Sexuality Education and Public Health
Sex Education is vital in teaching teens, young adults, and men the information they need to know if they want to have healthy, mutually-fulfilling sexual relationships. Health and social sciences is the study of basic problems relating to sex, including relationships, biology, basic human reproduction, gender, sexual orientation, procreation, physiological development, and sexual behavior. This curriculum is also taught in schools for teens, young adults, and adults. There are different forms of sex education that can be applied in different settings, such as schools, colleges, and communities.
Sex Education, as taught in most high schools and universities, usually deals with reproduction through words and pictures. It also teaches the psychological aspects of having sex, such as understanding one’s body, what it feels like to be sexually aroused, and how to have safe, healthy sexual activity. Sex Education usually deals with reproduction, bodily functions, and physiological aspects of the body during sexual activity. The coursework may also cover relationships, how to have healthy relationships, dating and relationships, and pregnancy.
In contrast to the popular perception, sex education is not only about teaching teens, young people, and men the information they need on having sex. Studies show that most teen pregnancies, cancers, STDs, and health disorders are caused by poor or inappropriate health education programs. Evidence-based education programs provide young people and men the information they need to make healthy decisions about their own health and bodies. Evidence-based education programs teach young people about the dangers of unprotected sex and the importance of protecting themselves, while providing a wide range of resources and tools to help them do so.
Sexuality is an important topic of discussion among parents, educators, politicians, and others in society. Sex Education is often an afterthought in sex education programs. Despite the fact that we know so much about what makes us sick, what might cause us to develop cancer, and what might lead us to develop a sexually transmitted disease, sex education programs rarely address the other effects sexual activity can have on youth and adults. There are some problems associated with unprotected sex, but advocates of evidence-based education programs would not see these problems as problems for young people but as opportunities to improve.
There is no single source that can say exactly what effects sexual education might have on youth and adults. However, there are many studies that indicate a link between poor educational practices and juvenile delinquency, and high rates of teen pregnancy, substance abuse, and unprotected sex. Some advocates of evidence-based education even claim that the lack of comprehensive sexual education laws throughout the United States is one of the leading causes of the increase in STDs. Despite this evidence, advocates of evidence-based education programs would argue that these concerns are not relevant to the discussion of teen pregnancy and the negative consequences of unprotected sex.
The debate over the effect that sex education has on youth is likely to rage on. There is no universal consensus on whether or not comprehensive sexuality education should be made a part of public school curriculum. There are many arguments for and against comprehensive sex education. Some opponents argue that it is more important to teach abstinence than it is to teach teens about sex. Opponents of planned parenthood and other public policies concerning adolescent sexual education would also argue that teens will learn less from the lessons if they are subject to political debate rather than quality education.