Sex. Let me say it again. Sex. Sex is a topic that gets discussed more and more as society evolves. There are plenty of reasons why people don’t like this, especially when thinking from a religious point of view.

Although sex is being talked about more in pop culture, it is being talked about less in schools.

Formal sexual education is on the decline. Leaving the responsibility up to parents to discuss the topic with children. This is an unreliable way to educate the youth.

“The talk,” as it’s fondly called, is not enough for children. Speaking from personal experience, the talk is just awkward. It was hard for me to get past the awkwardness and really listen to what was being said.

Not only is it awkward, it puts a lot of pressure on parents to get it right with their kids. Learning about sex in an educational setting may make the ideas discussed stick with children.

President Donald Trump’s administration is now pushing for abstinence-only education in schools to try and combat teen pregnancy. Telling a bunch of teens to not have sex will only lead to more teens having sex. Not educating them properly can lead to many repercussions.

Beth De Santis, CEO of the South Carolina Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy said, “We all know that helping kids make the best choices is to stay abstinent…it is the best way to make sure they don’t get pregnant and don’t get a sexually transmitted disease.”

However, not teaching children safe sexual procedures will do more harm than good. In a perfect world, teens will be abstinent, but this has never been the case. Teaching safety should be the highest concern.

Teaching teens the truth about sex, the good and the bad, is extremely important. Every kid will make their own decisions, but empowering them with the right methods will make sex less dangerous. A “no sex” message could put kids out of reach of the help that is needed.

Condoms, birth control, STD’s and pregnancy are all things kids need to learn about. A message of “don’t have sex” is not helpful or practical. Because it’s going to happen, most people in the world will have sex at some point. Simply put, there is no way to keep teens abstinent.

Instead, safe sex should be taught more in schools and in a respectful way.

Trust that people will make the right decision when the time comes.