Discussions in various forums in the last few decades have been on including sex education as a part of school curriculums. While education systems in many countries have advocated and implemented this as an acceptable way to control teenage pregnancies, in several others, ‘sex’ is still a taboo word.
Education boards however are still not very clear on what should be part of the education programs to ensure greater understanding and comprehension among the student community. In several convent and state run schools sex education is restricted to teaching students the need to abstain from sex. This is not effective as compared to a full-fledged sex education system which talks not only about abstinence but also teaches about contraception and birth control. To validate this it is important to understand why teenagers indulge in early sex. While there is a definite sense of excitement and adventure in exploring the uncharted ‘territories’ a lot of it has to do with peer pressure in terms of who is the ‘coolest dude’ or the ‘hottest babe’.
Apart from abstinence and birth control some of the key areas that sex education should focus on are creating awareness of various kinds of sexually transmitted diseases, unravel the myths that teenagers have around sex and also use counseling to deal with teenagers who cannot handle the ‘peer’ pressure. Studies have shown that approximately twenty to twenty five percent of decline in pregnancy numbers among teens since 1991 is thought to possibly be related to a decline in sexual activity and behavior among the teens. The other eight odd percent of decline in pregnancies among teenagers is believed to be due to more effective and pertinent birth control procedures and practices. Most noteworthy is the fact that regular condom usage has increased vastly over the last few years. Some of the other components of sex contraceptive education include the need for teenagers to develop communication skill and thus be more informed in sexual decision making so that when the act does not happen inadvertently. Teenagers should be made aware of the results of giving birth to children at a very young age and also how teen pregnancies can be harmful to the mother and the baby. Hence the need is strong that the teens be educated and correctly informed on how to avoid sexual behavior that is risky and thus how to protect themselves and consequently their reproductive health.
Technology has helped in introducing birth control methods beyond the commonly used contraceptives and pills. Recent developments like Intra-Uterine Devices are gaining popularity as they are economical, involve a one time visit to the gynecologist and have minimal temporary side effects.