The Pros and Cons of Sex Education Sex seems to be the main focus of American society. In fact, 95% of Americans have sex before marriage (Lawrence 3). It's everywhere on television, in books and, frankly, everywhere on the Internet. Whether we want it or not, it's natural for young Americans to be so curious about sex. So why do school systems leave students in the dark about what they hear or see every single day? Isn't it the job of school companies to educate children? Schools must implement sex education courses to provide accurate medical information, educate them on intelligent sexual decisions, and to prevent these young adults from engaging in sexual activities early. Across the country, sex education is a sensitive topic. If a sex education class is taught in a school, it is very likely that the program will be abstinence-only based. In fact, of the 13 sex education programs reviewed in 2004 by the House Government Reform Committee, 11 contained “false, misleading, or distorted information.” One program even said that “pregnancy can result from contact with another person's genitals” (Alford 1). These potentially educational programs are hindered by the government. Despite multiple studies on the ineffectiveness of abstinence-only sex education, the government continues to support this corrupt program. A fairly recent study showed that abstinence-only programs are a waste of money. “Although abstinence-only-until-marriage programs have the enthusiastic support of some right-wing constituencies, the congressionally mandated long-term evaluation of four highly publicized abstinence-only programs (finally released in April 2007) does not support the continued funding” ( Alford 2) These shirts… middle of paper… all because of religion. What these adults need to learn is that this is a matter of personal health, and these children need this unbiased information before they start having sex on their own. It's proven that abstinence doesn't work. What students need to learn is that this is a serious issue, and no matter how funny they think the word "condom" or "penis" is, they need to have this information so that when they make a decision about sex they are prepared. A dedicated and patient teacher will do the trick. These are the future generations, they will grow up and have jobs. They can have healthy loving relationships, a happy life and have children when they want them. These young adults can achieve their goals, but they can't do any of that if they have HIV or have a child they don't want. So why leave these talented and potential children in the dark?