrible. Even though there were a professional speaker talking about safe sex in front of many students in big auditory hall of school, still most of teachers looked embarrassed to talk about sex. And such education didn't seem to be very effective because one of friends of my friend got pregnant when she was sophomore. All thing teachers did about sex education was that teaching abstinence was the best way to be safe. I don't know why people believe they should teach youngsters to have negative perspective on sex and sexual desire. I think it's much better to let them know possible consequences of sex and how to deal with it. Teens already have sexual desire and no one can deny it. It's better to guide it to desirable way, not suppress or deny it.
I hardly remember my sex education, which probably means it wasn't that great. I know we took health which was required in middle school and high school. I'm sure they encouraged abstinence but we at least got some sort of information on safe sex and std's. I think it's unrealistic that abstinence will be a viable option for most teens. I think every school should require safe sex practices to be taught, along with access or how to get access to birth control. These conservative abstinence preachers are the very people wanting to outlaw abortions. Kids are having sex, and if we don't want unwanted pregnancies they need to be educated on how to prevent them.