Summary
The Time Magazine article “How to bring an end to the war over sex ed” by Amy Sullivan-Anderson take a deeper look into the sex education in America[1]. The United States experienced a rise in teen births in the second year in a row in 2009. That is after 15 years with drop in this statistic. The change is not wanted, especially since the amount of teenage pregnancies is alarmingly high compared with other western countries. In the age group 15-19 the statistics from 2006 displays that 41.9 give birth for every 1000 youth. The same number in Canada differ with13.3 per 1000(more than three times less). South Carolina is a state that is behind the national average in teen pregnancies (12 point higher), but luckily have had a great fall in the birth-numbers (27% decline). The change is partly because of the 1988 comprehension health education act the state introduced. But the continuing high statistic is worrying the population in Anderson County (170,000 inhabitants) which is mainly religious.
The organization United Ways - with Carol Burdette in the front – wanted to do something, and made contact with Impact, which is a teen-pregnancy-prevent organization. Burdette got to know that they had a sex education curriculum, but they did not get room in the schools. The South California public schools are by the act implied to have 12.5 hours of sex education, but most of them have abstinence-only (not having sex before marriage) programs since they are funded by the federal government. This is although research show that comprehensive programs are the best. Douglas Kirby’s neutral studies were conducted over more than three decades, and concluded that abstinence-only programs had no effect on sexual behavior. In contrast half of the comprehensive programs led to a delayed debut, reduce of sex partners, and an increase in condom use. There is also a difference in the type of comprehensive programs: the old about safe sex is not working, while the new that concentrates about behavior in teens is working. This type also is favored by a superior majority of the parents, and the cost of unplanned and teen pregnancies is high (in US: $ 9 billion). Another problem is that teachers have few standards to follow; it is as many as 17 American states that do not have required sex education.
In 2004, United Way, in cooperation with Impact, made efforts to start comprehensive sex educational programs in district 3 in Anderson County. They switched the teachers that often have this subject - the athletic coaches and the science instructors - out with real sex education teachers. Kristen Jordan has two courses at Starr-Iva middle school; the students are learning about basic sexuality and decision-making skill. Also in high schools is she an important character where she is a trusted person who offers good answers and a help in difficult situations. The students in this program are educated in more than abstinence since most youths today are not willing to wait. But also 66% wish they had waited longer. For that reason the students are given information about abstinence, birth control, sexually transmitted infections, and also given a better self-esteem. One of the teenagers that has benefitted from the change the schools did in the program is Jewels Morris Davis. She turned the family tradition around when she turned 16 without getting, or getting somebody else, pregnant. In a drug addict mother and foster care she turned to sex for affection. The program the school offered continued to be there for her, and others that needed support, and she changed her direction. Today she is happy and proud. She has set some clear goals, and is successful at school with attending cheerleading, the track team, and possesses a confident attitude.
Response
This article has a really good point; the American sex education needs to be taken seriously. I know from experience that the comprehensive type of sex education is great, and that a good sex education has a lot to say about the pregnancy rate. In Norway this has been the practices for many years and Norway has some of the lowest rates of teenage pregnancies. It lies around 10 per 1000. In my hometown we learn about sex, sexuality, decision-making, and saying no from an early age, with the biggest emphasis on this type of education in the middle school. In addition, and maybe most important for many, we have a house for the young with a central location in our town. This place is not only for sex education, but there are free doctors you can talk to about everything. It also has a café, concert room for local bands, workshops, filmmaking equipment, youth group, everything a young girl or boy needs to create a personal identity and feel a sense of community. It has really worked for the youths to have a place to go, and a place to be heard. I hope the American people eventually will help all young boys and girls to feel confident enough to make the decision to have sex, or not, when they are ready and in a healthy way.
[1] Sullivan-Anderson, Amy. "How to Bring An End to the War Over Sex Ed - TIME." Breaking News, Analysis, Politics, Blogs, News Photos, Video, Tech Reviews - TIME.com. Time Magazine, 19 Mar. 2009. Web. 16 Nov. 2011. <http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1886558,00.html>.
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