“Young women who avoid unintended pregnancy are more likely to stay in school, participate in the work force and have healthier, better-educated children.” – Unknown.
Although the teen pregnancy rate in the U.S. has fallen within the last two decades, in “2004 it was more than twice that of Canada and Australia, more than 50% higher than Great Britain’s and seven times higher than Japan” (“Does learning about birth control in school help prevent teen pregnancy?”). Experts need to come to an agreement on how teens will be educated on preventing teen pregnancy. If they are taught by the abstinence-only or comprehensive sex education program, the information needs to be readily available and accurate. Teens need to be properly educated on …show more content…
While they agree on the demand to reduce teen pregnancy, they cannot agree on what program should be implemented to address this issue. Abstinence-only programs are teaching teens that “abstinence is the only method of birth control that is 100% effective” (“Does learning about birth control in school help prevent teen pregnancy?”). Followers of this program state that teaching teens about birth control would undeniably give them the consent to be sexually active. Comprehensive sex education program supporters dispute that the reason why teen pregnancy rates have dropped is due to birth control education and the fact that teens are actually using it. From the article “Impact of Sex Education On Pregnancy Examined,” the author Mary Breaden states that “students who were taught a comprehensive sex education curriculum had a 50 percent lower risk of getting pregnant or impregnating someone than students who had received an abstinence-only education or no sex education at all” (Breaden). Regardless, if a teen is sexually active or not, educating them about birth control options and the proper technique of using them is beneficial for when they do decide to become sexually active. Not only does instilling the proper methods of birth control help prevent teen pregnancy, it also helps inhibit the spread of sexually transmitted …show more content…
Teens need to be educated about sex, sexually transmitted diseases, birth control, and how to prevent pregnancy. Not only is it the responsibility of the school system, but it is ultimately the responsibility of the parents. A child’s education, regardless of the topic, starts at home. As parents, we need to take the time to educate our children about sex. I was a teen mother at the innocent age of 16. My friends and I were taught the abstinence-only program through our school system and also from our parents. I was not comfortable with talking to my parents about sex; therefore, I was having unprotected sex. I’m a firm believer that comprehensive sex education is what adolescents need to be taught. Regardless, if a teen chooses to have sex at a young age or wait till they become an adult they need to be educated. If teens are not educated by the school system or by their parents, they will learn through websites, peers and personal experiences. This information has the potential to be incorrect depending on the source. Young children don’t need to be walking around with the wrong information about sex. If I had been taught about birth control or if my parents were open to the idea of me using contraceptives, I may have not became pregnant at such a young age. “According to the National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy, teenage mothers are less likely than other
Although the teen pregnancy rate in the U.S. has fallen within the last two decades, in “2004 it was more than twice that of Canada and Australia, more than 50% higher than Great Britain’s and seven times higher than Japan” (“Does learning about birth control in school help prevent teen pregnancy?”). Experts need to come to an agreement on how teens will be educated on preventing teen pregnancy. If they are taught by the abstinence-only or comprehensive sex education program, the information needs to be readily available and accurate. Teens need to be properly educated on …show more content…
While they agree on the demand to reduce teen pregnancy, they cannot agree on what program should be implemented to address this issue. Abstinence-only programs are teaching teens that “abstinence is the only method of birth control that is 100% effective” (“Does learning about birth control in school help prevent teen pregnancy?”). Followers of this program state that teaching teens about birth control would undeniably give them the consent to be sexually active. Comprehensive sex education program supporters dispute that the reason why teen pregnancy rates have dropped is due to birth control education and the fact that teens are actually using it. From the article “Impact of Sex Education On Pregnancy Examined,” the author Mary Breaden states that “students who were taught a comprehensive sex education curriculum had a 50 percent lower risk of getting pregnant or impregnating someone than students who had received an abstinence-only education or no sex education at all” (Breaden). Regardless, if a teen is sexually active or not, educating them about birth control options and the proper technique of using them is beneficial for when they do decide to become sexually active. Not only does instilling the proper methods of birth control help prevent teen pregnancy, it also helps inhibit the spread of sexually transmitted …show more content…
Teens need to be educated about sex, sexually transmitted diseases, birth control, and how to prevent pregnancy. Not only is it the responsibility of the school system, but it is ultimately the responsibility of the parents. A child’s education, regardless of the topic, starts at home. As parents, we need to take the time to educate our children about sex. I was a teen mother at the innocent age of 16. My friends and I were taught the abstinence-only program through our school system and also from our parents. I was not comfortable with talking to my parents about sex; therefore, I was having unprotected sex. I’m a firm believer that comprehensive sex education is what adolescents need to be taught. Regardless, if a teen chooses to have sex at a young age or wait till they become an adult they need to be educated. If teens are not educated by the school system or by their parents, they will learn through websites, peers and personal experiences. This information has the potential to be incorrect depending on the source. Young children don’t need to be walking around with the wrong information about sex. If I had been taught about birth control or if my parents were open to the idea of me using contraceptives, I may have not became pregnant at such a young age. “According to the National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy, teenage mothers are less likely than other