Sex Education in Schools

Research Question: Should sex education be taught in schools?

For many decades, the topic of sex education has raised intense debate across the country. Traditionally, sex was only mentioned to children when they are mature or old enough. However, the HIV crisis which began in the mid-1980s revolutionized the idea of sexual education since the nation was forced to air conversations, for example, the use of condoms, which were discussed in secret. The government took drastic measures to prevent HIV incidence, including introducing sexual education in the school curriculum. The idea sparked a heated debate countrywide, and until today, many still wonder whether sex education should be taught in school. 

One of the article on the first page after searching ‘Sex Education in Schools’ is a magazine article which discusses the American culture regarding exposing children to sex at a younger age. The authors, a husband and wife, support the idea of giving children a true and good perception of sex depending on their aged and level of curiosity.

Premise 1: Sex education could protect children from risky sexual behaviors (Gregory, 2019). 

 Premise 2: sex education helps to normalize sex and reproductive issues.

Conclusion: children should not be protected from the facts about sex but the perversions surrounding it (Gregory, 2019).

Evaluation of the argument for sex education in schools.

The argument seems realistic and supports the conclusion. The first premise appears to demonstrate that sex education offered security to the user, while the second premise indicates its importance to society, thereby aligning with the conclusion.

The premises offer substantial support for the conclusion. However, they would be more relevant if they provided more statistics to support them. For instance, statistics on the consequences of sex among young people before and after the introduction of sexual education in schools.  Therefore, even though the premises are true, the authors could have demonstrated more on the advantages of sex education at an early age, not only from their family’s experiences but also the society at large.

Article against sex education in schools

The next article I encountered was from a local newspaper in Alaska, where a children rights activist had an interview with the author. The interviewee felt that offering sex education to young people triggered more questions in their mind and the increased curiosity impacted negatively to both the children and society.

Premise 1: Motive for initiating sexual behavior

Premise 2: Tainted modesty

 Conclusion: Sexual education acts as a motivation, and the urge to practice the theory taught in class could hinder abstinence and destroy modesty.

Evaluation of the quality of argument against sexual education

The first and second premises concur with the conclusion. A society that motivates sex among young people is likely to erode the idea of abstaining from sex until marriage and consequently undermines modesty in culture.

The premises agree with the conclusion but are not in tandem with events in the real world situation. Indeed, in the past, teaching sex in class would offer a platform where some students would be hearing about sex publicly for the first time. As a result, they may try out what they learn in class. However, the advancement of technology today exposes young people to sexual matters at an early age. The arguments fail to indicate the influence of social media and technology on sex among students. A scholar may refute the case stating that students would rather learn of sexual issues from professionals who may offer some guidance on the same and not the internet, which is likely to encourage sex even more. 

ReferencesGregory, K. (2019). Little Birds & Bees. Touchstone: A Journal of Mere Christianity, 32(1), 21–23.