Where do babies come from?
This classic question plagues parents.
As arguably the most instinctual human act, sex enters our thoughts and actions long before we even have the ability to conceptualize the idea of intercourse.
Designed to better prepare children for their inevitable sexual endeavors, sex ed now pushes beyond the talks of birds and bees.
In 1989, with the onset of AIDS, a comprehensive sex ed curriculum was developed by the Sexuality Information and Education Council of the United States and instituted in a number of U.S. schools.
Here, I’d like to focus on whether children are actually obtaining information about sex that they can use in their future sexual escapades, perhaps even here at UCLA.
In 1991, the guidelines for comprehensive sexuality education for kindergarten to 12th grade were released, and since then, many adaptations and policy changes have gone into effect.
Essentially, the curriculum consists of six key concepts with specific topics relative to each grade level: human development, relationships, personal skills, sexual behavior, sexual health, and society and culture.
According to the SIECUS Web site, “The law requires sexuality education to be medically accurate, objective and void of bias against any culture or background; it also effectively prohibits abstinence-only-until-marriage sexuality education in California’s public schools.”
But is that enough?
There are obvious topics that are far away from the hazy boundary line of appropriateness, namely human anatomy on one end of the spectrum and pornography on the other.
But instead of treating unwanted pregnancy as the main concern, what about offering information about safe oral sex and, furthermore, presenting it as an act not restricted to heterosexual couples?
Students here at UCLA are not all virgins ““ or missionary-style heterosexuals, for that matter. We need information that covers all areas of sex, if not in high school, then in college and beyond.
In analyzing options for sexual decisions, each form of contraception and protection is normally presented in order of effectiveness as part of the comprehensive sex ed program.
Abstinence is still recognized as 100 percent effective; however, other options are given as alternatives. For example, the Food and Drug Administration finds male condoms to be 89 percent effective against unwanted pregnancy.
The focus here is on information, because the fact of the matter is most, if not all, people will have sex eventually.
The 2002 National Survey of Family Growth results found that the mean age at which individuals lost their virginity was 17.
In an informal survey conducted by College Humor, 7 percent of respondents said they lost their V-card below the age of 14. That consists of middle school and elementary school students, folks.
Having this knowledge before engaging in sex for the first time is a much better option than gaining the required access when you’re 14 and already have a positive pregnancy test in hand.
Although significantly more effective than forcing the idea of abstinence down a child’s throat, comprehensive sexual education programs could still benefit from being a little more specific.
Having biological knowledge and information about your options as a sexually active person is imperative. However, I think we are only scratching the surface here.
I’m not suggesting an oral-sex class filled with bananas and cucumbers, as seen in “Old School,” or a tutorial on the vast world of the clitoris (although this may be helpful as an elective for some challenged lovers).
On the contrary, I would like to see a program that simply treats sex as a real, tangible idea, not a far-off side note.
I acknowledge that my viewpoint comes from a liberal and open background. I was lucky in my sexual education, not only in school, but with family as well.
I’ve had weird experiences in my past sex life and expect them in my future, but I always know I’ll have somewhere to go and someone to talk to.
Just having the option to discuss problems in the bedroom is the first step in preventing serious repercussions in making the decision to have sex.
After all, very few of us will be using sine, cosine and tangent in our 40s, but most of us will be having sex ““ and hopefully great sex, at that.
Questioning your sex ed? E-mail Forde at nforde@media.ucla.edu. Send general comments to viewpoint@media.ucla.edu.