Sex education is a topic of great interest among adolescents, especially during the period of puberty. The period of puberty is usually characterized by an increase in sexual desire and the maturity of the sexual organs. Sex education is of utmost importance during this time to avoid deadly mistakes. The controversy over sex education began in the early 1960s, when the government sponsored a $176 million sex education campaign in schools (Lemken 2). This innovation aroused the interest of many prestigious American citizens, and the debate on the legalization of sex education became more intense. It is noted that towards the end of 1960, after the pros and cons of sex education were analyzed, it was finally legalized in the United States. An American journalist, Cindy Patton, estimates that "about 40% of all high schools in the United States have introduced sex education." education as a free optional activity for students.”(26). It has thus been seen that sex education has become part of the high school curriculum. Despite the fact that sex education has been frowned upon by many parents, it should be encouraged because it teaches teenagers how to live a healthy sex life; thus reducing the rate of teenage pregnancies, rape and sexually transmitted diseases in society. The human body is a very complex structure and as such, understanding the delicate parts of the body should be paramount among teenagers. Bailey Kristen, author of Sex Education, notes that the trend toward sex education is backwards. She says most people believe sex education gives teens the wrong information about their bodies. Furthermore, they believe that it is the duty of most parents to educate their children about their sexual life and not about strangers. This statement is actually v...... half of the document ......ation(NEA). New York: NEA.org, June 2008. Print.Manfredi, L. “Sexual Urge among teenagers.” Sexis magazine. New York: copyright 2009 SeXis Magazine Corporation, May 4, 2009. Page 4. Print.Ogunleye, Kingsley. “Open Sexuality Communication/Education and HIV/AIDS Prevention Among Nigerian Adolescents and Youth.” Guardian newspaper. Abuja: Copyright 2003-2009 Guardian Newspaper Limited, 18 March 2005. Page 12. Print.Patton, Cindy. Fatal Advice: How Safe Sex Education Went Wrong. Durham NC: Duke University Press, 1996. Pages 23-26. PrintRidini, Steven. "Health and sexuality education in schools". Journal of Social Change. Westport, CT, London: Bergin and Garvey, 1998. 31-42. Print.Sprecher, Susan. “Perception of sources of sex education and goals of sexual communication: Socio-demographic and cohort effects.” Journal of Sex Research 45 (2008). Pages 32-47. Press.