Sex Education For Teens

There is a burgeoning need, in recent times, to impart sex education to our teenagers. During adolescence,not only do the hormones work overtime, but there are physical changes too that are taking place in the body structure; particularly so in the sex organs, making the teenager curious to explore these changes. Added to all this, there is often an impulsiveness to indulge in what is forbidden combined with the absence of adequate wisdom to control these impulses.The 'sexual arena' is in constant focus among the teens; in the absence of proper guidance, this can result in more harm than good.

Let us try to analyze the reasons that point towards sex education for the teens-

Adequate guidance would always help prevent teenage pregnancies.

It stresses on the role of abstinence and contraceptive methods, including the use of condoms.

Besides teenage pregnancies being a health hazard, adolescents are mentally unprepared to handle pregnancy, childbirth and parenthood.

With sex education, teenagers will be better equipped to understand the repercussions of teenage pregnancy on their health as well as that of the fetus. They will recognize the importance of pre- delivery care and the consequences of hiding a pregnancy.

Sex education will help teenagers appreciate the negative impact of teenage pregnancy on their education, and consequently on their future, so that they would take necessary steps to avoid it.

Sex education would go a long way in helping to control AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases like gonorrhea, non-gonoccocal urethritis, pelvic inflammatory disease and syphilis, to name a few.

Sex education to the teens is the responsibility of every parent and teacher. It is better for them to get the right information from their peers rather than getting misinformation from other sources like friends, magazines or websites.

Enlightening a teenager is the best preventive policy to tackle the growing health problems in this age group. They need to understand very early that “it is better to be safe than sorry.”