When you send your child to kindergarten the first day, you have the image in your head of the child growing to have a full education. We tell children that they can be and do anything through education, but we as a society have been lacking to give children a well-rounded sense of knowledge through their sexual education learning. Through the absence of comprehensive sex education, and the implementation of abstinence-only, children have been missing out on fundamental concepts of anatomy, safe sex practices, how to communicate effectively with others about sexual activity and how to practice safe sexual behaviors.

In America, parents are infuriated over the fact their children are exposed to “sexual behavior” in school. They believe that because the children are being taught about the acts, they will in turn be losing their innocence. This is not the case at all. We have a comprehensive education that is answering the questions that the children are too embarrassed or afraid to ask their parents. Parents also feel scared or embarrassed to answer these questions. Comprehensive sex education is sending students out into the world prepared and knowledgeable with actual medical information.

Sexual education has been split between abstinence-only viewpoints and the viewpoints of comprehensive sexual education. Abstinence-only standpoints teach that sex should not be partaken in outside of marriage and does not teach about sexually transmitted disease protection or birth control. It’s basically giving children a medically inaccurate understanding of sex education, and that is what our government has spent a substantial amount of money funding throughout the years. Comprehensive sex education standpoints teach sex education through teaching students to stay abstinent, but if they do participate in sexual activity, to protect themselves from STDs and pregnancy through the use of condoms and other birth control methods. A thorough sex education would include how to tell if you have an STD, what to do if you’re pregnant or have an STD, what to do if you’re sexually assaulted. These are some things that could never be covered in abstinence – only education, because “abstinence is the best policy.”

According to some of the research I’ve found on sex education, science has concluded that abstinence-only programs do not help the cause of abstinence. According to a journal on “Abstinence and abstinence – only education,” the abstinence-only programs are causing more harm than good by providing inaccurate medical facts and opinions. Also, according to one scientific study on the subject of sex education, the researchers concluded that with no sex education there was an increased rate of pregnancy, while teaching abstinence – only showed us no increase but no decrease. Comprehensive sex education showed a significant decrease in teen pregnancy.

The education system is failing our students. Every child deserves to be educated equally, with accurate information. You wouldn’t want our future doctors and lawyers growing up with an inadequate education in math or English, would you? So, why would you want students to have anything less, especially when it comes to sex education? Sex education directly affects the student’s health in many aspects. The students should be informed of what sexually transmitted diseases are, how they’re transmitted and what we can do to protect ourselves from the danger of contracting a sexually transmitted disease. We can also teach students the risks of teenage pregnancy, and show many different options on how to prevent it — because no matter how much it is preached, not every teenager will remain abstinent.

How can a student find healthy answers to their questions about sex if there is not a resource offering support and guidance? Preaching abstinence only gives teenagers the message what they’re doing is wrong, and they cannot ask questions because they will be looked at as if they have disobeyed some sort of social rule that is to remain abstinent. Going to their parents is another option that is often preached, but how many times in your life did you ask your mom how to put on a condom or ask your dad the common risks of sexually transmitted diseases? Those topics can be a little tricky when parents get involved, so why not let the educational system teach the students healthy ways to engage in sexual behavior?

Through teaching our youth healthy ways to practice sexual behavior, we are telling them that what they’re feeling and discovering about their developing bodies is natural. We are also telling them that they are safe, and they have people to support them in whatever sexual behavior they choose to participate/not participate in. We have to maintain our education system with a united front, because we cannot simply have our future generations divided, and that is exactly what the difference between comprehensive sex education and abstinence-only has caused.

For children to learn to talk about sex, and engage in sexual behaviors in a healthy way, has to become a top priority for this country’s educational system. Children should no longer be told inaccurate medical information, and children should not have to be punished for someone else’s moral guidelines against sexual activity. Education is key to healthy living, especially when it comes to sex education. Sex should not be a secretive topic that people feel they’re judged by – and the implementation of comprehensive sex education will undoubtedly work to stop these anti-sex strategies by teaching healthy living and letting the child discover what works for them best.

Comprehensive sex education is the right course of action to save Americas failing sex education. Abstinence-only education is narrowing the mind, giving one option out of the plethora. By giving our children the option of choice, we’re giving them the rights that are inevitably theirs. We cannot make the choices of sex education for our children, and we are not exercising the same rights for everyone by taking away their options. Our children deserve a thorough sex education.