Things People Forget In The Heat Of

The Moment Essay, Research Paper

The Things People Forget in the Heat of the Moment

The task of instructing adolescents about sex has been seen as the responsibility of the parents for many years. But, parent-child communication in sexual matters may be hindered by parental inhibitions or by various intergenerational tensions. Children often times do not receive information on sexual matters from their parents, at least initially. Due to sex related information available to children through mass media, the education board has deemed it necessary to evaluate and change sexual education. The course work has evolved drastically from the idea of teaching merely about sexual reproduction and focusing on abstinence. Rather, now it is important to deal with sex-related topics in the media through more sophisticated and comprehensive programs, deemed necessary to institute in the public school system. This of course has brought about several conflicting views about the course work within the program, raising social and ethical questions here and there. Although the idea of educating such young people about sex is viewed as strange, or as wrong, or even as immoral entirely, it is necessary for the well being of young people to be educated about these matters. Failing to teach young people about sex is like playing a friendly game of Russian Roulette; the risks are vast, danger is unknown, and death may stare one in the face.

Often times failing to teach properly the risks of something causes a lack of knowledge, almost like ignorance, especially regarding the subject of sex. Disastrous consequences can come about because of insignificant information about sex and sex relations. For example, thoughts of pregnancy surface with the lack of protection, but additionally, risks include the possibility of venereal disease spread, such as Gonorrhea, Syphilis, or HIV, in the absence of contraceptives. These serious circumstances are often taken lightly when in the mood and one must be educated fairly well to understand the extreme importance of safety. This safety may include birth control or forms of contraceptives like male or female condoms, to ensure that one’s health is never undermined at any cost. Lack of monogamy and smart sexual relations has made it imperative to take safety precautions , as comical as it may sound, to ensure that one s health is not jeopardized.

In similarity, Russian Roulette is a game of risks, much like sex. Although the stakes are rather different, sex of late and Russian Roulette alike are merely gambling with one s life. It seems it might be wiser to choose the latter as a means of destruction. After all, a life stricken with some disease associated with sex can have disastrous effects on one’s physical body. For instance, John, an eighteen-year-old freshman at the University of Pennsylvania illustrates this perfectly. He was diagnosed two years ago with a virus he can never be rid of. Diagnosed at the age of sixteen with herpes simplex one, he lives a stressful life, often ridiculed because of constant outbreaks of sores, not only on his genitals, but also in and around his mouth. He dreads the next outbreak everyday, and wishes with every frequent recurrence he had taken the extra ten seconds to put on a condom, for if he had done so, life would be more pleasant ( FAQ About Genital Herpes ). In addition, take for example Maria. Maria is a junior at Lake Springs High School. She too had a sexual encounter she wishes she could take back. One evening at a party, she drank a few drinks, and before she knew it, she was having intercourse with a man she hardly knew; she couldn t even recall his name. Now, Maria endures extensive treatment weekly of AZT to hinder the debilitating effects HIV has on her body. She will grow weaker until the day she dies, all because of an unprotected sex act ( Education ). This information heightens the need for education regarding the proper care and safety precautions one must take when sexually active with another person.

With the game of Russian Roulette, though, just one pull of the trigger and there are 1 in 6 chances, one swift blow. In addition, cases exist of Russian Roulette players who are uneventful in killing themselves, yet do serious damage to their brain, causing them to be quadriplegic.

Teaching the dangers about sex is not an easy task. No easier is learning to accept consequences, but these must be taught during adolescence for it to be better embedded within one s thoughts. In addition, danger regarding sex coincides with the risks one takes when the decision to consummate a relationship is made. Teaching youth about the risk of pregnancy and the likelihood of contracting one of a vast array of diseases that range from completely curable with little discomfort, to long, drawn out, and debilitating incurable diseases one must endure the entirety of their life. One could say that a person walking down the street each day puts himself or herself in danger; that there are risks everywhere, and this need not be taught at school, for it is common knowledge. This may be true, but the idea that one can protect themselves from potential danger just by being informed should be basis enough to incorporate a more advanced sexual education course curriculum in the public schooling system. For instance, instead of focusing on abstinence, which is purely opinion, focus on the fact that b