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The Daily Utah Chronicle

The University of Utah's Independent Student Voice

The Daily Utah Chronicle

The University of Utah's Independent Student Voice

The Daily Utah Chronicle

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Want your voice to be heard? Submit a letter to the editor, send us an op-ed pitch or check out our open positions for the chance to be published by the Daily Utah Chronicle.
@TheChrony
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The U.S. School System needs a more Comprehensive Sex-Ed Program

We all found out about sex from one source or another — that is, unless you’ve somehow made it to college without ever hearing about sex, in which case, this article may prove to be extremely eye-opening. Maybe it was a rumor from a friend with an older sibling, or perhaps something questionable caught your eye online when you were nine years old and you asked your parents about it. The point is, sex is a natural part of life, so having a solid foundation of information on the subject is beneficial to the public.

When I was in the 5th grade, our class took a field trip to the Robert Crown Center, an Illinois center for health education. This was the dreaded “sex ed” talk, where boys and girls were split up and taken on separate, but equally painful rides through a land of puberty, intercourse and pregnancy. For most of us, this was our first time receiving real knowledge about sex, and we were not excited. I was so terrified I ripped a hole in my best friend’s Crocs.

A few years later, in high school health, we went through another round of sex talks. Despite the class being slightly more in depth (condom on the banana demonstration, anyone?) and teaching more about STDs, we were all still pretty clueless, as well as terrified, about sex and all it encompasses. If the greatest tool used to combat fear is knowledge — why were we all so afraid of sex?

As a whole, the United States lacks a well-established and solid understanding of sexual education. America has made some pretty amazing strides in the last few years in terms of openness, acceptance and speaking out on social issues. Gay marriage has been legalized, and those families are now also able to adopt. Caitlyn Jenner declared herself a transsexual woman, and people applauded from the sidelines. However, for as much openness as we demonstrate in pop culture, such as openly speaking about lesbian sex in “Orange is the New Black,” a topic that never would have been discussed on television a few years ago, sex is still this taboo subject instilling fear into the heart of our educators. One explanation of a sexual act that becomes mildly too detailed, and the district could have a civil court case on their hands.

Because there is no core curriculum for sexual education across America, sexual knowledge given to students varies from district to district. Teenagers are contracting STDs and getting pregnant, without having a full understanding of how they could have prevented it and what to do next. Funding in this field is seriously lacking because some government officials believe that sex is not “appropriate” to discuss in public education. I don’t know about you, but I would much rather have my child learn about consent and healthy sex through an accredited teacher or institution than try to learn about anatomy and self-worth from the Internet. The most thorough understanding of the human body and reproductive systems I have ever received was from Laci Green partnered with Planned Parenthood’s YouTube channel about sexual health. What does that tell you about America’s institutional sexual education?

Teenagers are going to have sex. Adults are going to have sex. So before these institutions can shut down normal, relevant questions with a simple “Don’t do it,” funding needs to happen, research needs to be done, data needs to be collected and valid information needs to be handed to these students, in order for them to safely choose the path that best fits their lifestyle. I’m not saying schools need to promote sex — there is nothing wrong with abstinence. But by hoping that their warning is enough and deciding not to inform the youth of America, educators are only increasing pregnancy and STD rates because they push aside those who make the decision for themselves to be sexually active. By refusing to fund lectures, guest speakers and research discussing safe and healthy sex, teachers are unintentionally telling their students that it is not okay to express themselves, and that having sex means they are dirty, shameful or even unwanted. So before another generation of clueless teenagers comes around and the pregnancy rate spikes, let’s talk to our kids, answer their questions and give schools the resources they need to pass on vital information that can keep their students safe, happy, in school and making the world a greater, more sex-friendly place to live.

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