Young people like us are faced with important decisions about relationships and sexual matters as we grow up. The sexual curiosity is at its peak during the adolescent stage for we are becoming more aware and explorative of our own bodies. Thus, comprehensive and reliable sexual education is essential to prepare us for the skills that are necessary to take responsibility for one’s overall sexual health and well-being. Sex education deals with the elaboration on topics regarding human anatomy, sexual and reproductive health, emotional relationships, rights and obligations towards reproduction, abstinence, contraception, and other elements of human sexual behavior (CDC, 2020). Additionally, it includes discussions on prevention of sexual violence, body image, gender identity, and gender orientation.
Enforcing sex education in secondary schools can avoid negative health consequences like unwanted pregnancies and the spread of HIV or other sexually-transmitted diseases. It helps young adults differentiate healthy from unhealthy relationships thus preventing any form of sexual assaults. Sex education allows the youth to develop autonomy over their bodies wherein it is emphasized how everyone have the right to choose their behaviors and refuse unwanted sexual involvement. Furthermore, it grants the freedom to openly communicate about sexuality in the society. On the other hand, one perceived disadvantage of sex education is that it can go against the moral or religious beliefs of some students at school. Also, some may argue that this may do more harm than good. However, as the saying goes, the benefits outweigh the risks. Sex education still undermines these cons for it aims to empower young people into making informed and responsible decisions concerning sex.
In the Philippines, there have been attempts to integrate sexual education at school. But because of the continuing stigma revolving around this topic, the country has yet to fully implement it. Unfortunately, I still do not see sex education being carried out in our locality.
REFERENCES:
Advocates for Youth. (2018, November 9). Sexuality Education. https://www.advocatesforyouth.org/resources/fact-sheets/sexuality-education-2/
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2020). What Works: Sexual Health Education | Adolescent and School Health | CDC. Retrieved September 3, 2022, from https://www.cdc.gov/healthyyouth/whatworks/what-works-sexual-health-education.htm
Onlymyhealth Staff Writer. (2020, April 28). Shaping A Future: Pros and Cons of Sex Education in Schools. Onlymyhealth. https://www.onlymyhealth.com/sex-education-in-schools-pros-and-cons-1310535352