Public Schools - Sex Education in the Classroom Essay -- Argumentativ

Sex Education in the Classroom      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Teenage unplanned pregnancies continue to increase and the Aids epidemic is still wiping out entire populations rapidly worldwide. Here in the United States we hear little about the ongoing battle that is being fought between parents, educators and government officials, with the outcome having a significant impact on our children's lives. Programs that teach sex education in the classroom and promote distribution of condoms are constantly under siege by radical groups who believe very strongly in their religious teachings and choose to ignore the truth. The sex education programs are having an immediate impact on the choices the teenagers are making who attend them. To date any abstinence only approach has not had the decline in teenage pregnancies or the slowed transmission of sexually transmitted diseases as the do the programs that offer a wide variety of information pertaining to sex and follow through with access to birth control. Why not give our children t he very best information and products and allow them to make an informed logical conclusion, without all the propaganda and lies that only hinder our children's decisions. Condom distribution in schools does not promote sex; it simply prevents unwanted pregnancies and sexually transmitted diseases.    Realistically more teenagers are experimenting with sex than ever before in our nations history. With over 29 million young people between the ages of 13 and 19, approximately 12 million have had sexual intercourse. Out of those sexually active, more than 1.1 million become pregnant, three-fourths of these pregnancies were unintended, and more than 434,000 end in an abortion. "Common sense would tell us that the earlier a te... ...n to be safe and informed on all aspects of life, no matter how much it interferes with our view of how things should be? We still have to take into account the reality of the situation. Teenagers are sexually active and need to be protected by any means necessary.    Works Citied Avert. 24 May 2000. 25 May 2000. http://www.avert.org/sexedu.htm. Harris, Hamil R. "Schools Give Condoms to 1,600 in First Year." Washington Post 06 Jun. 1993. PDC1 Lachance, Laurie L. Kid Source Online. 20 Apr. 2000. 24 May 2000. http://www.kidsource.com/kidsource/content2/teen.pregnancy.html#education. "Sex-education programs that work-and some that don't." Parade Magazine 12 Feb. 1995: 18-20. United States. Center for Disease Control. Adolescent Health Monograph Data Sources. 1994. 24 May 2000. http://www.cdc.gov/nccdphp/dash/ahson /datasour.htm.