1955 marked the beginning of sex education programs in schools in the United States. Over the years, many have questioned whether or not sex education should be taught in schools. Many believe that sex education encourages students to engage in sexual activities that lead to higher numbers of pregnancies and sexually transmitted diseases (STDs). As the number of unplanned pregnancies and sexually transmitted diseases increases every day in our country, one can only think that sex education is a necessity in our school systems. Teenagers as young as fourteen have admitted to engaging in sexual activity. No teenager should engage in such acts at this age. Many schools give parents the choice to ask their child to withdraw from the lesson or class. Few states are required to teach sex education to high school students unless their parents remove them from class. As a teenager, I strongly believe that sex education should be taught in schools because students need to be educated. Many parents do not discuss this topic at home, so school is the best opportunity. States that require sex education programs require all students to participate in these programs unless their parents choose to exclude them. How can parents do this? Parents have the right to have a say in whether or not their child participates in these types of programs, because “parental rights arise from parental duty and exist only as long as they are necessary for the protection… of the child.” child". Sex education should be compulsory in all public schools because it is a right of every student, the knowledge they have about sex affects the student, not the parents. Students must... .. middle of paper..... .t. Excerpted from “Let's Talk About Sex: Balancing Children's Rights and Parental Responsibilities.” Legal Studies 26.1 (March 2006): 88-108. Internet. October 23, 2013. Kasun, Jacqueline R. “Condom Nation: Government Sex Education Promotes Teen Pregnancy.” Policy Review 68 (1994): 79+. Internet. October 9, 2013. Parker, Alison Mia “Dude! Your browser does not allow Iframes? Too bad." YOUniversityTV. YOUniversityTV, April 22, 2011. Web. October 30, 2013 Pardini, Priscilla. "Federal law mandates 'abstinence only' sex education." Rethinking Schools Online. Rethinking Schools, nd Web October 30, 2013. Paul, Regina. "10 Reasons Why We Need Comprehensive Sex Education in Our Schools." Yahoo Contributors Network, February 3, 2007. . Web. October 30, 2013. Unknown "Sex education should be taught in public schools.". 2013.