If We Don't Talk About It, Maybe It Will Go Away
http://www.cnn.com/2004/ALLPOLITICS/11/25/secondterm.abstinence.ap/index.html
President Bush's re-election ensures that more federal money will flow to abstinence education that precludes discussion of birth control, even as the administration awaits evidence that the approach gets teenagers to refrain from sex.
Here we go again...
Abstinence would be dandy. But I still find it incredibly difficult to believe that teenagers will simply stop having sex because they do not learn about birth control in school. Sex, like drugs, is pleasurable, and school is not the only source of information about sex. Once a week for six weeks a year, a group of UCHC medical students teaches sex education to sixth graders in Hartford public schools. The amount of misinformation out there is staggering. The consequence of not educating these teenagers about taking the proper precautions will be more young girls becoming pregnant because they prefer the more popular ideas of what will keep them safe--urinating after right after intercourse to "wash out" the sperm, having sex while standing up, intercourse during menses, etc. Teens need to hear the truth so that they can protect themselves, not only from unwanted pregnancies, but from dangerous diseases like HIV.
What do you say to them when they ask questions about birth control? "I can't talk about that lest it seed your mind with dirty thoughts?" Or "You want the truth? Too bad. You can't handle the truth!" How is that a good policy to have? As long as you are busy telling them what doesn't work, why not tell them about methods that do? I would much rather they get the details correct from teachers who actually know what they are talking about.
Taking away the keys is great. But I am all in favor of promoting seatbelts for those who will continue to drive no matter what. Save a life or two.
President Bush's re-election ensures that more federal money will flow to abstinence education that precludes discussion of birth control, even as the administration awaits evidence that the approach gets teenagers to refrain from sex.
Here we go again...
Abstinence would be dandy. But I still find it incredibly difficult to believe that teenagers will simply stop having sex because they do not learn about birth control in school. Sex, like drugs, is pleasurable, and school is not the only source of information about sex. Once a week for six weeks a year, a group of UCHC medical students teaches sex education to sixth graders in Hartford public schools. The amount of misinformation out there is staggering. The consequence of not educating these teenagers about taking the proper precautions will be more young girls becoming pregnant because they prefer the more popular ideas of what will keep them safe--urinating after right after intercourse to "wash out" the sperm, having sex while standing up, intercourse during menses, etc. Teens need to hear the truth so that they can protect themselves, not only from unwanted pregnancies, but from dangerous diseases like HIV.
What do you say to them when they ask questions about birth control? "I can't talk about that lest it seed your mind with dirty thoughts?" Or "You want the truth? Too bad. You can't handle the truth!" How is that a good policy to have? As long as you are busy telling them what doesn't work, why not tell them about methods that do? I would much rather they get the details correct from teachers who actually know what they are talking about.
Taking away the keys is great. But I am all in favor of promoting seatbelts for those who will continue to drive no matter what. Save a life or two.