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Still, even though a lot of parents fail to teach their children about the risks and dangers involved in sex that is still their choice. Nobody likes it when you 'tell them how to raise their children'. As their parents they have a right to raise their children the way that they choose to, teaching them the values they want to instill in them, teaching them about the religion they want to raise up into, and even teaching them what they want about sex-ed etc.

Now it would be the same with like some pro-life parents and some pro-choice parents. I'm sure the majority of pro-life parents would highly disapprove of their daughters ever getting an abortion and would teach her that it is wrong to kill your child, however a set of pro-choice parents would teach their daughter that she has the option to get an abortion should she suddenly find herself stuck in an unwanted pregnancy and they would probably support her decision. I don't know what either side would teach regarding birth control methods, I'm sure the pro-choice parents would teach about all types of birth control but I don't want to stereotype and say that all pro-lifers would teach abstinence only education as I'm sure many in here would teach about multiple forms of birth control.

But as you see they have completely different values, completely different beliefs. The pro-choice parents wouldn't approve of the pro-life parents method of raising kids and vice versa.

So while sex-ed in schools is great for parents who are lazy, or who don't have a close bond with their kids and think it's weird to talk about, they still don't really get to pick and choose what is taught to their kids through that program, like right now I've seen a lot of choicers complaining about how the sex-ed programs at school are all mostly abstinence only programs. They don't approve of it and wouldn't want to teach their kids those things.

You see you just can't make everyone happy. But I'm not about to tell parents that they need to teach their children about birth control, sex, and STDs. I won't tell them how to raise their kids and I certainly won't force values on their children they may not approve of.

I'm going to disagree, as always! I love being difficult!

While I think it should be offered, too many times teachers infuse things with their own values. For example, I wouldn't want my child going to a school where the sex ed teacher was against sex and grossly misrepresented how dangerous sex can be even when it's safe sex just as much as I wouldn't want my child being taught that abortion is just removing a parasitic piece of tissue. Both things are taught in certain sex eds, and I think that parents DO have a right to raise their own kids and say to a school, don't put my child in your sexual education program.

One reason I refuse to put my children in public schools is because my neighbor came home and started spouting off to his parents how they were wrong to be pro-life because he had gotten a sex ed class in school. His parents aren't even radically prolife, they aren't opposed to safe sex, but their son was taught in school that abortion doesn't really kill a human (which no matter what your stance, is a blatant lie, since that is an individual human specimen. Whether or not it's a person is debateable.) and it is a valid method of birth control. Not only that, but if your parents won't let you have one, well in the good state of Maryland there are ways to get around that!

No matter how much you try to keep politics out of birth control, they're going to get in.

As much as you try and keep politics out of anything they're going to leak in. That's part of human nature, however the entire point of an education system is to educate. Unfortunitally while abortion is legal part of that process is at least informing people that that is an option available to them. As much as I disagree with abortion I would have no problem with my child taking a sex ed class (or many, as I did).

The part of a parent is to instill good morals in their child, and to help them along and educate them as well. However schools pick up with trained prefessionals where parents are lacking, not every parent can know everything they need to about every topic. Especially ones who are unwilling to learn. When I have a child one of the first things they will be taught is to always question what they hear, and that just because something is doesn't therefore mean that, that something is right. Just like smoking, just because it's legal doesn't therefore mean that it's a good idea or that I would condone it in any way, shape or form.

If a teacher is telling lies that is an issue with the teacher, not with the class itself. In my sex ed classes abortion was never actually mentioned. What was mentioned was sex in itself, the risks that go along with it, and ways in which you are able to protect yourself best from from those risks, while also stressing that the only way that you could be 100% sure that nothing happens (pregnancy, STI etc) is to not have sex. On top of that they discussed reasons for having sex and talked about not being pressured into anything that you're not ready for/don't want to do. They talked about good and bad reasons for having sex (Good: you and your partner both want it, and feel ready for it and have discussed it and are in a stable, loving relationship. Bad: Your partner wants it, and you feel that in order to keep them you have to have sex with them. etc.)

I thought that parents could keep their children out of Sex Ed. They could at my school (and up to like high school I think they had to sign something to allow their kids to take Sex Ed.).

Wow. I feel "out of the loop".

I really think that people should probably have to sign a form to allow their kids to take, or not take, Sex Education before, like 7th or 8th Grade, and that students or their parents should be able to opt out of Sex Ed after that.

I already knew about sex by the time they started teaching it. And I had to suffer through "don't have sex until you're married" all throughout school. Personally, I would rather have just not bothered with the school, and learned on my own (as I already had).

I know that some parents are very uncomfortable teaching their kids about sex, and would rather have a teacher do it. However, there really do seem to be a lot of parents that would rather not have their kids take it in school, that there should be some easy way for them to make sure that their children are not taking Sex Ed.

I'm going to start with saying that I'm pro-birth control. I believe that any couple who are having sex and have no wish to become parents should be using contraception. Every female who wishes to have consentual sex without becoming pregnant should be offered a way to get on the pill. I know many use the excuse that they cannot afford it (it's covered under medical insurance in Canada, but if you don't have medical insurance it's around $60 for 3 months of pills), and I think that's not right. Birth control should be offered to women who want it, end of story. Cost should not be an issue as it lowers the number of unwanted pregnancies and so forth abortions.

Now that I've made it clear that I'm pro-birth control I'm going to add that I'm also pro-premarital sex but pro-responsible-sex as well. I think that as humans we are still taking religion too much into account when we make our personal choices of what is right and wrong. I mean if you're a Christian, and you want to save yourself for marriage, by all means, do so.

I don't agree with people being ready for sex but being forced to wait because society may deem them some rediculous name and frown upon them for it. In such a sex-centred world you'd think it would be a more accepted act, but it isn't. That's why I'm pro-pre-marital sex. I think that if it was more of a 'normal' occurace (which mind you, sex is one of the most natural things you can do) and it wasn't such a taboo topic, we'd be better off. The fact that everyone is all "sex is bad" probably gives a lot of young teens a reason to have sex - just for the simply matter of doing something so 'dirty'.

Just to add my final thought. Along with pre-marital consentual sex comes responsibility. I believe it is important for every couple who does not wish to become pregnant to use contraceptive method(s) like birth control pills and condoms. I'm anti-pro-creation because I think that we have enough children in the world who need to be adopted and properly taken care of, as well as that the fact that the earth is already over populated. But, just because I don't think there should be millions of babies, I still think sex is a fine thing. You can't deny yourself one of your most carnal instincts, but you can do your best to prevent yourself from pro-creating at an unwanted time in your life.

Just t elaborate on this point, my roommate here in university will actually die if she takes regular birth control. I forget the technical reason for it but there's a special kind of hormonal birth control that she has to take. Plus she never wants to have a child (though she is still pro-life) so other methods have to be taught to her.

Luckly she comes to be if she has any questions regarding sex. XD She doesn't want to have sex before marriage, but she wants to know some things. Like it wasn't until a couple months ago she learned what the clitoris is. She's actually from America (Michigan), so she didn't get the classes, as far as I'm aware