Let’s Talk about Sex (BA-BY)

The numbers of students being taught sex ed across the country has been on a steady decline; so the question is, where and how are these kids getting educated?

It’s probably something 85 percent of you guys are thinking about, or are being faced with, and let’s just talk about it,” said Angie Sharp, counseling.

According to a Twitter poll conducted by The View, 44 percent of students at South (approximately 792 students) right now are getting most of their sexual education from online sources, since they either don’t feel comfortable talking to their parents, or their family isn’t open to that topic. Even those who took a health class are scared to ask questions.

“I hate asking questions, like feeling dumb that kind of thing, so I kinda just went along with whatever was happening,” said Kate Hunter, junior.

Talking about sex has always been awkward for most people, and going to parents or teachers to ask questions seems out of the question for some; but how else will you learn reliable information?

“Students will laugh about it and be immature about it, and teachers, they also don’t want to get into that conversation with their students, they don’t want to have that relationship with students. But I think it’s needed, because, like me, not everybody’s parents talk to them about that kind of stuff; I wish I was more educated than I was,” said Hunter.

In 2014, only 20 states, including Missouri, required that sex and/or HIV education must be medically, factually or technically accurate. That same year, 88 percent of schools nationwide allowed parents to exempt their kids from the sex ed course, according to the Guttmacher Institute.

“I think that’s a scary thing because you know how are they going to be safe and how are they gonna know what’s the right thing to do..sex isn’t just whatever...when you talk about it with your friends, you kind of make it seem that way,” said Meg Fausz, junior. “And so when you don’t have a class about it to learn how serious it actually is, then that’s kinda your mindset going into it...they don’t know how to protect themselves, they don’t know how serious it is and... that’s kinda what leads to things like teen pregnancy, STDs and everything.”

Educating high school students about contraceptives and sexual instruction has gone down since 2006 while the method of saying no to sex and avoidance of birth control practice, also known as abstinence-only education, has gone up in recent years, according to Guttmacher institute. Yet, 86 percent of South, according to a Twitter poll, doesn’t think that abstinence-only education is beneficial.

“I think it’s effective for some. I think it’s different avenues for each person, and you know it’s up to that person to talk to their parents and to talk to their doctors/school counselors just to figure out what’s best for them. I do think abstinence is ideally the way to go, but I understand it’s not for everybody,” said Dan Parra, health.

The Trump administration wants to continue to implement abstinence-only education, first spearheaded by the Bush administration in 2000, which gives kids less information than some are already getting at school. This can affect the kinds of relationships they develop with others, as well as whether or not they practice safe sex.

“I think it’s just absolutely stupid because teens are going to have sex no matter what you teach and they’re not gonna practice abstinence only. It’s just the way life is and you know kids are curious... and teaching abstinence only, there’s been studies and stuff that have shown it just increases teen pregnancy in places that teach abstinence only and it’s just not a smart thing,” said Fausz.

Since most teens talk to each other about sex instead of parents or teachers and tend to take the subject lightly, what can be an effect of the lack of seriousness and education?

“They always said yeah wear a condom, like it’s safe, STDs, all that kind of stuff, but me and my boyfriend were each other’s first, and... because neither of us had STDs... and it’s like there’s still dangers, you don’t even realize, people kinda just blow stuff off,” said Hunter.

On average, most students at South take health class around their sophomore and junior year, so what happens if you are faced with sex before you take the class, or still have holes in your knowledge?

“I think at this level, being in high school, juniors and seniors are really the ones that take health and sex ed. I think the birds and the bees, we kind of expect them to know before they get to us and then we just tell them ways to prevent some STIs and ways to prevent being pregnant and just ways to live a healthier lifestyle and to make the right choices instead of the wrong choices,” said Parra.

South students have ideas for what they think should be improved in sex ed.

“I think that it should be reiterated in health classes, sex isn’t the only aspect of a relationship between two people and if you make it that way, it becomes unhealthy,” said Hunter.

Parra said he would make the sex ed portion of health two and a half to three weeks long in order to teach all of sex ed. He would also like to bring in guest speakers from clinics to talk about all the possible outcomes, dangers and consequences that comes along with sex.

That open dialogue translates to families at home, as well.

“I just don’t feel like I need to hide as much. Having parents who are willing to talk about things is definitely a lot easier than having parents that just kinda assume everything is alright,” said Eli Guzman, senior.

According to a Twitter poll, 70 percent of South students don’t feel like they can open up to their parents. If a question would arise, students can always go to the nurses, and or the counselors, since they can provide reliable information.

No matter what, it’s like Sharp said, let’s just talk about it.