Sex Education

Last semester I started going to a couple different High Schools in San Francisco to provide information about safe sex to teenagers through the San Francisco Department of Public Health. After being immersed in the High School atmosphere, it made me reflect upon my own sex education and how we can improve sex education for curious minds of the future. Currently, you can either get abstinence-only-until-marriage or comprehensive sex education. So which method do you think is themost effective?

Many argue that abstinence-only-until-marriage education is very effective-- specifically according to our former President Bush who instilled this type of education in our schools-- because it prohibits sex before marriage which should be an easy answer to un-planned teen pregnancies, STD infections, and rape. There is only one problem, it doesn't actually work. Even though parents, schools, and the government are trying to control pre-marital sex. The answer to this is not to teach abstinence, it should be to teach understanding.

Comprehensive sex education has proven to be more effective than abstinence-only education. Adolescents are going to make their decisions either way. If you tell them over and over again not to do something, chances are the curiosity will be peeked and they will want to try it.

We have to understand that people are going to have sex. After all, it is human nature to want to. By teaching adolescents how to have a positive relationship and how to practice safe sex, we are giving them tools to make the decision to have sex or not to. We are not advocating teens having sex. All that comprehensive sex education is doing is providing beneficial information to people who are worthy of rightful information to keep them safe. The common misconception with comprehensive sex education is that by teaching adolescents about safe sex, they are more likely to participate in sexual activity. That is false because adolescents will participate in sexual activity regardless of if we provide safe sex information or not.

If you are ever faced with inquisitive adolescent minds regarding sexuality, it is best to be as honest as possible. Look back on when you were in High School, I am sure you knew more than your parents gave you credit for. You were probably not as oblivious as we like to think teens are. So, be open and honest and answer questions in an educational way.