Teenagers Need Safe Sex Education Essay -- Argumentative Persuasive Es

Three million teenagers will contract a sexually transmitted disease and one in three women will become pregnant before they are twenty years old. Teens are contracting sexually transmitted diseases and getting pregnant at an alarming rate causing the government, schools, and parents to scratch their heads. America is the country with the highest teen pregnancy rate in the world. Many are wondering what can be done to stop this. A debate has been going on about whether abstinence only education is doing any good for high school students in America. Abstinence only education teaches teenagers to abstain from all sexual acts until they are married. It does not teach about pregnancy or the different types of contraceptives that are available to prevent pregnancy. On the other hand, there is safe sex education. Safe sex education teaches teenagers facts about intercourse they need to know, acknowledges the potential consequences or risks of sexual behavior, and helps them make better decisions to protect themselves and their bodies. Background There are a few major differences between safe sex education and abstinence only. Abstinence only education is all about, â€Å"just saying no.† They teach to abstain from all sexual acts until marriage. Safe sex education takes a very different approach. It teaches all about sex, the consequences of sex, contraceptives, different STDs, ways to protect yourself from STDs, pregnancy, and other issues regarding teen bodies. There is a debate against these different sex education programs because some think abstinence only education does not have any effect on teenagers while some believe that safe sex education encourages teenagers to engage in sexual behavior. Over 750,000 girls became pregn... ...ted Diseases - STDs. Web. 31 Mar. 2015. . "Facts on American Teens' Sexual and Reproductive Health." Guttmacher Institute: Home Page. 2009. Web. 31 Mar. 2015. . "The History of Federal Abstinence-Only Funding." Advocates for Youth. July 2008. Web. 9 Mar. 2015. . Michaels, Samantha. "Clarification: Abstinence-only Programs Might Work—for Some." Medill Reports. 3 Feb. 2010. Web. 6 Mar. 2015. . Roleff, Tamara L. Sex. San Diego, CA: Greenhaven, 2002. Print. "SADD Statistics." Welcome to SADD. Jan. 2014. Web. 8 Mar. 2015. . Watkins, Christine. Teen Sex. San Diego, CA: Greenhaven, 2005. Print.