Should sex education be taught in schools?

Encyclopedia of Opinion

Question: Should sex education be taught in schools?
Position‹2 of 2: Yes, sex education should be taught in schools
Argument‹7 of 7: Parents want sex education in schools

When polled, parents usually support making comprehensive sex education classes part of the curriculum.

The argument

A 1999 survey among American parents found that 93% of parents wanted children to receive some form of sex education by the time they finish high school. 84% wanted their children to receive the classes before they finished junior high. In a separate survey carried out by The Advocates for Youth, 83% of parents said that they thought their child should be taught how to put a condom on in school. The same survey found 71% also believed that schools should inform students on where they can get oral contraceptive pills. Importantly, 86% supported informing children about where and how they can be tested for certain types of sexually transmitted diseases. This indicates that parents would rather teachers taught sex education or at least offered some information to supplement their own sex education teachings.

Context

An overwhelming majority of parents prefer teachers to educate their children on matters of sex and relationships.

Premises

[P1]A 1999 survey found 93% of American parents wanted their children to receive some sex education by the end of high school, and 84% before finishing junior high. [P2] An Advocates for Youth survey found large majorities wanted schools to teach condom use (83%), where to get oral contraceptives (71%), and where to be tested for STDs (86%). [P3] These figures indicate parents would rather teachers taught sex education, or at least supplemented their own instruction. [C] Therefore, parents want sex education in schools.

Counter-arguments

Not all parents want it. For those that don’t, sex education in schools can undermine their religious beliefs. Jodi Hoffman, a Florida mother, sued the county public schools board for teaching her children about contraceptives, abortion and homosexuality in school. She argued that in educating her children on these matters, they had clashed with her religious values that disagree with sex outside of marriage, abortions and the use of contraception.

Rejecting the premises

[Rejecting P1] Not all parents want teachers educating their children on sex. For those that don't, comprehensive school sex education programs are a direct violation of their religious beliefs.