Not Just Fun and Games

• Teens who receive comprehensive sex education are 60% less likely to report becoming pregnant.
• 82% of teen pregnancies are accidental.
• The U.S. has one of the highest teen pregnancy rates in the developed world.

The birds and the bees. The day you have that conversation is the day when you realize that the stork didnʼt drop you off at your parentsʼ doorstep, when you learn about sex.
Simple euphemisms, however, cannot replace the delicate topic of sex education. Having sex comes with a whole host of problems you would not have guessed from the story of a bee stinging a bird. HIV, AIDS, other sexually transmitted diseases (STD) and pregnancy are a few of the things that can result from unsafe sex.
According to the Guttmacher Institute, “the United States has one of the highest teen pregnancy rates in the developed world —72 per 1,000 women aged 15–19 in 2006—more than twice that of Canada, which has 27.9 per 1,000 or Swedenʼs 31.4 per 1,000). [In addition,] every year, roughly nine million new STIʼs occur among teens and young adults in the United States. Rates of gonorrhea and chlamydia among U.S. teens are extremely high compared to those of other countries.” Other countries have effective sex education programs that alert teenagers to the complications that can come with having sex.
The majority of unwanted STIʼs and pregnancies come from a lack of knowledge, such as how to use a condom or why the birth control pill should be used. Before diving right into sex, you should know the dangers that come with being pregnant at this age.
“Taking Health and Safety or other sexual education classes would definitely benefi t people who are not too knowledgeable about sex,” senior Michael Man said. “You would be less likely to do it if you knew [the possible consequences].”

By Staff Writer Shannon Li