As a parent in today’s society, you would like your child to be aware of all the dangers in the world and how to avoid them. Wouldn’t a measure be: to teach your high school child about sex and its dangers. As a middle class parent or a parent in any class, you may not have time to sit with your child and explain everything that needs to be said. Even as an adult you may not know everything there is to know about sexual education to keep your child aware. That is why now schools in every state teach some form of sexual education, so parents do not have to. Now that it is so common for sex education to be taught in schools many parents do not bother to teach their children about sex. What happens when the school is not willing to teach the kids quality sex education? It shows with the teenage pregnancy rate goes sky high, and the number of STI’s spreading is getting higher and higher.
In Richmond, Indiana schools have the choice on what to teach past abstinence, but because of the conservative nature of the people living there sexual education is not taught past abstinence. Teaching sex education thoroughly can ensure the child knows the dangers of STI’s, educate the teens on the sexual stigmas in today’s society, and give the teens being taught this a chance to be safe in the future and inform the others around them. Sex education teaches teens what the effects of unprotected sex can have on their lives. Depending on the disease the young lady could no longer have children, the young man will be left infertile. Who’s to say that they did not want a family. It could have all been prevented if students were taught in school about the dangers. The repercussions of unprotected sex can be life changing. The school system is keeping their children ignorant. How does anyone associated with the children benefit from that? Sex is a natural function that every mammal takes part in. Why have humans created this crazy stigma about sex that it’s dirty, or unnatural? Anything is literally what you make it out to be and what you let it become. Religion has a huge hand on how sex is viewed in general. Even though everyone does it, religions and its principles make it seem as though it never happens and if it does, sex is only supposed to be between a man and woman. If you are a woman, God forbid that you are not a virgin and if that is the case you are automatically seen as less than in the eyes of everyone around you.
The concept of virginity was only formulated to control woman in more way than one. Why should any woman be stoned in public just because she is not a virgin? Half of the time it’s not even her fault she could have been raped by a man who abused his power; like so many men love to do. No one should lose their life because they are no longer “pure” when in reality they are just the same as they were yesterday. That is the effect sex has on people and society today. Students need to be taught about this and what is happening in the world today. Everyone needs to be informed about how important it is to embrace your sexuality and how to do it the right way. Imagine if teens knew about more than just abstinence. They would learn about consent and to respect others space. That yes means yes and no means no. Rape, and sexual assault cases would be lowered. Rape victims would be treated with respect because no one deserves to be raped no matter the circumstances. The young men in the class would learn that cat-calling is not okay, nothing is entitled to them, and not to abuse their power with their significant other.
Young ladies will learn that having a baby with someone will not guarantee that they will stay, that what they have to say and feel matters, and that she owes no man anything. All will come to an understanding of all the different genders and sexualities that exist in today’s world and how to accept them for what they are. Sex is centered on a lot of the media today even though sex is such a taboo thing in certain aspects of life globally, but it needs to talk about in its full capacity because the after effects of intimate relationships affect both people in the relationship. Any form of education can open someone’s eyes to a new view of the world and the people around them. Not only Richmond but if all schools taught sex education to the full extent, the students would have a better understanding of people and the world around them. Their eyes would be open to the social injustices that are very present in the world of slut-shaming, misogyny, and sexism in general. Nothing bad can come from exploring new horizons and understanding your fellow man.
