Sex educationHow did you learn about sex? Chances are, your parents reluctantly explained "the birds and the bees" to you around the time you learned it in school. When you were young, you may have heard the story of the stork, in which a huge bird brings babies to their parents when they are ready to have a baby. As you grew up and became more curious, they may have given you the classic “When a mom and dad love each other very much…”. Then, during adolescence, you learned about the exact names, places and complications related to sex. Immature sexual jokes are inevitable and are sometimes found very funny, but with all the events revolving around sex, you have learned more and more. School, your parents, your peers, and your religion have played an important role in your current beliefs about sex. Children need to receive sex education at the end of elementary school or the beginning of middle school Because more sex education has helped reduce teen pregnancies and abortions, some parents may neglect to explain certain factors to their parents. children and may not know much about the topic. and religion may not offer enough information to be completely sure. Rates of teen pregnancy and abortion have declined in recent years, although the United States still has the highest rates in the industrialized world. Among adolescents, those who have received adequate sex education have lower pregnancy and abortion rates than adolescents with inadequate education or placed in abstinence-only programs. Sexuality education helps reduce the risk of teenage pregnancy by 50% compared to abstinence programs (SIECUS, 2008). Did you know that most teenagers who get pregnant in high school don't finish high school, let alone college? They are even more there...... middle of the paper ...... before learning about it from other children or the media. This will help them make responsible decisions as young adults. Works Cited Bryner, J. (2009, September 16). Teen birth rates highest in highly religious states. Retrieved February 9, 2014, from Live Science: Kesterton, D. (2012, May 30). Sex education: what role parents should play. Retrieved February 9, 2014, from The Guardian:SIECUS. (2008, March 8). National data shows that comprehensive sex education is more effective at reducing teen pregnancies. (Sexual Information and Education Council of the United States.) Retrieved February 9, 2014, from SIECUS: