Essay on HBO's Sex Education w/ John Oliver: Abstinence Takes Center Stage

The HBO television program “Sex education last week tonight with John Oliver" is a new and unique take that educates people, especially teens, on social-moral issues that affect them (Oliver). Uninterrupted by commercial breaks and full creative control, host John Oliver and his team spend about 21 minutes discussing sex education among teens with the concept of abstinence taking the center stage. Oliver started the show by showing a vintage sex education tape of Jonathan Banks, commonly known as Mike Ehrmentraut, where he used the video to show that there is no required standard for sex education in the United States. The effects of a lack of standard sex education formula would then imply that it can vary widely in different states, districts, and schools. A good example that Oliver gives in different education teaching standards is where in Mississippi sex education is allowed, but practical example such as demonstration of how to use a condom is prohibited, and this is even though the state ranks number two in teen pregnancy. Other state has even refused to teach sex education in a school where a good example is Utah, and education has been preferably left to their parent. Oliver also acknowledges some of the wide gaps in what children are taught about sex and relationships. Education on sex in school has taken a different direction, where most education facilities have opted only to teach the concept of abstinence. Olive argued that it is true that abstinence can be a healthy decision for teenagers, but when only abstinence programs are presented in school or either poorly designed, they will do a great deal of harm to children.

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The late-night political comedy program last week with John Olive has quickly gathered both viewership and critical acclaim opening the debate among many people about sex education among the teens. Oliver's facts about sex education were mostly correct and needed to be taken to the seriousness they deserved. US schools have been operating under a patchwork system of vague and varying policies on how they conduct sex education, where many has opted to avoid the teaching in general (Walsh 2). The inconsistency about sex education in school has brought unfairness where those schools that children are not taught would make them feel left out of the system. Knowledge is essential and should be offered to all without discrimination. There has been a trend that was backed up by Oliver, where most states in the US requiring that for sex education to be provided, it must be medically, factually, or technically correct, which I view this as dishonest. Sex education should be offered like other curriculum education without subjecting it to requirements that are not necessary.

Schools opting to major their sex education on abstinence will ignore the fact that everything is changing, and children are also evolving; hence abstinence in the current century might be difficult for many youths (Hickman 9). Abstinence is regarded to be a choice that is to be decided by a person and trying to ensure that it is the only thing practice by teens; schools will lose track of what is trending in our society. Promoting abstinence should be done by sharing the positive effects and its benefits of choosing without necessarily making others feel guilty or judging them for having made different choices (Kirby). The best way to offer sex education is to avoid dishonesty and present the real facts that affect teens. The greatest thing that is also missing in most sex education programs is to give a frank conversation about consent among partners. Sex is compared with boxing, where if one party does not agree to participate, then the other one is committing a crime. Therefore, it is essential to teach children what consent means and why it is essential, which would increase the odds that every child's boundaries are respected.

Sex education is vital when it comes to preventing teen pregnancy and sex-related risks and providing kids with the best knowledge of proper sexual behavior. One of the questions that bring much debate on sex education is when it is the right age to teach children sex education. Most people, especially parents, consider sex education not to start until the child reaches grade five or six (Hennessy 3). Sex education should be introduced to school at the earliest stage, where it is every parent's responsibility to ensure that they teach their children on sex education before schools begin (Oyenusi 6). One of the significant reasons that offering sex education at an early age is that children will understand their bodies, and they will not be surprised when their bodies will start experiencing changing during puberty. They will also be introduced to safety measures, and risks of adverse effects that arise in the case of improper sexual behavior will be avoided. Due to sensitivity that comes along with sex education, the parent may feel uncomfortable when they are asked by their children how children are conceived and born and other related sexual education (Fuzayl).

Last week tonight with John Oliver, debate on sexual education has opened the minds of people on what is the best to offer to children. The sparks on a conversation about the standards of sex education among the states, districts, and inter-school are a wake-up call on the government to come up with a curriculum for all. Parents have also been given the task to offer sex education to their children without fearing them or finding the topic uncomfortable since its benefits are more than what they are finding to be uncomfortable. The reason parents are fearful of sex is that they cannot imagine their child having sex even though they are aware that sometimes it happens, and also, the child will feel embarrassed to have their parent talk to them about sex.

Works Cited

Fuzay, Arlella. “Sex education: It’s more than just Talk.” YouTube. Uploaded by HBO Nordic. 23 Aug 2016 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pjtaelhwbJI

Hickman, Brown. Sex education and abstinence programs: why don't we know more? Child Youth Serv Rev 1;19455- 463 https://www.issuelab.org/resources/3100/3100.pdf 1997

Hennessy, Michael. Public Opinion on Sex Education in US Schools. Washington, DC-National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy. https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamapediatrics/fullarticle/205706 2006

Kirby, Behre. “Do Abstinence-Only Programs Delay the Initiation of Sex Among Young People and Reduce Teen Pregnancy? Washington, DC-National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy2002;

Oliver, John. “Sex education Last week tonight with John Oliver.” YouTube. Uploaded by HBO Nordic. 12 Jun 2020 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L0jQz6jqQS0&list=PLFnan0hHmi1FjQUark5TNBI-WlvJkbpVg&index=2&t=0s&app=desktop

Oyenusi, Elizabeth "When is the Right Age to Teach a Child Sex Education?" Punch Newspaper, Punch Newspaper, 4 Feb 2017, https://punchng.com/right-age-teach-child-sex-education/. Accessed 23 Jan 2019

Walsh, Jenny. “Sex Education to Begin Earlier.” Australian Federation of AIDS Organization, Mar. 2013. , https://www.afao.org.au/article/sex-education-needs-begin-earlier/ Accessed 23 Jan 2019