Sex Education in Our Classroom essays

Sex Education in Our Classroom essays Sex education, which is sometimes called sexuality education or sex and relationships education, is the process of acquiring information and forming attitudes and beliefs about sex, sexual identity, relationships and intimacy. It is also about developing young people's skills so that they make informed choices about their behavior, and feel confident and competent about acting on these choices. It is widely accepted that young people have a right to sex education, partly because it is a means by which they are helped to protect themselves against abuse, exploitation, unintended pregnancies, sexually transmitted diseases and HIV/AIDS. Sex education seeks both to reduce the risks of potentially negative outcomes from sexual behavior like unwanted or unplanned pregnancies and infection with sexually transmitted diseases, and to enhance the quality of relationships. It is also about developing young people's ability to make decisions over their entire lifetime. Sex education that works, by which I mean that it is effective is sex education that contributes to this overall aim. There are two methods to teaching sex ed in our classrooms. There is the comprehensive approach and the abstinence-based approach. In this paper I intend to discuss both of these approaches, talking about the pros and cons of each. In my conclusion I will discuss my views as to which of these methods I would incorporate into my classroom. Also, I will reflect on why I would choose this particular method. Government funding of abstinence-only programs have existed for the past 20 years. The Adolescent Family Life Act (AFLA) began in 1981 and was designed to prevent teen pregnancy by promoting self-discipline and chastity. The program received $11 million in federal funds that year and $19 million in 2000. In 1996 the federal government added a provision to the welfare-reform law to establish a federal entitlement program for abstinence-only sexual educat...