Reply #16: Very well put. I was thinking along the same lines [View All]

[Lorien]

There is no "contraceptive" that can allow smokers to smoke, yet avoid the risk of developing cancer.

Sex ed no more encourages kids to have an abortion than driver's ed encourages kids to get into deadly accidents.Sex education does not PROMOTE sexual activity, it arms the students with knowledge about the consequences of sexual activity and how to avoid the worst of them if they decide to engage in sex anyway (which many will regardless of how they were raised at home. Adults who are being honest with themselves will acknowledge this as truth). Many parents are completely uncomfortable with speaking to their children about sex, which leads to many popular misconceptions. Sex education shreds light on many myths; drinking bleach won't prevent an HIV infection, oral sex is still "sex" and can transmit STDs, you can get pregnant the first time, etc.

To appeal to the repugs selfish side: a lack of sex education can lead to more unwanted pregnancies and STDs-especially among the poor. The cost for caring for poor or unwanted children and the very sick can ultimately fall on the taxpayer's shoulders. Spending a little on sex education early on will ultimately save Americans a bundle.


A personal note: my father was a sex therapist and I grew up in a home surrounded by sexually explicit material and language-but no "smut"(everything was somewhat clinical). I didn't become sexually active until I was 19 and living with my fiance. There was nothing terribly mysterious about it and I was well informed about STDs, so I was in no hurry to engage in the activity myself. Young people in many European countries have the same attitudes. Amsterdam, for instance, has one of the lowest teen birth rates on earth.

(I think the OP has me on ignore, so this is all probably a wasted effort).