“Lack of Sex Ed?”
Teenage pregnancy is a problem in this country that must be addressed. The Vice
Presidential candidate, Sara Palin opposes sexual education in schools. Palin is also
against abortion, even if her own daughter were raped! She believes in
birth control, yet her 17 year old daughter, Bristol Palin, is unmarried and pregnant.
In theory, would it not be a good idea to teach girls like Bristol sex education before she became pregnant? Her mother believes in contraceptives. This leaves me to wonder, why did Bristol get pregnant in the first place?
In my opinion, sexual education should begin at home, taught at schools in detail, and taught as early as possible at an age appropriate level. Children should know that self respect and respect for others is extremely important. They must be informed about birth control, and different kinds should be discussed. They must also be taught the consequences of their actions if they choose to become sexually active without contraceptives. Sexual education should not be taught as a six week course that embarrasses the teacher and the students, and it should certainly not be an elective.
I interviewed ten of my classmates, five males and five females, ranging in age from eighteen to twenty-four, about their experiences with sexual education. One of the students told me he talked to his parents about sex and, consequently, he was the only one who was not embarrassed by sexual education classes in school. All said they were taught only about sex, not morality or responsibility. Most had sex ed in eight grade, but one had the class his junior year. Of the students, only three girls had to take care of a plastic baby to pass their classes, however, it was just for one day. One of the students told me that his teacher gave him a bag of flour for a week. He was only required not to break it in order to get an A in his class. The thing that astonished me the most, nine of the ten had a class in sexual...