Increasing Sex Education to Curb Teenage Pregnancy (Essay Sample)

Increasing Sex Education to curb Teenage Pregnancy
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Institution
Increasing Sex Education to curb Teenage Pregnancy
Teenage pregnancies have been on the rise in various parts of the world, and if proper policies do not exist to control this menace, it will soon become a societal disaster. Teenage pregnancies deny innocent girls the opportunity to pursue education and achieve their dreams (Stout & Rivara, 2009). Increased sex education in schools is one of the ways to curb teen pregnancies. Heated-up debates have risen on whether increased sex education has a double effect on teenage pregnancies and this essay focuses on shedding some light on this issue.
Sex education should begin in the kindergarten and continue in an appropriate manner as the child grows. By the 12th grade, children should be aware of dos and don’ts as far as sex is concerned (Stout & Rivara, 2009). Research shows that about 6.2% of children have sex before the age of 13 years, while 43.8% are reported to have indulged in sexual behavior by grade 10. Further, 63.1% are reported to have had sex by grade 12 (Bleakley, Hennessy, & Fishbein, 2006). Sex education should target young adolescents, by increasing sex education content in the school curriculum. Sex education should be increased in schools because the education will encourage students to postpone sex hopefully, until after marriage (Stout & Rivara, 2009). Moreover, comprehensive education that does not only insist on abstinence will encourage the students to practice safe sex. Sex education will help in reducing teenage pregnancies even among those who chose to be sexually active (Bleakley, Hennessy, & Fishbein, 2012).
To conclude, sex education should be increased in schools as a measure of curbing teenage pregnancies. However, the teaching programs ...