Lack of Sex Education in the United States

Only 39 out of the 50 states are required to teach sex education to students. Within those states, only 13 are required to give medically correct information and 37 teach abstinence only education. However, the requirement of sex education ultimately depends on the decision of the school district. Students within these 37 states are not getting the proper education they need on how to practice safe sex. Students are not being taught about contraceptives, sexual orientation, personal hygiene, consent, etc. which causes students to look for answers themselves resulting in false information from the internet or peers. The misinformation is causing an increase of teen pregnancy, sexually transmitted diseases, and sexual violence. 

The image above shows a map of the United States where sex education is not mandatory, mandatory, mandatory and medically accurate, and medically accurate but not mandatory. Only 8 of the states sex education is mandatory and medically accurate. 

CONSEQUENCES FROM LACK OF SEX EDUCATION 

This image displays the number of birth rates per 1,000 women ages 15-19 
in the year 2015 in each of the 50 states. Only 4 states are seen to be below
the 10 mark line while others seem to be reaching above the 20 mark line. 

Teen Pregnancy

Students who are uninformed about how to have safe sex have a higher chance of their doing resulting in teen pregnancy. This causes an increase in teen parents dropping out of school, greater financial burden, lower mental state, and less overall stability. Students who were taught sex education are less likely to participate in unprotected sex because they know of the different options of

contraceptives that are available to them and they are educated on how use them properly and effectively. 

                                                             

                  

Sexually Transmitted Diseases and Infections

This image displays the number of STD cases ranging from the year
2014 to the year 2019. This graph shows an increase at each year and
shows how it's at it's 6th consecutive year of record breaking cases.

Teens from ages 15-24 years are responsible for almost half of the 26 million new sexually transmitted infections that happened in the United States in the year 2018. This means that students are not getting education on how to have safe sex and prevent sexually transmitted diseases and infections from being transmitted. Neglecting the teaching of sex education is causing a negative increase in sexual health in young teens. 

WHAT CAN WE DO TO HELP 

It' important to keep sex education implanted into school curriculums to help students have a positive insight on their own bodies and be aware of the causes and effects of their sexual actions. Students should be taught the medically correct information about sexual health in order for them to be conscious of their decisions. There are many steps and actions that you can do to keep sex education in schools and how to have districts start implementing sex education into their schools. 

1. Get community support

Get in touch with your community and begin advocating for sexual education to be taught within school districts. The more attention is brought to this action, the more community members will get involved and change will begin to happen. Get in contact with school board members, teachers, parents, principles, other students, etc. to help protect sex education within school programs. 

2. Become aware of sex education curriculum 

Since schools are not required to teach the correct information about sexual health, it's wise to be aware of what is being taught to the students. Make sure that the information that is being taught is correct and informative to the student. Some schools choose to teach abstinence-only courses which cause the opposite effect that is to prevent teen pregnancies, spreading of STD and STI infections, etc. 

3. School Board Elections 

Attend school board election meetings to make your voice be heard by the board members and other parents. By voicing your opinion, you're able to explain why sex education is important and why students should be taught the correct information. Bring sex education to light can help change the mind of board members and allow students the opportunity to learn more about themselves and their peers. 

This image displays parents protesting against changes to the sexual education curriculum that is
being taught to their teenage children in the school districts of Ontario in the year of 2018. 

Personally Affected 

I had my first sex education lesson taught in elementary school in 6th grade where I was 11 years old. I got taught the basics such as the monthly mensuration cycle and the hormone changes that would occur in my body. I got second sex education course in high school in 9th grade where I was 13 years old. In this class, I was taught about my reproductive organs and the "horrors" of having sex such as teen pregnancy, sexually transmitted diseases and how it's important to stay abstinent in order to prevent these events from happening. Mind you, the only reason I was learning about sex education was because my parents signed a form allowing the school to teach me about the subject. So, for the students that weren't allowed to be taught about sex education would have to learn about it on their own through the internet, through friends and peers or may not even have learned about it at all which seems worse and makes me question why these parents wouldn't want their child learning about an important aspect about human life. 

I decided to take another sex education course in college where I was 21 years old. This course was beyond educational and taught me everything I needed to know about my own sexual health. It made me realize how much my school district was completely passing over. My professor informed us that sex education was seen as dirty and even frowned upon in certain areas of the world. It angered me when she said the reason why "they" don't want us to learn about our bodies is because they want to keep that power. I remember her saying, "Knowledge is power which is why they keep you in the dark." Ever since that course, I've been trying to inform others about the neglect towards sexual education in order to bring awareness to this issue. Being informed about our own bodies in a correct way should be a right. 

Community Involvement 

Olga, 24 years old

"The first time I was ever taught about sex education was back in 2009 when I was in 6th grade. I believe I was 12 or 13 years old.The sex education lesson we received was roughly about 3-4 hours. From my recollection, they had separated boys and girl into 2 separate classrooms. Our instruct had informed us regarding a woman's menstrual cycle and how to practice abstinence. Now knowing what I know now at the age of 24, I would have really liked for them to discuss or touch bases on different types of contraceptives and also discuss sensitive topics like rape, peer pressure, unwanted pregnancies, and gender identity. Of course back in 2009, sexual orientation and gender identity was very different than what it is now. Sex education gives knowledge to good sexual health. It gives you comfortability in your own skin and to explore ones' sexuality. Most of my information I had to discuss with doctors, physicians or from older and more experiences adults in my life. I do believe sex ed should be taught to everyone but should not be  mandated. As an individual and a young woman, I do agree that one should be aware of topics like these but also with time - as a parent I do believe that it should be the parents responsibility to discuss these specific topics with their children no matter what age. As a parent you know how to speak with your child and inform them in a way that they are able to understand and be comfortable asking questions if necessary but it's more of a

personal thought due to also being aware that not all children have the option. A different and are sensitive topic would be from what ages sex ed should be discussed but as technology keep advancing and thriving - young teens should be made aware of their options." 

Alex, 21 years old

"I learned about it when I was in 5th grade all the way up 

to senior year in high school and it was all anatomy based;

nothing in depth on sex. It wasn't until a class in college

where I really began actually learning about sex and to 

communicate about it. I feel like it still should be taught

because sex as a whole is something that everyone should

know a decent amount about. Not just anatomy. Having

an understanding about sex can be extremely helpful

and useful and I feel schools should use more to have 

more classes about it." 

Veronica, 25 years old

"I have not taken a sex education course. I do, however, remember my health teacher briefly covering the topic of sex my freshman year in high school. The teacher spent one class period covering the female and male reproductive system,"the miracle of birth", and the importance of condoms. From my recollection, they did not go into depth about STI's/ STD's nor alternative contraceptives.Personally, I believe sex education should be taught to students in the 8th grade. Although, it may seem like a young age to expose students, as they are pubescent, most have already hit puberty by this age. If taught about their hormones, it may influence them to be more careful and wise with their decisions as they get older, rather than them becoming parents by the time they are freshman or sophomores in high school." 

Resources

America's sex education: How we are failing our students. USC. (2020, December 1). https://nursing.usc.edu/blog/americas-sex-education/

Miranda, G. (2021, June 15). STDs reach all-time high for sixth consecutive year in the US. is your state in the top 10?USA Today. https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/health/2021/06/15/std-rates-reach-all-time-high-us-which-states-have-most-cases/7700643002/

Tahra Johnson, A. G. (2020, October 1). State Policies on Sex Education in Schools. State policies on sex education in Schools. https://www.ncsl.org/research/health/state-policies-on-sex-education-in-schools.aspx 

World Health Organization. (2022, September 15). Adolescent pregnancy. World Health Organization.  https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/adolescent-pregnancy