When we have a question concerning sex, our first instinct is usually to consult either our most promiscuous friend or Reddit. Our peers become experts, and misinformation runs rampant in an age where formal sex education pertains only to abstinence and not viable forms of contraception. Seven in 10 young men and women have had sexual intercourse by their 19th birthday, which means most university students could find some personal relevance in sexual issues.
This is not a subject we should shy away from in an educational sphere. Providing knowledge to students about their health and well-being is not crude, inappropriate or inapplicable. For many, the last mandatory course on sex was sometime during high school, which undoubtedly only touched on the basics and would not prove relevant to many young people anymore. Fifty-five percent of young adults report looking online for health information concerning sex.
A more advanced sexual education course or seminar should be compulsory for students entering college. The majority of students have no physical resource or formal environment in which to learn the complexities of different forms of birth controls, pregnancy or abortion and sexually transmitted diseases. A space in a university setting for people to finally receive the answers they need to have healthy and safe sex lives would prove helpful for many students. Making it mandatory would ensure the university did its part to prevent unwanted pregnancies and STDs and create a healthier campus overall.
It should come as no surprise that the last regulated sex-ed class in high school contained plenty of information about abstinence and disease but did not teach students about contraception, according to Guttmacher Institute. Forty-six percent of males and 33 percent of females did not receive any information on forms of birth control before first having sex during their teen years. Sadly, this lack of knowledge often persisted as young adults gain more life experience and, subsequently, more sexual partners in many cases.
While one may think the hook-up culture of college would ensure better safe sex, a study released by the Sex Information and Education Council found that almost 50 percent of sexually active college students do not use condoms, and many will only use a condom the first time they have sex and then become frighteningly inconsistent. In addition, the CDC found that young adults and Americans aged 15-24 contract diseases such as chlamydia and gonorrhea at four times the rate of the rest of the population. Figures like these show just how desperate students are for sexual knowledge, and our university should promote and provide those resources.
An additional study found that four in five young adults, and even 79 percent of those who are not sexually active, say they are concerned about how sexual health issues can affect their lives. All general education courses may not be relevant for each and every student, but this is one that is currently applicable or will be in the future for the vast majority. Students cannot continue to trust the Internet or one another with their sexual well-being. The only way to truly ensure young people are at least receiving the information they need to understand sex, its consequences and how to avoid unwanted pregnancy and disease is to make sexual education a crucial part of our university experience.