Teenage Pregnancy Essay (Persuasive Example)

What is the best age for the teenager to learn sexuality education at school ? Adolescent pregnancy occurs in all socialites, but the rate of teen pregnancy varies from country to country. In some country, teenager won’t have the knowledge about sexuality until they are twenty-one years of age, but some will learn when they just become a teenager.  I believe this long barrier causes many sexual problems of teenagers because they are being curious about their body and their opposite sexes.  Should teen learn about sex at an early age to help them staying away from their curiosity and knowing about a safe sex? I did small studies of thirty countries researching between consent age for sexual education and the teen pregnancy rates. The data below is showing the level of adolescent pregnancy (out of one 1000) in 2014.

Adolescents at the puberty year have the profound change in psychology, likes to explore, to discover about sex and sexuality. Besides this age lack the understanding of the reproduction and how to have a protective sex without intended pregnancy. From the collected information, most of the countries had the consent age 16 years old. The average of the teenage pregnancy rate is at 32.3 (This number is not correct because there are a few outliers caused the number shifted up - any variable above 107 will be the outliers). Niger and Madagascar  had the extremely high rate up to 117-204 out of 1000 people. Their teenagers won’t learn about sexuality until they are twenty-one. On the other side, some countries had younger consent age as Mexico, Argentina… also had a very hight rate. To decrease their curiosity and help them have a protected sex, the teen should have the understands about sex at the age between 15-17. They explore vulnerable emotionally driven by the impact of social and this age group a transitional period from a child into an adult. According to Adolescent Pregnancy from World Health Organization, it states, "Ninety-five percent of these births occur in lows and middle-income countries.

The average adolescent birth rate in middle-income countries is more than twice as high as that in high-income countries, with the rate in low-income countries being five times as high."  The countries which had the low quality of education and income also have higher pregnancy rate. For example, Philippines (61 out of 1000), Argentina (64 out of 1000), Niger (117 out of 1000), Madagascar (204 out of 1000)…These countries had low ranked economy, Table A. This can cause by family life income, children do not have much supports, disturbances, children lack education, family breakdown mentally, parental apathy, not interested in your thoughts children … will do for young people "feel lonely" and easy to fall into the evils. Exposure world too early, to attend party meetings, dating the weekend … makes you vulnerable girl or irritated about sexual needs. Exposure world too early, to attend party meetings, dating the weekend … makes you vulnerable girl or irritated about sexual needs. Because of the age difference in each country. Every teenager should know about sex before they get to their consent age.

Sex Education in Schools

Sex education in schools is a highly debated subject today, and has always been one.  The debate is between having an abstinence based sex education, where it the primary subject discussed is abstaining from having sexual relations until marriage, or having more comprehensive sex education programs. Indeed, there are many benefits to teaching comprehensive sex education classes that educate adolescents on contraception, sexuality, and how to further educate themselves on the subject of sex. That is to say, these programs realize that these students are going to want to have sex, and aim to teach them how to be careful in case they do.  Having only abstinence based sex education in schools has a direct connection to increased numbers of sexually transmitted diseases, teen pregnancies, and an increase in overall sexual activity; therefore, these programs should be replaced by comprehensive sexual education programs containing information on the above mentioned topics.

First of all, in comprehensive sex education programs, 24.6 percent of the curriculum focuses on HIV/STD awareness; yet, in abstinence based programs, only 11.7 percent of the curriculum focuses on HIV/STD awareness. In discussing HIV and STDs, abstinence based programs always answer that the best way to prevent them is through abstinence. By spending time discussing sexually transmitted diseases, especially the HIV/AIDS virus, adolescents are much more likely to actually take the steps to prevent STDs by using condoms or other methods of contraception. This is mostly because they have been given the information on what those methods are and their overall effectiveness instead of being simply told to not have sex.

Secondly, teenage pregnancy is one of the biggest issues regarding adolescents and sex. This is because it is something that both the media and society in general make you aware of, there are many television shows and movies about being “16 and Pregnant.” Additionally, there is a surplus of both satire and genuine speech in society today of teenagers being told that they should not have sex because they will get pregnant and that pregnancy will ruin their life. Abstinence programs use those scare tactics to prevent pregnancies; whereas, in comprehensive sex education programs, birth control is discussed. Adolescent females in a comprehensive sex education course are much more likely to take birth control.  As a result of that, it has been proven that students who are in those comprehensive sex education classes are significantly less likely to get pregnant as an adolescent.

Not only does a comprehensive sex education decrease the number of STDs and pregnancies, it reduces the number of adolescents having sex entirely. In fact, it has been discovered that adolescents are 40 percent more likely to delay having sex with comprehensive sex education. As there is no vow of purity, having sex is not really rebelling against anything; therefore, teenagers who have received a comprehensive sex education are much less likely to use having sex as an act of rebellion, because they are taught that sex is acceptable. Notwithstanding, abstinence is discussed in these programs, it is not discussed not to a point where it is treated as the only option. Moreover, no abstinence program has been proven to delay teenage sex, but comprehensive programs have.

However, despite the fact that there is much in favor of comprehensive sex education, many believe that abstinence only sex education is still the best route. Many have the mindset that adolescents having sex should not be justified or condoned. Abstinence education has been given funding for many years and has the support of many people. One important thing to note is that only 7 percent of parents are against abstinence based sex education, and since those are their children receiving that education, their opinion should be taken into account. Many people are just not ready for society to abet information on different sexualities, ways to “play God” with contraceptives, or encourage teenagers to discover things about their bodies on their own. Abstinence education is the classic route and should be taken into account due to its morals, support, and past usefulness.

In conclusion, abstinence based sex education programs should be completely replaced by comprehensive sex education programs that discuss sex more in depth for students. Though abstinence programs have been the sole type of sex education program funded by the government in the past, comprehensive programs are the future. These programs are much more realistic in discussing options for contraceptive methods and different sexualities. The primary reasons that comprehensive sex education programs are superior to abstinence programs, are that they better prevent STDs, teenage pregnancy, and adolescents having sex in general; all things that abstinence programs falsely claim that they serve better to do. Now, would you like your children to be protected against information, or against being safe?

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