Sex education is currently one of the most fired-up
issues in the United States. There’s a
seemingly endless spectrum of opinions on the best way to approach the matter: from what variance from what appropriate age (if any) should a ‘sex talk’ be given,
to the battle between comprehensive and abstinent-only education (and the
fluctuation between the groups), there’s a lot to discuss.
At the moment, 22 states (and the District of Columbia)
require any sex education and 33 states (and DC) require HIV education. In 35 states, parents may opt their children
out of the program instated by their school. (1)
The state of North Dakota, however, has come to light in its
sex education policies in a recent affair with North Dakota State
University. Two professors from NDSU
received a competitive grant for $1.2 million last September to launch a
three-year comprehensive sex education program for the Fargo area. (2) However, President Bresciani of NDSU has
frozen the funds, allegedly because they may go against a law effective as of
July 2012 that requires K-12 schools in the state to ensure any sexual health
curriculum “includes instruction pertaining to the risks associated with
adolescent sexual activity and the social, psychological, and physical health
gains to be realized by abstaining from sexual activity before and outside
marriage.”
The controversy stems from the program's ties to Planned
Parenthood and is thought that there could be a breach in the law. According to the professors, though, the funds
do not conflict with the law because it was to be taught outside of the schools
and only to those teens who voluntarily agreed to participate with parental
consent. (2)
At the very least, this is an analogy to what the country is
experiencing regarding the matter: the issue is split and no one can agree on
what to make of it. Furthermore, it is proof of great disagreement and a lack of consensus on what to do on the matter and demonstrates that sex education here still has a long way to go. As we carry on with this issue, it is crucial to keep the facts presented in mind-- after all, it's the most vulnerable in our society that will be impacted by the decisions made now and that will either grow or suffer as a result.
Sources:
1) https://www.guttmacher.org/statecenter/spibs/spib_SE.pdf
1) https://www.guttmacher.org/statecenter/spibs/spib_SE.pdf
I think that the points raised in this post are not ones to be glazed or skimmed over. Whether we realize it or not, our sexual education may or may not have played a critical role in shaping what we know in our later stages of life and our current sexual identities. "The birds & the bees" talk is a classic go-to in regards to that first time talk between a parent and child, but in today's rapidly evolving society is it enough, or does it need supplements? Here is where the importance of sexual education comes into play. I think it would be very rare to find someone who says that everything they know about sexuality has come from their parents- and that's the point I'm trying to make. I can't say for fact whether or not one type of sexual education is superior, but what I can say with certainty is that it is undoubtedly a necessary component of the education of today's youth. This brings me to the North Dakota controversy. Abstinence education is nothing new, and I don't see it going away anytime in the near future. However, I think that what needs to be said is that AT LEAST sexual education is being heavily debated. We live in a country where it is being fought about how, we as youth, first learn and continue to learn about sex- and I think that is astounding! We take for granted that we are even taught about sex- regardless of whether or not it is biological, psychological, abstinence-geared, or entirely liberal oriented. Once again, our society is impetuously evolving through numerous facets- aspects that do indeed contain this issue of sex ed. Agreeing with the author, sexual education has a long way to go, but it nonetheless is still being taught. The framework of this education will continue to be debated upon, and for that I am grateful. Grateful in the sense that there is no blanket version of sexual education and that our country is seemingly continuing to work towards providing more meaningful, individualistic, and truly integral versions of sexual education.
ReplyDeleteI agree with both the original post and with Jared, I think that it would be a tragic mistake to assume that kids are learning anything at all about sex from their parents, I know I didn't. WIth that said, the value of sex education in schools is absolutely paramount. What particularly bothered me about the law you quoted was the line that it “includes instruction pertaining to the risks associated with adolescent sexual activity and the social, psychological, and physical health gains to be realized by abstaining from sexual activity before and outside marriage.” This bothered me because it is assuming, without good reasons as I see it, that sexual activity within marriage is somehow less risky than that occurring outside of wedlock. If the adolescents were married would the sexual activity somehow be safer? I don't think so. And who is to say that sex before marriage isn't safe? I think we should be teaching the risks of all sex, but also encouraging safe and consensual sex once adolescents understand the inherent risks.
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ReplyDeleteAt my high school, I served in a committee that dictated what the children learned about concerning sexual education. I was surprised to find out that everyone (with the exception of the Priest) agreed that the curriculum needed to incorporate information on both abstinence only methods and contraception. They felt awkward talking about the latter, but they all knew what had to be done in order to arm the kids with the knowledge to protect themselves. (Keep in mind that I came from a small town school, one that I would hardly call progressive.) So at least on the local level, people know what's up. I'm not so sure about the state and government.
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