Resolved: Information on birth control should be included in sex education classes.

Pro

Before
continuing, there are some essential points of knowledge that are needed to be
established:



{1} The term "birth control" was meant to apply to all
contraceptives, not just "the pill."

{2} In this debate, I will be using the term "comprehensive sex
education" against "abstinence-only sex education."
Comprehensive sex education is sex education that includes information about
contraceptives.



With this information established, I move on toward my contentions.



[Contentions]



Contention 1: Eradicating teenage sex is unfeasible.

Despite the success and efficiency of comprehensive sex education in
reduing teen pregancy and amount of teenagers engaging in sexual activity,
teenagers still engage in sexual activity.



Sub-point 1a: Teenagers have a strong probability to engage in sexual
intercourse.

"Although only 13% of teens have had sex by age 15, most initiate sex
in their later teen years. By their 19th birthday, seven in 10 female and male
teens have had intercourse." [1]

"More than half of all teenagers aged 15-19 has engaged in oral sex. 55
percent of boys and 54 percent of girls have given or received oral sex, while
49 percent of boys and 53 percent of girls have had intercourse. (Tamar Lewin,
Nationwide Survey Includes data on Teenage Sex Habits, NYT, 9/16/2005)"

" By age 18, 70 percent of U.S. females and 62 percent of U.S.
males have initiated vaginal sex." [2]



Sub-point 1b: Teenagers face heavy peer pressure to have sexual
intercourse.

"One in three boys ages 15-17 say they feel pressure to have sex,
often from male friends. Teen girls feel less pressure--only 23 percent said
they felt such coercion. Researchers questioned 1,854 subjects between the ages
of 13 and 24 in a national survey. The study, released by the Kaiser Family
Foundation, also found that teens feel strong pressure to drink and try drugs.
The study findings show a need for sex education
at a young age, say the study authors. A separate study released this week,
sponsored by the NationalCampaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy,
finds that one in five teens reported having sex before they were 15." [3]



Contention 2: Adequate knowledge of contraceptives is essential.

Because so many teenagers engage in sexual activity, the knowledge for
contraceptives is needed in order to prevent complications, and only
comprehensive sex education will achieve this.



Sub-point 2a: Knowledge of contraceptives prevents HIV and STD
Transmission.

"It is estimated that more than half of all new HIV infections occur
before the age of 25 and most are acquired through unprotected sexual
intercourse. According to the experts on AIDS, many of these new infections
occur because young people don't have the knowledge or skills to protect
themselves. To address this important health issue, the American Psychological
Association (APA) is recommending that comprehensive and empirically supported
sex education and HIV prevention programs become widely available to teach
youth how to abstain from risky sexual behaviors and learn how they can protect
themselves against HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases. Based on over
15 years of research, the evidence shows that comprehensive sexuality education
programs for youth that encourage abstinence, promote appropriate condom use,
and teach sexual communication skills reduce HIV-risk behavior and also delay
the onset of sexual intercourse. Research shows that one in five adolescents
will have sex before the age of 15 and most who continue to be sexually active
do not use condoms consistently. Although some youth acknowledge their fears
about HIV/AIDS, many do not perceive themselves to be at risk and lack accurate
information about what circumstances put them at risk for HIV infection.
According to the CDC, the use of condoms can substantially reduce the risk of
HIV." [4]



Sub-point 2b: Knowledge of
contraceptives aids in the prevention of teen pregnancy.

"The number of teen births in the U.S. dropped again in 2010, according to a government
report, with nearly every state seeing a decrease. Nationally, the rate fell 9 percent to about 34 per 1,000 girls
ages 15 through 19, and the drop was seen among all racial and ethnic groups.
This is the lowest national rate for teen births since the
Centers for Disease Control began tracking it in 1940, and CDC officials
attributed the decline to pregnancy prevention efforts. Other reports show
that teenagers are having less sex and using
contraception more often." [5]



Contention 3: Comprehensive sex
education is more effective.

Because comprehensive sex education realizes the factor of teenage
sex being something that cannot be eradicated and provides information about
how to prevent problems, it is more effective at ameliorating suffering than
abstinence-only sex education.




Sub-point 3a: Comprehensive sex education is effective in deterrence.

"In contrast to the limited and discouraging results for studies on
abstinence-only programs, the published research on sex and HIV education
programs is far more conclusive and encouraging. According to Emerging
Answers, “A large body of evaluation research clearly shows that sex and
HIV education programs included in this review do not increase sexual activity
– they do not hasten the onset of sex, increase the frequency of sex, and do
not increase the number of sexual partners. To the contrary, some sex and HIV
education programs delay the onset of sex, reduce the frequency of sex, or
reduce the number of sexual partners.” 19 Several specific studies have
demonstrated positive outcomes from sex education curricula, including delayed
initiation of sexual activity,

increased
condom use, and decreased number of sexual partners. Ekstrand and colleagues
47studied the effects of an intervention titled Healthy Oakland Teens in
Oakland, California. The program involved 7th graders in five adultled and
eight peer-led sessions. Students were provided with information on HIV and
STIs, substance abuse and preventive behaviors. Issues such as perception of
personal risk, costs and benefits of preventive behaviors, refusal skills and
condom use were all addressed. The researchers found that those students in the
intervention group delayed initiation of sexual activity. One intervention,
called Reducing the Risk, was

found to
be effective when independently implemented and examined by different researchers
in different locations. Kirby and colleagues 48 studied this intervention in
urban and rural areas throughout California through15 sessions in 9th to 12 th
grade health education classes. The intervention included extensive role
playing and emphasized avoidance of unprotected sex through abstinence or using
protection. The control group received existing sex education programs of equal
length. At 18 months postintervention,

the
program was found to have delayed the initiation of intercourse, increase frequency
of contraceptive use for females and lower-risk youth, and reduce the frequency
of unprotected intercourse among more sexually inexperienced youth." [6]



Sub-point 3b: Abstinence-only is incompetent.

" Researchers at the University of Washington in Seattle found that
teenagers who received some type of comprehensive sex education were 60 percent less likely to get pregnant or get
someone else pregnant. And in 2007, a federal report showed that

abstinence-only programs had “no impactson rates of sexual abstinence.” [5]



[Sources]


[1] Abma JC et al., Teenagers in the United States: sexual activity,
contraceptive use, and childbearing, National Survey of Family Growth
2006–2008, Vital and Health Statistics, 2010, Series 23, No. 30.

[2] http://advocatesforyouth.org...

[3] http://www.psychologytoday.com...


[4] http://www.apa.org...


[5] http://thinkprogress.org...

[6] http://ari.ucsf.edu...