Human sexuality
has biological, emotional/physical and spiritual aspects. The
biological aspect of sexuality refers to the reproductive mechanism as
well as the basic biological drive, Libido,
that exists in all species, which is hormonally controlled. The
emotional or physical aspect of sexuality refers to the bond that exists
between individuals, and is expressed through profound feelings or
physical manifestations of emotions of love, trust,
and caring. There is also a spiritual aspect of sexuality of an
individual or as a connection with others. Experience has shown that
adolescents are curious about some or all the aspects of their sexuality
as well as the nature of sexuality in general, and that many will wish
to experience their sexuality.
Traditionally, adolescents were not given any information on sexual
matters, with discussion of these issues being considered taboo. Such
instruction as was given was traditionally left to a child's parents,
and often this was put off until just before a child's marriage. Most of
the information on sexual matters were obtained informally from friends
and the media, and much of this information was of doubtful value. Much
of such information was usually known to be deficient, especially
during the period following puberty when curiosity of sexual matters was
the most acute. This deficiency became increasingly evident by the
increasing incidence of teenage pregnancies, especially in Western
countries after the 1960s. As part of each country's efforts to reduce
such pregnancies, programs of sex education were instituted, initially
over strong opposition from parent and religious groups.
Burt defined sex education as the study of the characteristics of beings; a male and female.[1]
Such characteristics make up the person's sexuality. Sexuality is an
important aspect of the life of a human being and almost all the people
including children want to know about it.[citation needed] Sex education includes all the educational measures which in any way may of life[clarification needed]
that have their center on sex. He further said that sex education
stands for protection, presentation extension, improvement and
development of the family based on accepted ethical ideas. Leepson sees
sex education as instruction in various physiological, psychological and
sociological aspects of sexual response and reproduction.[2]
Kearney also defined sex education as “involving a comprehensive course
of action by the school, calculated to bring about the socially
desirable attitudes, practices and personal conduct on the part of
children and adults, that will best protect the individual as a human
and the family as a social institution. Thus, sex education may also be
described as "sexuality education", which means that it encompasses
education about all aspects of sexuality, including information about family planning, reproduction (fertilization, conception and development of the embryo and fetus, through to childbirth), plus information about all aspects of one's sexuality including: body image, sexual orientation, sexual pleasure, values, decision making, communication, dating, relationships, sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and how to avoid them, and birth control methods.[3] Various aspect of sex education are to right[clarification needed]
in school depending on the age of the students or what the children are
able to comprehend at a particular point in time. Rubin and Kindendall
expressed that sex education is not merely a unit in reproduction and
teaching how babies are conceived and born. It has a far richer scope
and goal of helping the youngster incorporate sex most meaningfully into
his present and future life, to provide him with some basic
understanding on virtually every aspect of sex by the time he reaches
full maturity.[4]
Sex education may be taught informally, such as when someone receives information from a conversation with a parent, friend, religious leader, or through the media. It may also be delivered through sex self-help authors, magazine advice columnists, sex columnists, or sex education web sites. Formal sex education occurs when schools
or health care providers offer sex education. Slyer stated that sex
education teaches the young person what he or she should know for his or
her personal conduct and relationship with others.[5]
Gruenberg also stated that sex education is necessary to prepare the
young for the task ahead. According to him, officials generally agree
that some kind of planned sex education is necessary.[6]
Sometimes formal sex education is taught as a full course as part of the curriculum in junior high school or high school. Other times it is only one unit within a more broad biology class, health class, home economics class, or physical education class. Some schools offer no sex education, since it remains a controversial
issue in several countries, particularly the United States (especially
with regard to the age at which children should start receiving such
education, the amount of detail that is revealed, and topics dealing
with human sexual behavior, e.g. safe sex practices, masturbation, premarital sex, and sexual ethics).
Wilhelm Reich commented that sex education of his time was a work of deception, focusing on biology while concealing excitement-arousal, which is what a pubescent
individual is mostly interested in. Reich added that this emphasis
obscures what he believed to be a basic psychological principle: that
all worries and difficulties originate from unsatisfied sexual impulses.[7]
Leepson asserted that the majority of people favors some sort of sex
instruction in public schools, and this has become an intensely
controversial issue because unlike most subjects, sex education is
concerned with an especially sensitive and highly personal part of human
life. He suggested that sex education should be taught in the
classroom.[2] The problem of pregnancy in adolescents is delicate and difficult to assess using sex education.[8] But Calderone[who?]
believed otherwise, stating that the answer to adolescents' sexual woes
and pregnancy can not lie primarily in school programmes which at best
can only be remedial; what is needed is prevention education and as such
parents should be involved.
When sex education is contentiously debated, the chief controversial points are whether covering child sexuality is valuable or detrimental; the use of birth control such as condoms and hormonal contraception; and the impact of such use on pregnancy outside marriage, teenage pregnancy, and the transmission of STIs. Increasing support for abstinence-only sex education
by conservative groups has been one of the primary causes of this
controversy. Countries with conservative attitudes towards sex education
(including the UK and the U.S.) have a higher incidence of STIs and
teenage pregnancy.[9]
The existence of AIDS has given a new sense of urgency to the topic of sex education. In many African nations, where AIDS is at epidemic levels (see HIV/AIDS in Africa), sex education is seen by most scientists as a vital public health strategy.[citation needed] Some international organizations such as Planned Parenthood consider that broad sex education programs have global benefits, such as controlling the risk of overpopulation and the advancement of women's rights (see also reproductive rights).
The use of mass media campaigns, however, has sometimes resulted in
high levels of "awareness" coupled with essentially superficial
knowledge of HIV transmission.[10]
According to SIECUS,
the Sexuality Information and Education Council of the United States,
93% of adults they surveyed support sexuality education in high school
and 84% support it in junior high school.[11]
In fact, 88% of parents of junior high school students and 80% of
parents of high school students believe that sex education in school
makes it easier for them to talk to their adolescents about sex.[12]
Also, 92% of adolescents report that they want both to talk to their
parents about sex and to have comprehensive in-school sex education.[13]
Furthermore, a "...study, conducted by Mathematica Policy Research Inc.
on behalf of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, found
that abstinence-only-until-marriage programs are ineffective."[14]