In Americas society today, nearly more than half of the new 20 million reported cases of

STDs were among the youth, ages ranging between 15-24 (CDC October, 2015). Sex
education classes are indispensable and should without any rebuttal or deviation, continue
or in some cases become mandatory throughout all and every U.S school district. There
should be a prerequisite sex education class on STDs/STIs awareness and
prevention. Knowledge given and applied from sex education class would continue to
help lower the rate, occurrence and vulnerability of STDs, and would also go hand in
hand with making pregnancy and sexual abuse among the youth of America decline?
because it teaches youth to make healthy choices about sex and to form healthy sexual
behaviors. With the knowledge and resources provide by sexual education classes, need a
subject here bringing the youth from the highest STDs/STIs to the lowest.

There are many mechanism that go in hand with the spread of STDs/STIs such as: blood,
indirect contact, kissing and others but the most common, higher rated and persistent way
to be susceptible to STDs/STIs is through sexual relations. According to Guttemacher
institute, publisher of Facts on American Teens Sources of Information about Sex By
their 21 birthday 7 of 10 teen men and teen women have had intercourse thus making
st

youth more highly susceptible to contracting an STD/STI to the fact that more than half
are having sex and sexual relations being number 1 cause to infection/disease. Classes are
need to keep expressing the knowledge and important things during sexual
encounters/relations ; youth will be spending a significant amount of time at school to
further grasp things , so why not make them and keep making them gain knowledge on
something so important.
Though STDs/STIs cant be contracted any other way the contact of some sort whether it
be with skin or fluids of some sort, one of the keys to the youth having the highest rate of
infection is due to the lack of knowledge or the lack of opportunity to become informed;
the inability to gather information, fear to ask for help or information that will determine
if its a STD or what to do to handle the STD can all be presented and forced upon the
youth if Sex Education on STDs was mandatory in the education system throughout the
U.S. According to Guttmacher institute Facts on American Teens Sources of
Information about Sex only 55% of 7 -12 graders say they looked up information
th

th

online in order learn more. Though its helpful for youth to take responsibility and learn
about Sex information, it should be provided in a class to them just like everything else
they need for success in life. Learning information on STDs from the school can help
mediate the explicit things from certain youth but still keeping them educated on the

issue; if the young youth get on the internet and explore sex, they could possibly be
exposed to negative things such a pornographic images. The search on the internet could
also turn up false information about STDs, that could scar them from the explicitly or
worry/stress them because the read something false and think its going to happen to them.
Correct information that school courses would provide the youth would and could keep
them from falsely reading, trying to diagnose, or treat STDs based off internet websites,
such as Wikipedia, Wiki/yahoo. Also most of the youth dont use the internet for health
and body information such as facts on STDs most of the time according to Generation M:
Media in the Lives of 8-18 Year-Olds. Authors Victoria Rideout, and Donald F. Roberts
2005,say most of the time young people spend on the internet is playing games and
communicating on instant messaging. So the youth not using internet together
information on STDs then only other sources other than a parent or physician would be
from the school. because
The biggest and most efficient positive impact that comes from Sexual Education
class on STDs/STIs awareness would be on the teaching of prevention among the youth.
When people express to the youth on how to keep from getting STDs, they only cover
things such as condoms or being abstinent. However, in in all but in Sex education class
there is instruction on STDs awareness, the talk on prevention would be more in
depth. Do you have a source that talks about what exactly is taught in these classes?
They could spend a weeks on it rather than youth receiving a short simple talk or sheet on
how to prevent it. Just telling teens and youth to not have sex or if they do to use a
condom will not be as useful as people think. Physician or parents might say here use a
condom, itll protect you from sex without telling them that the fluids leaked/created

during sexual relation and contact carry strands of the infections (source). Also using a
condom can also causes STI itself; According to Traci Johnson, MD, FACOG
Understanding Sexually Transmitted Disease Prevention, Iit was thought that condoms
dont protect 100% from getting STI and they also can cause UTIs in women. So its
important to teach that the risk is still there. From the things taught in sexual education
classes on prevention of STDs/STIs the youth could learn how to properly use condoms.
They can be provided with condoms but need to learn how to properly size, use and
check for any defects in them which would be taught in sexual education classes. They
also need to be taught that there are some infection/diseases that a condom doesnt
protect against, like Hepatitis B, even if its not defected and used correctly (source).
People may a try to argue that Sex education classes on STDs/STIs would only benefit
the youth by making them more aware and prevent them from different types of STDs
/STIs and through teaching on condoms and other safe sex methods; but the sex
education classes on STDs/STI awareness would and could also prevent infertilities in
women and also bring down pregnancy rates even lower in the youth. Some but all risk
arent highly expressed to the youth in classes such a Health and Safety while they cover
the topic of sexual education. The youth need to fully know that the STD/STI might not
kill them but could keep them from having childrenyouth of their own. According to
FamilyFirstAId, Teen Pregnancy Statistics and Teen Pregnancy Facts. the pregnancy
rates have declined some in the past year but stillsill about 820,200 teens become
pregnant each year , so if that means that youth girls are either not using condoms
making them more like to get STDs/STIs but also means that many of youth could lose
their fertility because according to hethir Rodriguez , How STDs can affect your

fertility 2015, 25% of all infertility cases have been caused by a STD that was
previously had by the individual. and Hethir Rodriquez also states from the American
Social Health Association that 15% of infertile women can link STD-induced tubal
damage to the direct cause of infertility.
Many people will counter and argue that it isnt the states or governments right to step in
an teach their children or expose them to the topic of sex, it should be the parents or that
they should preach abstinence instead of healthy and safe sex to prevent STDs/STIS and
pregnancy. Both of those might seem like they could be beneficial, but sex education
classes would be even more beneficial. This is considering that majority of the
information and knowledge the youth picks up is from the school and the environment
that the school provides. The statement that abstinence should be taught over sex safety is
negative to the prevention of STDs because 47% of high school have had sexual
intercourse according to Resource Center for Adolescent Pregnancy prevention ,2015.
Most youthful teens dont speak to their parents on the birds and the bees, so they need
some where like school to give it to them.
Nelson Mandela once said Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to
change the world. to To me, his quote can and applying to sex education class on
awareness of STDS/STIs becauseis that the school is the tool for education for everyone
especially the youth, and with the classes wed be supplying the youth with the
knowledge they need to fight and prevent from something thats effecting them more
than its effecting the rest of the population;. uUsing that weapon of knowledge based off
of sexual education classes on STDs/STIs and more , we could make that change in the
world bringing down the youth from being the highest rate group of infections/disease

transmitted through sex to building stronger, healthier and smarter youthful generation
because we need the youth and generations to come to be on point to carry on and
advance the way of living and life its self.
Works Cited
Howard, Jacqueline. "Sex Education Study Suggests STD, Pregnancy Prevention Classes
Stalling In Schools." The Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, 2015. Web. 27 Nov.
2015. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/04/05/sex-education-std-pregnancyprevention_n_1407276.html
C, C. D. "Reportable STDs in Young People 15-24 Years of Age, by State." Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 27 June
2014. Web. 27 Nov. 2015. http://www.cdc.gov/std/stats/by-age/15-24-all-stds/default.htm
Gallup, Cindy. Ted Talks http://blog.ted.com/2009/02/04/twitter_snapsho_3, 2015
Schulkind, j Sex and relationship education should be staturay.Lancet Publishing
Group 21015 May 23; Vol 385 http://eds.a.ebscohost.com/eds (Ualr library )
State Policies on Sex Education in Schools State Polices on Sex education in Schools
N.P., n.d.Web.27 Nov. 2105
"American Teens' Sexual and Reproductive Health." American Teens' Sexual and
Reproductive Health. Guttmacher, 2014. Web. 27 Nov. 2015.
http://www.guttmacher.org/pubs/FB-ATSRH.html