Devin Keith

Mr. Johnson

AP Seminar

17 May 2020

Sexual Education: When Is It Most Important?

Sexual education is a core fundamental part of learning; some parents believe it should be
taught young, but others believe it should be taught later into the teenage years of life. Sexual
education laws are different in each state. Some states do not require the class. There are only
twenty-nine states in the United States that require sex education, along with the District of
Columbia (Parenthood). In those states, however, sex education may not have the best quality of
teaching over topics that students should learn to be safe and healthy. Sexual education should
bring information, test individuals’ values and goals in life, and help teenagers learn relationship
skills for the future. In ‘Have You Renounced Pleasure?’ we read that scientists have discovered
that the more pleasure we get from an action or thing, the less pleasure we will receive from it
later on (Bstan-ʼdzin-rgya-mtsho). Meaning that just because something feels good now does not
mean it will continue to feel good. We should teach children abstinence because waiting until
marriage leaves them with more stability. Sexual education during the early teenage years of life
should consist of teaching about consent and the true meaning of it, sexuality and accepting
others for who they are, sexually transmitted diseases and infections, and sexting along with its
consequences.
Consent is the most important part of any relationship, sexual or not. Consent is agreeing
to or approving an act done to oneself from another person. Consent should be given before an
act is started. Sexual educators should teach consent even when teaching abstinence, the act of
refraining from sexual relations until marriage. Consent should be asked for in many situations.
Going in for a hug, leaning in for a kiss, or grabbing onto someone are all situations where
consent should be asked for and received before doing the act. Any sexual advances or acts done
without consent is considered sexual assault. Sexual assault can be classified as anything from
harassment to rape, and even incest. Sexual assault can happen to anyone, young or old, male or
female. Children are sometimes victims of sexual assault and/or sexual abuse. When children
report sexual crimes, we should believe them and investigate to find the truth. Children can not
consent, and most times can not defend themselves against sexual predators. Elizabeth Bruenig,
of Washington Post, states that children who report sexual crimes may be protected by a special
form of respect set for children, but when adults report crimes done to them “motives and
culpability will be aired and lodged” (Bruenig). Sometimes coming forward about being a victim
of sexual abuse or sexual assault is very hard. Some people take months to years to heal and
come to terms with the traumatic events they have gone through. Children sometimes find it hard
to open up to parents about sexual abuse or trauma they have experienced. Bruenig also claims
that adult victims of childhood sex crimes or abuse should expect to be treated as victims of
crimes done to victims in their adulthood (Bruenig). When we teach teenagers about consent,
they will be more cautious about their experiences and how they partake in physical
relationships, if they decide to not remain abstinent until marriage.
Every person wants to feel like they belong to something or belong somewhere, but what
if someone never finds out where they belong because they do not have the proper information or
resources to learn about themselves? Sexuality is a very common thing across the world, whether
you are homosexual, heterosexual, or identify as another sexuality. Identity is a very complex
thing, and for some people, it can take anywhere from months to years to figure out who they
are. Schools and sexual educators should teach about the different sexualities and what they
mean. Surgeon General C. Everett Koop wrote in his 1986 report that schools should teach about
homosexual and heterosexual relationships because of the AIDS pandemic (Donovan). With the
AIDS pandemic, homosexual men were blamed for the spread. Homophobia spiked and people
became less accepting of homosexuals and their lifestyles. Sexual educators should not feel
uncomfortable teaching about non-heterosexual relationships because it is a part of every day
life. Schools and classrooms should be a safe place for all students to express themselves and be
who they truly are, regardless of sexuality or gender identity. Many religions believe that being a
part of the LGBT+ community is wrong. Separation of church and state should include that
religion has no say on what is being taught in schools or how it is being taught. Parents may feel
uncomfortable with teaching about sexuality because they do not have all the correct information
or are not okay with other people’s lifestyles and choices. ​A survey was done in 1978, aimed at
parents of children between the ages of three to eleven, about sexuality (Geasler). The survey
showed results that most parents felt a conversation about sexuality during their child’s
developing years was adequate, and that more education to parents was needed to complete the
conversation with the correct information (Geasler). Parents should play a part in sexual
education along with sexual educators to express to their children that being sexually active is
not something to take lightly but to help them understand the risks and the consequences of being
sexually active. Parents should also encourage their children to find themselves both in sexuality
and relationships among other teenagers. When we teach teenagers to find themselves and accept
themselves and others, we are opening new doors to self love and closing doors like bullying and
harassment.
Sexual education classes should teach about sexually transmitted diseases and sexually
transmitted infections because no one wants to receive the news that they have contracted one
from another person. Sexually transmitted diseases or sexually transmitted infections are the last
things anyone wants. Sexual education classes should teach more information about symptoms,
treatments, and where to get tested. Teaching abstinence is not always the answer. Some
teenagers are rebellious and go against what parents, school officials, or churches teach. The
1960s was the beginning of a “sexual revolution” when sexually transmitted diseases were
becoming more commonly found among individuals. There are now more than twenty sexually
transmitted diseases, and an average of fifteen million individuals are infected per year (Rector).
Two-thirds of all sexually transmitted diseases occur in people ages twenty-five or younger
(Rector). Three million teens, each year, become infected with a sexually transmitted disease
(Rector). One-fourth of teens, who are sexually active, are stricken with a sexually transmitted
disease (Rector). Some sexually transmitted diseases like human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)
and herpes are not curable, so the person infected will live with it for the rest of their life, along
with any person they infect that tests positive. Human Papillomavirus (HPV) is the number one
viral sexually transmitted disease, having 5.5 million cases reported every year. Human
Papillomavirus (HPV) is the cause of nearly all cases of cervical cancer in women (Rector).
Along with Human Papillomavirus, Chlamydia trachomatis is associated with a pelvic
inflammatory disease that scars the fallopian tubes and can cause infertility (Rector). Sexual
educators teach that condom use can provide protection from these diseases, but some
researchers have found that condoms offer little to zero protection from these harsh diseases.
These researchers have found that condoms fail to protect from human immunodeficiency virus
(HIV) 15 to 31 percent of the time (Rector). Condom use has increased in the past twenty-five
years, but so has the spread of sexually transmitted diseases. The only way to protect from
sexually transmitted diseases 100 percent of the time is to remain abstinent. When we teach
teenagers about sexually transmitted diseases and sexually transmitted infections, they are being
taught that they should be cautious about the people they sexually interact with and to take care
of themselves. Remaining abstinent not only protects teenagers from sexually transmitted
diseases and sexually transmitted infections but also protects from unplanned teen pregnancy.
Since cell phones have become a common part of everyday life, sexting has become a
frequent yet dangerous part of teenage life. About one in five teenagers have sexted in their
lifetime (Brown, Keller, and Stern). Most teenagers that participate in sexting do not know the
consequences that can come with their actions on the internet. Some of the consequences are
early sexual behavior, sexually transmitted diseases, unplanned teenage pregnancy, harassment
and cyberbullying, substance abuse, depression, guilt and shame, arrest and jail time, and
sometimes even suicide (Ahern & Mechling). Sexting is a widespread term, meaning it can range
from sending nude or partially nude videos or pictures to texting about wanting to receive or give
sexual favors. Sexting becomes an issue when consent is not asked for and the receiver receives
an image, video, or text they did not ask for or did not want. Another issue with sexting is when
it occurs between a minor and adult because participants are breaking state laws of consent. If
the minor sends partial nude or nude photos or videos they are distributing child pornography,
and the receiver is breaking the law and has possession of child pornography. A survey was
conducted of United States teens, aged twelve to fourteen years old about sexual images viewed
online. The survey’s results showed that 30 percent of females and 50 to 70 percent of males
have viewed sexual images online (Brown, Keller, and Stern). When someone sends nude photos
or videos, the receiver could screenshot the photo or screen record the video and share it with
someone else, which then starts a chain reaction of the sender’s private pictures being put onto
the internet. This can lead to bullying, harassment, assault, and in some cases even suicide.
Bullying is a huge problem among teenagers, but sexting can make it worse. Obscenities are
used against people whose nude or private pictures are put onto the internet for everyone to see.
Teenagers will body shame others for not having the “ideal” body that the media portrays. Teens
also will shame each other for experiencing sexual or physical events that they find not okay or
different from their lives and experiences. If sexual educators would teach about sexting and its
consequences, teenagers could think twice before sending risky text messages or nude photos or
videos. When they think twice and stop from sending the texts, images, or videos they can save
themselves from being bullied, harassed, arrested, and much more. This thinking shows signs of
personal responsibility, respect for themselves and others, and strong values for themselves and
others.
The teenage years of life are very hard and very confusing for all teenagers. With
education, we can teach teenagers how to find themselves and their interests. We can also bring
awareness to many topics that parents feel uncomfortable discussing with their children.
Teaching good quality sexual education can also install in teenagers good core values and respect
for themselves and others that they interact with. Sexual education should be taught during the
early teenage years of life and should teach about consent and how it works, sexuality and
acceptance, sexually transmitted diseases and infections, and sexting and the consequences that
follow it.
(1,862)
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