Sexual Mis-Education

I'm not someone who believes that sexual education should not be taught in schools. I remember when I got to college, during my freshman year, I took my first sex ed class. I was offended that I had not had any exposure to the science behind reproduction. I knew about my heart, my liver, my lungs, etc., but I had no scientific understanding as to the functioning and health of reproductive organs. Give me the facts and I can handle it. Knowing how sperm and eggs get together isn't going to make more promiscuous. It's only going to educate me on what happens during a sexual act.

Modern sex ed, however, has turned into a political agenda which has ended up creating a completely dysfunctional education plan that is in direct opposition to similar approaches for other critical areas of our children's lives.

The basic and fatal flaw of today's sex ed is that it is provided under the assumption that the base instincts to sex are uncontrollable. Since our children are going to have sex anyway, why teach abstinence when we should be teaching safe sex. To show how ludicrous that approach is, let's replicate that train of thought with other important topics.

Healthy eating. Eating is a fundamental, base instinct. So, instead of teaching our kids about nutrition and proper diets and eating right, why don't we follow the sex ed model and assume our kids are going to eat badly anyway. They're unable to actually control their eating habits, so let's forget the whole "eating right and exercising" facade and teach them how to eat bad, but safely. Sure there are consequence to bad eating habits... obesity, dental issues, diabetes... but instead of teaching you how to eat right, we'll teach you how to eat badly, then vomit to avoid obesity. Don't call it bulimia, call it a dietary abortion. Or how to eat badly and have your teeth replaced with porcelain veneers. Or how to eat badly and then inject yourself with insulin.

Drug use. No sense in teaching kids not to use drugs, after all, they're going to use drugs anyway. Instead, let's teach them how to use crack cocaine safely. Let's teach them about not sharing needles and what a twelve step program is about. Let's teach them how to smoke marijuana without burning yourself. Let's teach them how to snort cocaine and how to drive safely while high.

Smoking. Kids are going to smoke anyway, so let's instead teach them how to smoke a pack of day and still keep their clothes smelling clean. Teach them to go ahead and smoke, but use teeth whiteners to get rid of those pesky tar stains. Let them smoke and make sure and teach them about all of the new improvements they've made in cancer research.

Drinking. Since kids are going to participate in under age drinking anyway, let's teach them how to drink socially, but not get drunk. Or, if you get drunk, how not to drink and drive. Or, if you get really drunk, how to get rid of a hangover. And if you drink for a long time, tell them about all of the new advancements in alcoholic treatments available.

Isn't it obvious just how despicable the sexual education approach is in our country when you compare it to other areas of teen concerns? The sexual education in place today is not about teaching the science of sexual education, but to validate all types of sexuality. I'm not commenting on sexual preferences, I'm commenting on how politicizing this educational subject has undermined our children's views on responsibility, consequences and making hard choices.

The other fallacy of our current sexual education is that the education system somehow knows when kids should be made aware of some of the social aspects of sexuality. Again, I'm not saying fourth graders can't understand the science of sexuality, but the social aspect of sexuality should be initially discussed in the home. Why do I think this?

Well, why, in youth sports, do they separate kids by weight rather than by age? Why shouldn't 150 pound Johnny be able to tackle 90 pound Jimmy? Because Johnny is obviously more physically mature than Jimmy. Kids mature physically at different ages. You only have to walk through a middle school to see that. Well, the same holds true for sexual maturity, emotional maturity and spiritual maturity. Not all kids in fourth grade are able to digest and comprehend social sexual descriptions with the same understanding. It could confuse some of the children, perhaps even skew an otherwise healthy view of sexuality.

Parents know their kids better than any teacher. They know when something as important as sex should be approached to their children. They know what information they can comprehend and what they can't. They know what is healthy and what is risky. Parents spend more time with their children than any other people in the world... who else would know better?

The sad part is the politics have severely damaged the important educational subject of sexuality. And, more and more, the schools are not letting the parents decide what is best for their children.

The reality is that one in four teens will develop a sexually transmitted disease. Under any other scientific reasoning, the solution to this epidemic is so blatantly simple… abstinence and control. We could get rid of most STDs within one to two generations by doing two simple things… don’t have sex before marriage and stay monogamous after marriage. This isn’t a right wing religious opinion; this is simple, quantifiable, proven scientific methodology that is being ignored because of politics.

Our sexual mis-education will end up having long term and devastating effects on our country.

But our congressmen will get re-elected and the teacher's union will keep their control, so I guess it’s worth it.