A common topic of discussion is birth control in schools. Parents, especially, are concerned about their children’s knowledge of sex. Yet, educators and family planning experts feel that children should be taught about the consequences of sex. If students do not learn about sex in school, many believe, they will learn about it on the streets.
Birth Control Begins at Home
Parents are very protective of their young. They typically believe that their children should learn about birth control from them. According to Rankin (2010), “Most parents say they support abstinence education not birth control” (para. 4). In other words, many parents feel that children lack the maturity to be taught sex education, and, instead, they should be taught how to avoid sex altogether.
Since every family is different, parents like to know who is teaching their children sex education in school. When children have questions about their sexuality, parents want to be there to respond. But, if they can’t, they want good, well-trained teachers to be able to provide the right answers.
Birth Control in Schools
Most schools offer teenaged students classes in human development and sex education. Focusing on reproductive health or sex education, these schools leave the distribution of birth control to doctors. Some people feel that dispensing birth control in schools is a wise deterrent to sexual intercourse; however, many others dislike the idea of doling out condoms to teenagers.
Teens around the world are learning about sex early from friends and, most commonly, from the media. In a society where sex is commercialized on TV, film, and the Internet, children get bombarded with sexual images. According to recent statistics, 750,000 U.S. girls between the ages of 15 and 19 become pregnant annually. Because teenage pregnancies are so prevalent, knowledge of birth control methods is becoming a necessity. Educating teens is the best form of birth control.
School programs are being developed that give birth control to students. For instance, these educational initiatives are very controversial among people regardless of race, gender, and socioeconomic status. Most people still believe that abstinence or ideas about safe sex begin at home. Birth control in schools creates a moral and political debate that will continue into the next century.
Birth Control is not a Threat
An informed mind is better able to deal with the confusion of growing up in a world that sends mixed signals regarding sex. Teaching abstinence is only one tactic in a growing social dilemma of teenage promiscuity and pregnancy. The best tactic is to teach students about their bodies from a biological standpoint and to so prepare them for sexual relations in the future.
Ignoring or skirting the issue of birth control in schools will only cause more confusion and make students feel ashamed of their own sexualities. Because knowledge is powerful, it can render the learner capable of protecting his or her body from not only unwanted pregnancies, but also sexually transmitted diseases (STD). Birth control is not a threat; the only threat is raising a generation of negligent adults who do not take care of themselves.
Sources:
In brief: fact sheet. (2011). Retrieved August 14, 2011.
Rankin, K. (2010). Birth control in schools. Retrieved August 13, 2011.
Join the Conversation