The topic of sex education in schools has been a hotly debated topic since the 1960s. However, as the years have passed, it has become an increasingly relevant and important issue in the United States. As each generation succeeds the last, the nation as a whole has become less conservative, and as a result, so have views about how sex education should be taught. Some believe that schools should only teach about abstinence-only-until-marriage issues, while others feel it is more realistic to understand that not all students will go that route, and educate and encourage the use of safe sex methods. To more effectively achieve the primary goals of sex education in schools (to prevent and reduce rates of unplanned pregnancies and the spread of sexually transmitted diseases), the nation as a whole must require all schools to provide sex education medically and factually accurate sexual, inclusive and to all sexualities, gender identities, and students who may not choose to remain abstinent. Say no to plagiarism Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned "? Get an original essay Like many controversial topics, the stances on. the issue lies on some sort of spectrum. One end of that spectrum is known as the abstinence-only-until-marriage (AOUME) movement focuses primarily on encouraging and enforcing abstinence until marriage of the person in question, without exception, and also tends to shy away from in-depth education on birth control methods, the LGBTQA+ community, or any other subtopics that might suggest another option other than that. abstinence. Contrasted with this is the movement for comprehensive sexuality education (CSE). This educational method typically encourages abstinence, but recognizes the possibility that a percentage of students may choose not to remain abstinent. Recognizing this, there is also education on a wide range of topics and other options for students, such as different types of birth control, STD/STI education and prevention, and the possible risks of sex if not practiced in safe way; it also typically associates sex with a less negative connotation than that of AOUME. AOUME supporters are a group of highly organised, motivated and passionate citizens who have decided to use their rights granted by the Constitution to effect change within their country through social actions, political and economic means such as demonstrations, protests , voting, funding and support for organizations and people who encourage the same ideals and morals. These moral values ​​and ideals tend to come from interpretations of the Christian Bible, hence why the AOUME movement has numerous ties to many churches, religious organizations, and Christianity itself. According to Nancy Kendall, who spent several years observing, researching and interviewing teachers, students, parents and other representatives to write her book The Sex Education Debates, states some of the most widespread beliefs among AOUME supporters, such as since "... sex is a sacred act that should be kept private and within marriage, that sex that occurs outside of marriage is socially destructive, and that when sinful behavior is widespread, the sinner, society, and the nation all suffer Supporters of At AOUME we believe that teaching students these values ​​will help restore the country's morality and cure "social evils" including homosexuality, familiessingle parents and the epidemic of sexually transmitted diseases”. For this reason, AOUME supporters believe that sex education is a threat to the nation's well-being, and as a result, "schools were increasingly concerned about community reaction to sex education due to legal threats from of the AOUME advocacy groups and the legal rulings that had penalized schools and colleges.” teachers to provide CSE." (Kendall) Such advocates also tend to be less open to scrutiny, skepticism and investigations into AOUME's operations, which prove extremely damaging to any research into school-based sex education and its effectiveness. standards required for a sex education method to be considered AOUME are more clearly defined, the definitions and requirements for something to be considered CSE are a little more nebulous Kendall explains in his book: “CSE definitions arise for various reasons: e.g For example, some are developed in response to AOUME approaches and purport to positively address topics (such as contraception, abortion, and sexual identity) that AOUME programs do not. Others, often crafted by individuals and organizations who have been involved in CSE for decades, reflect institutional mandates..." In addition to the range of various reasons for forming these methods, there are also different ways to teach CSE. This is explained also from Kendall when he states that "CSE programs range from those that strongly emphasize the benefits of abstinence but provide detailed information about contraceptive devices to programs designed to support adolescents' positive exploration of their sexuality." associated with programs such as Planned Parenthood, the Sexuality Information and Education Council of the United States (SIECUS), and the Advocates for Youth organization. There are currently no federal laws requiring sex education of any kind at the national level, leaving the choice of whether or not sex education should be required in states' school curricula; only about half of the states mentioned above have actually taken the initiative to make sex education legally mandatory in schools, and only 22 of these require education essential to prevent the spread of HIV. Furthermore, if students are actually provided sex education in their school setting, only 18 states require that information about contraception also be provided, and even then only 13 states require that information be provided about said contraceptives and other subtopics of education sexually are medically accurate. .This inconsistency is inherently discordant in nature and only divides the public as misinformation spreads. Such a situation can not only lead to an increase in unsafe sexual practices, but could and does potentially endanger the lives of those affected by the fact that those affected have not been educated about the prevention of sexually transmitted diseases, as well as increasing the chance of pregnancy, which can raise a myriad of medical questions. Without a government mandate on one of the most essential topics to teach, that field of education in particular has become a hodgepodge of wildly different claims and approaches that are at best producing conflicting results and causing even more controversy. While the lack of uniformity across the nation regarding sex education is troubling, so too are the messaging and censorship applied within the AOUME movement. In correlation with many of the ideals of the Christian religious bonds from which AOUME derives, the vast.