(Classroom Setting)

The question of what form of sex education should be taught in public schools has been in dispute for decades. The moral values and opinions that should be expressed through sex education and the appropriate balance between abstinence and contraception is being constantly debated.

In recent decades, the American government has had a significant role in what curricula end up in classrooms due to federal support of abstinence and abstinence-only programs, but are these the right programs to support when there is evidence proving that these programs are ineffective in preventing unwanted pregnancies and protecting kids from sexually transmitted infections?

My paper explores why an alternative form of sex education should be supported by federal funding in order to effectively educate in hopes to reduce unwanted pregnancy among teens and stop the spread of STIs.