Do you agree with "abstinence education"?

[UdoKier]

Do you agree with "abstinence education"?

[UdoKier]

1. I personally support full sex ed...

...and disagree with "abstinence education". I want my kids to become active when they are ready to take responsibility for their actions. I waited until 19, and I wish I hadn't.

Of course, I would discourage very young teens to wait, but MANY 16 year olds are ready and can handle it.

[eridani]

29. I waited until I was 19, and I think that's a very good age to lose it.

Not to say that some can't handle it younger. Gay sex adviser Dan Savage advises all gay kids in high school to wait until graduation, on the grounds that being out among your peers is too risky, and going with older people is a setup for exploitation. Makes sense to me.

[Fenris]

2. After witnessing my sister have to go through an abortion this year.

I can firmly say that abstinence only education is a murderous crock of shit.

[UdoKier]

5. So they do that at her school?

Is it a public school?

I can't believe they can teach religion-based ideas like that in a public school.

[Fenris]

9. Yes. This is Texas.

It matters not. They clumsily explain that your genitals are part of the reproductive cycle, tell you why you shouldn't have sex, and then cheerily show slide shows of the various diseases that you're "guaranteed" to contract if you have sex. It's the same shit that was shoveled to me.

[UdoKier]

14. I went to school in Texas...

We had sex ed in 7th or 8th grade. It was very clinical and boring, but I don't remember any moralizing. Of course El Paso is not the same as north central Texas...

And this was in the 80s, before a lot of this nonsense started...

[Fenris]

15. Worse: This is EAST Texas.

In the most conservative North Houston suburb outside of Sugarland.

[Ms. Toad]

23. In many states it is mandated by state law

Ohio is one. I ran into that battle last year. Part of the curriculum is to teach the children to make "healthy" choices. Healthy is defined in a very warped way, including that any sex outside of marriage is automatically unhealthy. They are required to teach abstinence only classes. Although I think they do add information about birth control in high school, my reading of the law is that teaching alternatives to abstinence outside of marriage is not permitted.

The "factual" information was anything but factual. The first paragraph of the literature provided to the school by the outside entity which was brought in to teach the class (with state/federal funding)contained about 10 factual errors and was produced by group founded by someone who was reprimanded by then Governor Bush's administration (in Texas) for providing false information.

Personally, I do not think high school kids are ready for the physical and emotional consequences of being sexually active - but ultimately my daughter will make her own decision since I have no plans to go on every date with her. If she chooses to be sexually active, I want her to have the ability to make the next best choice - which includes having the knowledge necessary to be as safe as possible with respect to sexually transmitted diseases and pregnancy.

[Ellen Forradalom]

3. A more precise description of "abstinence ed"

would be helpful. Abstinence described as waiting until you are more mature and comfortable with your body is reasonable; abstinence as a means of slashing your STD risk is legtimate; abstinence or you're a filthy ho is not so productive.

[UdoKier]

10. I also agree with Jocelyn Elders' idea...

She was totally right about teaching young people to take matters into their own hands. I will definitely teach my boys to do so (in a considerate way, of course!)

I don't want them to wonder for years if what they are doing is "wierd" or not, like I did.

If my kids had girlfriends and were sexually active at 16, I'd be very happy for them. I would prefer they be monogamous, though. That's just me...

[RevCheesehead]

4. No, I think education should be participatory

...or were you talking about sex? ;)

[WindRavenX]

6. Should abstinence be mentioned? Absolutely

Should it be the basis of sex-ed? ABSOLUTELY NOT!!!
Not having sex is the only way not to get preggers or contract any STIs; however, this is unrealistic. You can't preach or moralize on HEALTH issues, and sex ed is a HEALTH issues.
If you have sex, practice SAFER sex. How hard is that to grasp??

[Liberal Veteran]

7. No. The school has no business pressuring teens to abstain from sex.

It is as ridiculous a notion as having the school pressure teens to engage in sex.

It is entirely possible to educate teens about sexuality without tossing in a set of values that may or may not be in line a particular family set of values and ethics.

Teaching abstinence is a way of trying to impose a set of values.

[Cheswick2.0]

30. abstinance is not just a religious choice....

it is sensible from a scientific, phsycological and socialogical point of view. If you are teaching sex ed, it would be irresponsible no to talk about abstinance. It is the best way not to get pregnant or catch a desease. It also makes sense from a psychological point of view. Kids often are not ready to make all kinds of adult choices they should certainly be allowed to know that is okay.

[Liberal Veteran]

32. Neither are a lot of adults for that matter, but...

...the bottom line, is that abstinence, while it can be offered as PART OF a wide range of sexual choices that must neither be encouraged nor discouraged.

[Deja Q]

8. YES! Support every option or no option.

Dingaling* thinks "abstinence only". If you can call it thinking.

Others say "sex ed only!!"

Both sides are correct, if not extremist. All choices need to be discussed. There is nothing wrong with abstinence. Or having SAFE action, as long as one is single.

[Liberal Veteran]

12. I tend to agree, but abstinence education tends to PRESSURE teens...

...to abstain from sex which is different from laying out facts and letting teens come to logical conclusions about their body through open discussion of the facts.

[hobbit709]

11. If Abstinence really worked

There wouldn't be 6+ billion people on this planet.

[Warpy]

13. 5000 years of Jewish guilt and 2000 years of Christian guilt

about sex for women haven't managed to produce an abstinent unmarried population, and never will. It simply doesn't work, folks. You have to tell kids everything about the minefield known as sex, including emotional baggage and how to protect themselves, or you end up with ignorant teenagers fumbling in the dark and not knowing how the hell to prevent babies and stop diseases.

Abstinence education to the exclusion of all practical knowledge of sex is insane. Full knowledge of mechanics and birth control in countries where this education is given would seem to lower the incidence of both premarital sex and childbirth in single teenaged women, and you can't chalk all that up to difference in culture.

The nanny state of telling us what we can do with our bodies has gone far enough, and none of it has worked. The only thing that does work is full education, all of it, good news and bad, when it comes to sex and drugs and parenthood.

Their way doesn't work, never has, never will.

[bloom]

20. It sort of worked

if you can call it that - for the Shakers.

They abstained from sex and then died out as a group.

http://oh.essortment.com/theshakersreli_rggy.htm

[TrustingDog]

16. Abstinence by whom???

wish those Bushies didn't fuck like weasels.

[deadparrot]

17. ALL sides should be explored.

All forms of contraception (condoms, pill, patch, etc.) should be explored and endorsed, but abstinence should also be discussed, though without the religious slant. Every option should have equal time.

[autorank]

18. My goal is for all Republicans to abstain from voting! n/t

[Liberal Veteran]

19. And breeding as well would be nice....

:)

[autorank]

24. Correct. They would never produce anything as beautiful as your pics.

[djinna]

21. I went through "abstinence based" sex ed.

I went to high school in Virginia Beach, home of the 700 Club, so I thought my abstinence based sex ed was going to be a joke. It wasn't that bad, though; contraception was discussed thoroughly, but abstinence was the constant theme. Not "don't have sex," but "Abstinence is the only 100% accurate contraception." No moralizing in either direction.

If all abstinence based sex ed was like that, I think it would be a fantastic thing.

[salin]

22. other: bwahahahaha

as if that has been an effective program.

If it were not so ridiculous as to presume that just teaching abstinence could actually counter our culture's media images, raging hormones, etc. Studies indicate: Ineffective (and negative) results with "abstinence only" programs.

For those who think this approach would keep their youngsters free of dangers (teenage pregnancy, or stds)... I wish you a hardy "good luck."

[Columbia]

25. Teach everything including abstinence

[greatauntoftriplets]

26. I had "abstinence only" education in a Catholic girls' high school...

...from which I graduated in 1967.

It was a friggin' joke! It was called "Marriage Day" and was held in senior year.

They had a Catholic obstetrician (never told us about having gynecological checkups to protect ourselves from diseases like cancer, etc.) and who had hundreds (okay, a slight exaggeration...) come in and talk to us. Married couples with a minimum of eight kids. Plus a Catholic priest.

That was the limit of my "formal" sex education. I had already had sex.

The informal education was a hell of a lot more fun. Fortunately, I never got pregnant and then learned a lot on my own later.

[napi21]

27. You know, if parents did THEIR JOB, we wouldn't be having this

discussion! It really is the parents job to teach their children about sex in the manner they wish. If they had been doing that, the schools wouldn't have to. Noone would have to worry about someone teaching their kids something they don't like! But they DON'T! It's a subject they don't want to talk about.

This is not something new either! I'm 61, and I learned about sex from my friend. Till the day my parents died, they NEVER mentioned anything but inuendos. "Now you know the things you should do."

Talk to the teachers. They are expected to teach EVERYTHING! Sex, values, and everything else. Of course when they do, the parents don't like how they teach it.

[Yupster]

34. I'll be crotchety with you napi

I feel sex-ed is mostly a moral issue and therefore shouldn't be in public schools.

Parents should teach their kids their moral views about sex, not teachers.

[LDS Jock]

28. yes, when combined with birth control

Birth control methods alone still allow for some margin for failing, such as unwanted pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases. Abstinence is an acceptable way to prevent either but, lets face it. Only a small number of people are going to be able to pull it off.

[Berserker]

31. More of the same

Just say NO to drugs
Just say NO to sex
Like that fucking works.

[Endangered Specie]

33. Comphresensive Education...

Where each 'choice' of contraceptive is given and a success/failure ratio, it shouldbe noted that abstinece is the only 100% safe. Consequences of unsafe stuff should be made clear.

[TexasBushwhacker]

35. Sex Ed should be part of "Real Life 101"

When I was in high school, 30 years ago, we had a class offered as an elective called "Home and Family Living". We covered everything from balancing a checkbook, to basic childcare (including discipline), contraception, etc. We even discussed homosexuality and had a visit from a post-op transexual (with a slide show!).

Some people will say, "That's the parents job". Okay, make the class available as an elective that kids can take with their parents permission. Some parents don't want to discuss that stuff with their kids and are happy to hand that responsibility over to the schools. As a teen that had sex ed at school and at church (Unitarians are so progressive) I can assure you it didn't make me go out and be active. I was a virgin until I was 19, which in 1976 was pretty damn old.