Sexual Education In America

Sexual Education is a huge issue that has been arising here in the United States. As the rates of teen pregnancies and STD infected people increase, shouldn’t the method we are educated to prevent them be looked at? When it comes to comparing rates in America versus the rest of the world, especially Europe. America is surprisingly the most affected. Why is this? It’s because our nation’s mindset is overly too focused on abstinence. America needs to change its teaching methods to be more like those in Europe; focus on actual safe sex. Sexual Education in America today is out of date. According to an online article about problems with our sex education “only 22 states mandate sexual education, and only 13 require the information to be 'medically

In the other countries like The Netherlands, growing up you openly talk about the subject and it is completely comfortable. A documentary I once watched last year was about the comparison of sexual education in America and the Netherlands. The man conducting the documentary went around the streets of both cities in America and in the Netherlands. He would ask them both the same question ‘Are you caring a condom?’. When teens in America were asked, they were almost offended. Almost all of them said no and explained that only promiscuous people carry such things and it was crazy he asked them. When teens in the Netherlands answered this they would answer in a calm way and show that they did in fact have protection with them at all times. They also told the man that all responsible sexually active people should carry protection at all

What actually needs to be taught is age appropriate materials that coincide with sexual education such as healthy relationships with friends and families and how to communicate between them. Children in the Netherlands are taught at a very young age sexual education, so we should too.

Sanoff’s article includes many examples of ways we should change our ways of teaching sexual education and the benefits of doing so. A method that is really important to today’s huge debate about whether or not planned parenthood should continue to be funded, Sanoff states "If we as a nation could provide sex education in a positive, open, accepting, comprehensive, and accurate manner... we would be raising our children to not say things like, 'We need to defund Planned Parenthood,' because sexual health, women's health, queer health, and the right to choose would be so respected within our culture”.

Sexual education is barely even taught at a college level, including those in Medical School. Most college students are at the same education level as an eighth grader. During one’s college experience, this is the most crucial time to be sexually educated and the fact that sexual education is not on the top of America’s list for young adults is extremely