E.+Persuasive+Research+Essay

My parents call me downstairs. When I come down, they are both sitting at the table awkwardly. My dad says, “Sit down; we need to have a talk.” As a sit down I start to freak out, thinking about any bad things I have done lately. My mom starts to talk about boy and girls, and being attracted to each other. Knowing where this conversation was going I started looking around trying not to listen to what they were saying. It was the most awkward conversation that I had ever had with my parents. After this conversation I was wishing that my school taught sex education. Sex education should be taught in school because it educates teens about pregnancies, educates students about sexually transmitted diseases, and educates teens about making better choices.

In high school, or even middle school, sex education should be taught how to protect teens from getting pregnant. 80 percent of teens are likely to have premarital sex (Elliot). Most teenage sex is not protected. “Given that the number of unplanned pregnancies continues to climb sex education is not negotiable” (Abstince only). Teens that get pregnant at a young age are usually forced to drop out of high school. Many say they will go back, but the chance of that happening is very slim. Teen mothers that do not finished finish high school, and they do not go on to college. By them not going to college, their lives get harder. They cannot get high paying jobs. So, they will be headed to a life of poverty and welfare.

Sex education should also be taught in schools because teens need to educate about sexually transmitted diseases. Teens think they know everything about diseases, but they do not really. Most teens only know that diseases can be spread through sex, but there are many other ways. “Breast-feeding is probably substantially greater if mothers are infected after birth than if they carried the virus before they got pregnant” (Breast Milk). Teens would never know that they could give a disease to their children if the breast-feed. By having sex education in school, teens would know that if they have a disease. They could give it to anyone if they do not keep themselves protected. Also, teens need to know about getting tested, and to take the right steps if they do have unprotected sex.

The final reason teens should be educated about sex in school is because they need to be taught to make better decisions. Nowadays, teens are easily pressured into doing things they do not want to do. They need to be taught that it is okay if one says no. teens need to make wise decisions, that if they have sex, it is not going to make them feel better. It is also not going to make them popular or make then liked to other teens.

Some people may think that kids should be told to practice abstinence. “Teaching abstinence until marriage and fidelity within marriage has helped lower the rate of HIV/AIDS in Uganda” (AIDS). This may be true, but that is only in Uganda. Kids are not going to listen to people preaching about abstinence. Kids are going to do what they want, and what they want to do is have sex. Teens need to be taught how to protect themselves correctly, and with sex education that can be done. Teens have bright futures ahead of them, and they do not need a sexually transmitted disease or a baby to hold them back. So go to one’s local school and talk to the school board about sex education, how it should be in school, and the importance of teaching teens about protection and prevention. Talk to teachers about sex education so teens will not have to have “the talk” with their parents.

word cited:

"Abstinence-Only Education Is More Effective Than Sex Education." //Do Abstinence Programs Work?// Ed. Christina Fisanick. Detroit: Greenhaven Press, 2010. At Issue. //Gale Opposing Viewpoints In Context//. Web. 7 Jan. 2011. "AIDS." //Current Issues//: //Macmillian Social Science Library//. Detroit: Gale, 2010. //Gale Opposing Viewpoints In Context//. Web. 18 Jan. 2011 "Breast milk passes virus to babies." //Globe & Mail// [Toronto, Canada] 14 June 1988: A12. //Gale Opposing Viewpoints In Context//. Web. 18 Jan. 2011. Elliott, Emma. "Abstinence Sex Education Reduces Teen Sexual Activity." //Teens at Risk//. Ed. Auriana Ojeda. San Diego: Greenhaven Press, 2009. Opposing Viewpoints. //Gale Opposing Viewpoints In Context//. Web. 7 Jan. 2011.