Abstinence only or sex education?

Given the choice, I would choose sex education over abstinence.  Teenagers and pre-teens are engaging in sex already.  There are some kids in grade school that are having or attempting to have sex.  I think abstinence was a good approach when my generation was in elementary school (I'm 19, so back in the 90s and early, early 2000s).  I can honestly say many of my classmates did not know very much about sex.  Now it is everywhere.

Sex education is beneficial because it usually incorporates abstinence and prevention in addition to explaining the risks that are involved in having sex.  If a child or teen is not told what sex is, they will probably explore on their own out of curiosity and find themselves in a horrible situation.  If sex education is taught, they will know how to be curious safely.  In addition, it costs the government less money! There is no point in spending money on abstinence-only courses when teens are obviously having sex.  Shows like "16 & Pregnant" and movies like "The Pregnancy Pact" are based on society, not a writer's imagination.

I think sex education does have its downsides.  It has the potential to take away from parents having their own version of the sex talk with their child.  Some kids learn better from their parents.  Another con involved in sex education is that if a teen was not curious before, they will almost definitely be curious after taking a sex class.  Nonetheless, exposure to sex is inevitable.  It should be taught instead of hidden.   

A little info, just because

This is a blog about sex education.  It can be a pretty controversial subject.  I think it would be best for people to know my standpoint on sex and it's value.

A sexual value in my opinion deals with emotional attachment. My parents were high school sweethearts and have been married for the past 21 years. When I was younger, the "sex talk" did not consist of much more than my mom saying "If you have sex you'll get pregnant." Nonetheless, from the longevity of my parents' relationship I gained the understanding that you have to love or at least like the person you choose to be intimate with. Being emotionally drawn to a person is a personal value to me because I learned what I lived.

I wanted to explain this briefly to set the tone of the blog.  I am for sex education for the very reason stated about.  I have what I like to call the "Happily Ever After Complex," meaning that I used to think all couples are meant to be and when they have sex it is not a big deal because they'll be together forever.  That isn't always the case.  All couples can't be like my parents.  Younger generations are having sex at earlier ages, like when I still thought boys had cooties (and they still do, we just don't call them cooties anymore, they're STIs).  Naturally, kids and teenagers are curious.  Let's educate them.

Hi!

This is my first blog post ever, so please bear with me.  For a few months, I'll be discussing various elements of sex education.  Hope you enjoy! :)