Kirsten Spears. Mrs. Hohl/4. English 112. Classical Argument.

Kirsten Spears Mrs. Hohl/4 English 112 Classical Argument 9 March 2017 Sex Education: Is Abstinence Really the Only Option? Sex education for American youth has been a topic of discussion across the nation since the early 1980s. Teen pregnancies and sexually transmitted disease are two major problems throughout the U.S.. Sexually transmitted infections have been an ongoing problem for American people since World War I. To combat the growing teen pregnancy and STI rates, the U.S. established organized sex education. Since sex education has been integrated in schools across the nation, it has been heavily influenced by religion. The federal government has funded abstinence-only education programs for over a quarter century. Abstinence-only†¦show more content†¦Studies have also shown that abstinence-focused programs have failed to reduce STI rates. The American Sexual Health Association states, â€Å"More than half of all people will have an STD/STI at some point in their lifetime,† (â€Å"Statistics†). Comprehensive sex education w ould teach teenagers how to improve their sexual health, prevent unwanted pregnancies, and prevent sexually transmitted diseases and infections. Providing students with this information does not encourage them to participate in sexual activity sooner. Several findings show that, â€Å"[Comprehensive sex education] effectively promotes abstinence and may delay sexual debut, reduce sexual frequency, reduce the number of sexual partners, reduce STI risk, and increase the likelihood of consistent contraceptive use,† (Jeffries 173). Comprehensive sex education will be beneficial to students by teaching them how to have sexual intercourse safely, if they choose to not remain abstinent. As previously stated, abstinence-only sex education courses do not discuss birth control options unless to emphasize their failure to prevent pregnancies or sexually transmitted diseases or infections. Some abstinence-only lessons include inaccurate medical information, typically connected to the fai lure rates of contraception and protection. These classes also tend to blur religion and science. Some common