Importance of Sex Education Essay

Rajani and Starkman state that; “ Half of all new human immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) infections in the United States and two thirds of all sexually transmitted diseases (STD) occur among young people under the age of 25” (313). There are many other health issues concerning teenage pregnancy including the fact that most pregnant adolescents go without prenatal care for the first three months of pregnancy; which is usually the cause of premature labor and higher death rates due to pregnancy complications. There are also many health risks associated with children born to adolescent mothers including early/premature birth, low birth weight, and even high infant mortality rates. Premature babies have greater chances of having immature organ systems, and mental retardation. Babies born with low birth weight are 40 times more likely to die in their first month of life than babies of average birth weights. On top of the fact that young people being sexually active raises greater health risks, there are also a great number of damaging social effects on the mother. Majority of woman who become pregnant before the age of twenty drop out of school, and generally do not return. This alone is a big problem, but to make it worse “25% deliver again within 2 years. Over 80% of teenage mothers are not married, and they are less likely than their non-pregnant peers to ever get married” (Frits 8). This alone causes a great disadvantage, a