My high school sex education class takes up very little real estate in my brain because it was a relatively unremarkable experience. I’ve always been under the impression that my high school sex ed was typical of any public school student.
My high school health teacher did the absolute bare minimum; when he didn’t have a lesson plan, he would often put on an episode of “The Office” and just call it a day, so I figured that the sex ed unit would be no different. In the end, the unit entailed filling out a couple of worksheets where we googled and recorded the efficacy of different forms of birth control. Then, at the end of class, the teacher pointed out that abstinence was the only method that had a 100% success rate in preventing pregnancy, and left it at that.
I was surprised, however, to recently discover that this level of education — where students are informed that options beyond abstinence exist — is actually not the bare minimum, but far beyond what many public schools in the United States teach.
As it turns out, there aren’t any federal laws that dictate what students are taught in sex ed, or even require that it is taught at all. Instead, the federal government has left sex education curriculums up to the discretion of state or local governments. So, while some students are provided with comprehensive sex ed, others are left completely in the dark.
Here’s an overview of the current state of American sex ed: 38 states (and the District of Columbia) explicitly require that sex ed is taught in school. All of these states require that abstinence is taught as an option for preventing pregnancy, yet only 21 states (and DC) require that schools provide information on contraception. Fewer than half of the states that teach sex ed require that the information conveyed is medically accurate.
This is absolutely outrageous. Schools have a responsibility to provide students with accurate, comprehensive sex ed; the premise of mandating abstinence-only education is dangerous. By excluding information about contraceptives and birth control methods, educators are withholding valuable information from students, which puts young people at risk of making bad decisions about their sexual health. It is also completely antithetical to the idea and goals of an education. Don’t we want students to come out of their high school experience more empowered and knowledgeable?
Critics of comprehensive sex ed often cite two main reasons for their opposition: one, because of the belief that it’s not the school’s place to talk about sex (it’s the parent’s role), and two, because they think that open conversation about sex may be encouraging young people to partake in it.
Although I can appreciate the first argument — that schools should focus on teaching America’s youth core subjects like English and mathematics, and leave the difficult subjects, like sex, to parents — it’s incredibly naive. Sex-related topics are difficult and uncomfortable to talk about with family members, and for that reason, many people will never have these conversations. Data shows that only 74% of parents have discussions with their children about how to say no to sex, and only 60% discuss birth control. Those numbers may seem high, but what they really reflect is that more than a quarter of young people aren’t receiving the information they need about an important element of life.
Even the families that are having these discussions may not know how to navigate them. That’s why schools should step in. They have educators on staff specifically for this reason. Each one of us needs to learn and understand how to take care of our minds and body, and educating students about this topic levels the playing field for young adults and children.
The claim that talking about sex encourages people to partake in it is just false. Numerous studies have demonstrated that comprehensive programs reduce rates of sexual activity, unprotected intercourse, sexually transmitted infections and teen pregnancy. I can empathize with parents’ fears of their children being “encouraged” to begin sexual behaviors by way of talks of birth control and condoms, but in reality, young people are more likely to delay the onset of sexual activity — and when they do have sex, have safer sex — when they are better informed. As kids grow up, they are given more independence and space to make their own decisions. We should provide them with whatever knowledge and guidance we can, so that those decisions can be informed ones.
No student should be left in the dark. These talks may be uncomfortable or difficult, but knowledge is power. If we want a more informed and empowered generation of students, we should provide them with comprehensive sex ed nationwide.
Laura Hurlburt is an Opinion Columnist who writes about digital trends, culture and politics. She can be reached at laurhurl@umich.edu.
The post Let’s start a discourse about intercourse appeared first on The Michigan Daily.
Leave a Reply