A Research Study On Sex Education - 808 Words

Greslà ©-Favier, and independent researcher writing in the peer reviewed journal Sex Education, investigates childism, or systematic discrimination against children, which stems from conservative beliefs that parents have high authority and children belong in the private sphere. Within the context of sex education, childism is a primary factor in programs that place the values of parents and society over the needs and rights of the child. While including discussions about the importance of personal and family values in sex education is reasonable, it is unreasonable to completely diminish the concerns of the individual. A prime example of the value based approach, violation of rights, and bias, presented by abstinence education is the†¦show more content†¦By addressing homosexuality only within the context of â€Å"promiscuity and disease,† most abstinence programs create an unwelcoming environment for homosexual students (â€Å"ACLU Memo† 30). The best way t o promote teenage sexual health is to create a supportive environment with a wealth of accurate, holistic information. If students do not receive accurate information about sexual health from reliable institutions such as schools, they will find such information, albeit inaccurate, elsewhere. Adolescents often rely upon peers and mass media for sexual information (Igras et al. 558), which poses problems because peers are equally uninformed and the media presents distorted or inaccurate portrayals of sexual activity. Like abstinence programs, television, movies, and the Internet perpetuate gender stereotypes, but by demonstrating how the genders are supposed to act in sexual situations rather than teaching about it (Kittleson and Howard-Barr 73). Additionally, the media includes abundant sexual references without the necessary health information to back them up. The average teenager encounters over 14,000 sexual references each year, but only 1 in 85 discuss serious matters such as â€Å"abstinence, contraception, or marriage† (Kittleson and Howard-Barr 73). Abstinence only education programs and the media may be on opposite ends of the spectrum as far as attitudes toward sex, but are both equally uninformative because they