When Sexual Education becomes censored…

November 13, 2009  
Filed under Opinion

Society deems certain information appropriate or inappropriate. Homosexuality, abortion, the first lady wearing shorts, all things deemed unacceptable or inappropriate. But why should society decide what is acceptable for every individual person?

The media presents people with information, whether factual or not, that interests the people. But it seems that what is found interesting also leaves a majority of the population in the dark. How many citizens knew that it was not Iraq, Iran or Afghanistan that was responsible for the terrorist bombings?  “The president just talked about Iraq as a center of the war on terror. Iraq was not even close to the centre of the war on terror before the president invaded it,” said John Kerry said, referring to comments made by President George Bush in the 2004 presidential debates.

How are we as Americans supposed to be aware of what is occurring in the world if our media is omitting facts or we are being fed false information?

Do people even want to know? I have not heard any other students at Ottawa High School bring up the Sexual Education, or lack thereof. Here at OHS it is not uncommon to hear about multiple girls who have become pregnant.

I think that our sexual education class is doing absolutely nothing to prevent teenage pregnancies and promote safe sex; and the reason why? Sex-Ed only consists of the promotion of abstinence. That is being unrealistic and completely ignorant about teenagers today. Forty percent of young teens in the United States have lost their virginity by the age of 14, according to lifesitenews.com. That means if 10 freshmen are in a room, and most likely, four of them have had sex.

I think that everyone can agree that this is too young of an age to be making that big of a decision, but how are these children supposed to know any better when all they are taught is “sex can lead to pregnancy and STDs so stay away from it.” It seems as those less and less people are being taught to appreciate your virginity and hold their body to a high regard. No one is being taught that sex is a big deal, something that you cannot take back. No one is learning about what comes with sex and what to expect.

So when those 14 year old boys and girls go into this adult situation knowing absolutely nothing about it except what they have heard via word of mouth. Anyone who has played the game “telephone” knows that information received through the grapevine is not always reliable. So these young teens are going into a situation completely unprepared or misinformed so that post sex, they are confused and scared and full of regret. Who wants to feel that way about such an important milestone in life? Who should be held responsible?

I am not going to point fingers, but what I will say is that am extremely disappointed in our community’s lack of preparation and realistic view point. Teenagers are going to have sex. It is going to happen. But how are they supposed to know how to make it a good experience if no one tells them? This is something that will stay with people for the rest of their lives. Children are supposed to be taught and prepared for situations like this by their elders. I am sorry if it is an awkward situation to talk about, but it is something that needs to be done. Enough with the naïve concept that teaching abstinence will make everyone wait until that magical night when they get married and consummate afterwards. This is the real world, not Cinderella; we all need wake up.

It is time to take a step into the future and inform these children of the importance of the decision that they are thinking about making and promoting meaning to the act of having sex for the older teens who think that they are ready to take it on. So all that I am suggesting is that we end this naivety, and start really informing our teenage population of the realities of what sex is and the responsibilities that come with it.

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Dana Peterson

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