Kaye McKeeth Writing 10:10 Erin Rogers B5 Is Sex-Ed's Curriculum actually productive in Utah?

Sexual Education, also known as sex ed, is the awkward ti!e in high school when teenagers get to learn a"out sexual education in a classroo! setting# Many teenagers $ust laugh out o% a!use!ent, and the %act they are still "eing taught the stu%% they already knew a"out e&er since they were 'reteens# (here)s nothing wrong with learning a"out sexual re'roduction, since it is natural and so!ething !ost hu!ans are going to do e&entually# *owe&er, sexual education in +tah is a"stinence# What is it, -ccording to the internet, -"stinence only sex education is, .(his ty'e o% sex education 'ro!otes sexual a"stinence until !arriage and a&oids discussion o% use o% contrace'ti&es#/ (his education is !ore o% a&oiding what teenagers will really "e doing# 0ot to only that a"stinence only 'ro"a"ly won)t work due to the %act teenagers hor!ones are un'redicta"le through those years, "ut not to discuss contrace'ti&es can "e dangerous# What i% the teenager does end u' "eing sexually acti&e, anyway, in this stage o% ti!e, the sex educational needs to "e hea&ily i!'ro&ed on, es'ecially sa%ety i% a teenager wishes to "e sexually acti&e# 1 "elie&e +tah should change the school curriculu! to "eco!e !ore educational: the co!'rehensi&e sexual education that international schools o%%er# 1t is in%or!ati&e, it can lower 'regnancy and 're&ent S(2s, and is o&erall a scienti%ically 'ro&en education that actually works# 3onsidering that +tah doesn)t allow schools to do a co!'rehensi&e sex education, they cannot 'ro!ote condo!s, "irth control, or e&en discuss other sex "esides heterosexual sexual intercourse, according to the law, ..4-5 the i!'ortance o% a"stinence %ro! all sexual acti&ity "e%ore !arriage and %idelity a%ter !arriage as !ethods %or 're&enting certain co!!unica"le diseases6 and 4B5 'ersonal skills that encourage indi&idual choice o% a"stinence and %idelity#/ So, "asically, it)s a"stinence only# 1%

+tah does u'date the sexual education to co!'rehensi&e sex education, which allows these things, teachers and students will "e a"le to discuss on how to "e sa%e during sexual intercourse and all the 'ossi"ilities that co!e with it, including 'regnancy, S(2)s, and the e!otional and 'hysical satis%action it gi&es# 1!agine there is a student who really doesn)t know what sex is all a"out, and nai&ely ex'ects that the +tah sex ed syste! will actually gi&e the! a decent &iew on how sex really works# -ccording to the law, . (hat while a teacher can acknowledge the existence o% contrace'tion de&ices, it is illegal %or the! to go into !uch detail or ad&ocate their use# (he only legal a&enue a teacher can reco!!end to a student, e&en i% that student con%identially tells the! they are already ha&ing sex, is a"stinence#/ this 'retty !uch states that no !atter how sexually acti&e the teenager is, they will $ust learn a"stinence, and not too !uch o% anything else# What a"out the sexually acti&e student that !ay wish to sto' or $ust needs to tell so!eone, 1t really doesn)t hel' the student i% they desire to get hel' %ro! a con%ident# (he teacher !ust legally tell the! that a"stinence is the only way# (his !ay not "e wrong, "ut it !ay not "e the answer the student is looking %or# *a&ing a new curriculu!, one that can actually co&er these !aterials, will not only let teachers hel' students that ask 7uestions and get realistic answers# 1t can in%or! students that need to "e educated on so!ething that will ha''en in !ost 'eo'le)s li&es# (he syste!, co!'rehensi&e sex, is 'ro&en to "e healthier as stated "y ad&ocates %or youth, .3o!'rehensi&e sex education is e%%ecti&e at assisting young 'eo'le to !ake healthy decisions a"out sex and to ado't healthy sexual "eha&iors,/# -ccording to the article, this is due to the education the 'rogra! 'ro&ides# 1t can gi&e in%or!ation teenagers don)t only want to know, "ut what they need to know and as -"igal Muldoon, a sexual educational rights acti&ist, says,
.3o!'rehensi&e sex education doesn8t take a 'ro or con 'olitical stance when it co!es to sex, it $ust teaches the %acts# 1n addition to a"stinence, they teach adolescents a"out condo!s and "irth control in case they change their !ind and want to "e sa%e and 'rotected# (eaching a"out condo!s and "irth control does not !ean they are encouraging teens to ha&e sex, they are encouraging the! to "e sa%e i% they themselves decide to ha&e sex#/

-s Moore says, the 'rogra! doesn)t take a 'ro or con stance on the situation, "ut it can 'ro&ide in%or!ation %or adolescents to ha&e sa%e sex i% they desire to ha&e sex# 3o!'rehensi&e sexual education is really a neutral a''roach to sex, such as a"stinence is "iased# +tah educational syste!s ex'ects all teenagers to "e %rightened "y the idea o% sex and

'ro!oting a"stinence, "ut honestly, it lea&es the teenager in curiosity# -"stinence only sexual education is not 'ro&iding enough details a"out sex to kee' teenager sa%e, es'ecially a"out the i!'ortance o% condo!s and contrace'tion# -ccording to Muldoon, not only are they i!'ortant "ut it can "e dangerous to not know what they can do, . 9i&ing teens !edically inaccurate in%or!ation regarding condo!s and contrace'tion is a huge deal as it &iolates young adults8 rights to !edically sound in%or!ation that could sa&e their li&es when it co!es to *1: and S(1 're&ention#/ (his 'oint is in%or!ati&e a"out a"stinence only sexual education, due to the %act she also 'resents the 'ro"le!s with sexually trans!itted diseases can "e 're&ented "y learning how to 'ro'erly 'ut on a condo! or use contrace'tion, or "etter known as "irth control# 1% we had co!'rehensi&e sexual education, !ost 'eo'le would know how to 'ro'erly use condo!s and contrace'tion, and it could kee' teenagers sa%e# -ccording to the studies, S1E3+S, the united states sexual in%or!ation council has said, .(eens who recei&e a co!'rehensi&e education a"out sex are 50 'ercent less likely to ha&e an unintended 'regnancy than those who recei&e sex educations that are a"stinence only or contrace'tion only 'rogra!s#/ (his can "e true, due to the %act teenagers will know !ore a"out how to "e sa%e during sex# -ccidental 'regnancy and sexually trans!itted diseases is tragic and distress%ul to a teenager, and can change the course o% their li%e co!'letely# +sing this educational syste! can kee' students in%or!ed a"out what they are doing, how li%e changing it can "e, and i% they want to ha&e sexual intercourse, they can ha&e the in%or!ation they need to stay sa%e, and ha&e "etter chances o% no accidental 'regnancies or S(2s# S1E3+S also !entions, .E!ergency contrace'tion and co!'rehensi&e sexuality education ha&e "oth 'ro&en to reduce the rate o% unintended 'regnancy#/ (his educational syste! is scienti%ically 'ro&en to "e !ore accurate, and "etter %or teens to learn than

a"stinence only education# (here are studies a"stinence sexual education !ay a%%ect the culture o% sex, which can include the &irginity 'ledge# 0ot in all schools in +tah do this, "ut this !akes the teenager 'ro!ise they will wait %or !arriage to engage in sexual intercourse,
.:irginity 'ledges are 'ro!ises to a"stain %ro! sexual intercourse until !arriage and ha&e "eco!e 'o'ular courses o% action %or sex education 'rogra!s across -!erica# +n%ortunately, studies show that 'ledgers are $ust as likely as non 'ledgers to ha&e S(2s and less likely to use contrace'tion i% they do "eco!e sexually acti&e#/

(he current

education 'rogra! also "iased in with teenagers, es'ecially wo!en,

.By telling adolescents that the only reason they should wait %or sex is "ecause they owe it to the!sel% and their %uture s'ouse, you are creating a link "etween sex and 'ersonal &alue which 'er'etuates a culture that sha!es young 'eo'le 4es'ecially wo!en5 %or not dressing !odestly, "eing out at night, and "eing a &icti! in a ra'e# / (his

is &ery true in our

society# (his culture in +tah o% sha!ing 'eo'le who ha&e "een ra'e &icti!s, %or exa!'le, Eli;a"eth S!art, a %ellow %e!ale)s rights acti&ist who was kidna''ed when she was younger and ra'ed %or nine !onths descri"ed the +tah sexual education,
.I re!e!"er in school one ti!e, 1 had a teacher who was talking a"out a"stinence,/ S!art told the 'anel# .-nd she said, <1!agine you8re a stick o% gu!# When you engage in sex, that8s like getting chewed# -nd i% you do that lots o% ti!es, you8re going to "eco!e an old 'iece o% gu!, and who is going to want you a%ter that,8 Well, that8s terri"le# 0o one should e&er say that# But %or !e, 1 thought, <18! that chewed u' 'iece o% gu!#8 0o"ody re chews a 'iece o% gu!# =ou throw it away# -nd that8s how easy it is to %eel you no longer ha&e worth# =our li%e no longer has &alue#/

(hese exa!'les o% what the education syste! in +tah in%luences 'eo'le is &ery clear: sex is a "ad thing# 1t)s not a good thing until you)re !arried# But, sex isn)t actually a "ad thing# 1n conclusion, +tah)s educational syste! is %lawed "y the lack o% knowledge, the "ias, and the in%luence o% it sha!es a 'er%ectly natural 'rocess al!ost e&ery hu!an will ex'erience# *owe&er, with co!'rehensi&e sexual education, this culture can "e in%luenced "y knowledge, which can 're&ent S(2)s and accidental 'regnancy# (his educational syste! is scienti%ically proven to "e !ore accurate and 'ro&ides !ore in%or!ation than a"stinence does# (his new educational syste! should at least "e

!ore o"ser&ed and hea&ily considered "y our school "oard "ecause this can change not only our educational syste!, "ut change the harsh +tah culture a"out sexual intercourse and e&erything related to it#

W>RKS 31(E2 doso!ething#org# .11 ?acts -"out Sexual Education#/ @01A# Siecus# We"# 0o&e!"er Bth

ad&ocates%oryouth#org# .E%%ecti&e Sex Education#/ @00C# -d&ocates %or =outh# 0o&e!"er 15th#

-!erican"ar#org# .3o!'rehensi&e Sex Education &s# -"stinence >nly +ntil Marriage Drogra!s#/ @011# -!erican Bar -ssociation# 0o&e!"er 15th#

Muldoon, -"igal# chicagonow#co!# Why 3hristians Should 9i&e +' -"stinence >nly Sex Education# May 10, @01A# >cto"er @Bth, @01A #

*ess, -!anda# Slate#co! .Eli;a"eth S!art Says Dro a"stinence hurts &icti!s o% ra'e#/ May Cth, @01A# 0o&e!"er 1Cth,