"Conservatives say teaching sex education in the public schools will promote promiscuity. With our education system? If we promote promiscuity the same way we promote math or science, they've got nothing to worry about."
The System Today
It's 2013 and every day, more and more young people get pregnant. This in and of itself is not a big deal, but the fact of the matter is that most of these young people have no way to provide for a child. Combine that with the rising number of sexually transmitted infections in all age groups and it is clear to see that we have a failure somewhere in the system.
So, whose fault is it? Does the fault lie with the collective religious organizations that shame all aspects of sexuality? What about with an education system that glosses over things, presents fallacies as fact, and tries to scare the youth away from having sex? Or perhaps parents that won't accept their responsibility for their own children; the same parents that wouldn't have this problem had their own parents not skipped at-home sex ed?
Who I Blame
I'm placing the blame squarely on religion. At the essence of the matter, no one wants to discuss sex with their young ones, because it is "awkward" to talk about or too dirty to discuss.
Why?!?! This makes no sense, unless you take religion into consideration. The values that are passed down from parent to child are all too often religious values, passed down from generation to generation. This, in turn, causes the same views on sexuality to be perpetuated endlessly. Don't hurt others, don't steal, etc.; all things we understand as human beings, but at what point can we realize that sex is going to happen regardless of how adamantly the preacher/rabbi/cleric/whatever rants and raves about abstinence being the only way?
It's outdated, foolish and a risk to the health of the youth of the world in the 21st century to turn a blind eye to sexuality!
Time To Step Up
Religion may be at fault for a lot of the problems with rampant teenage pregnancy and rising numbers of sexually transmitted infections, but it can all be fixed! Parents, guardians, elders of the communities and role models should most certainly adopt a new policy when it comes to sexual education. Instead of preaching abstinence only, teach that abstinence is the safest, but also teach about how to properly use contraceptives.
In Closing
Teach the youth about condoms and spermicides; teach them about diseases and infections. Don't put all of your eggs in the basket of ignorance. Sex is wonderful and we shouldn't be teaching the youth that it is bad. We should be teaching the teenagers and young adults of the world about safer sex, their anatomies and the financial and social costs of having a child that you aren't prepared for. Parents, don't let the fear of a conversation being awkward stop you from arming your children with the knowledge to protect themselves and have a fulfilling sex life.
A question as you leave:
Would you rather find that your young one is being perfectly safe, but having sex younger than you expected or find out they have been having sex when they come to you pregnant or infected with a disease and scared?