*Submitted offline by Kim, 16

Like Salt ‘n’ Peppa, I guess I’m not the only one who wants to talk about sex! Why do kids even need sex education? Some people think it’s dumb and unnecessary, but I think that more kids will enjoy learning about it than never knowing anything at all. Well... is it necessary? Hmm, if we could eliminate all of the STD’s, preventable deaths just by the use of a condom and all these teenage births, I guess we wouldn’t need it. Kids are just so unaware of all the things that they’re exposing themselves to when they have sex. Yeah some people might think we don’t need sex education because its “influencing” us kids to go out there and have sex but if you think about it, it’s not like our teachers are handing us condoms telling us to use them and they teach us other words that make us not want to have sex, like ABSTINENCE. What about those herpes, and gonorrhea! What’s the definition of cool anyways? Sex? Is that what kids thin? Yes, big ugly bumps and dying because of sex is so cool, I’ll be the first to say. I think that maybe if kids were a little more aware of what they were doing when they had sex, maybe it might stop them, or at least some of the kids. By teaching us how to use a condom and to go get tested after sex is better than carrying things and getting pregnant. By the time kids go to college they should be aware of all the bad things out there, mainly all of the things we learn in health. You can’t go into the world thinking that you’re perfectly safe from STD’s and getting pregnant. It could be your first time having sex and you could get an STD. Maybe, you’ll just be that lucky one to get one too, and without health, you may not even be aware of it. At least if the person had sex education, they could be like, “Oh yeah, I’m noticing some changes, I should go to the doctor.” Our teachers aren’t trying to get us to want to have sex, it seems like they try their hardest to make us stop having sex. If you’re smart, you’ll wait. Hey, the longer you wait for something, the more meaning it will have in the long run anyways right? Maybe if you wait til’ you’re married, you’re first time having sex will be unforgettable and you will have no worries. If you’re a teen having sex all the time, is that really special? You’re just putting yourself at risk, and other people, earlier than you should be. If you take sex education away from kids, then they’re going to be old never knowing anything, and be curious. Some people are embarrassed to ask a question about sex. Just by knowing that they’re learning about sex in class, they might not feel as embarrassed asking their questions. Take sex education away? No thank you! I know that I can speak for myself and a bunch of other teens, when I say, please make me aware, because I do want to learn about it! Learning all of the bad things that can happen has definitely outweighed the positives for me, so I think I’ll wait for sex.