Comprehensive Sex Education: A Sign Of Love & Virtue
Teen Groups Push Congress For Comprehensive Sex Education
I grew up with little to no religious affiliation. By the time I was 14 I had decided to become a Buddhist because I saw nothing but hypocrisy in the way Christianity preached at the world. I also was what my very first girlfriend called a "horned toad," because my hormones were swarming. But it was the comprehensive sex education classes that kept me from making unwanted babies, becoming infected with a sexually transmitted disease, transmitting any sexual diseases, and creating social situations that would have added to the welfare roles. I have siblings that did not receive comprehensive sex education that did not fare as well. One of my brothers has a child with three different girlfriends from his youth and a history of having acquired a nasty STD. Since I come from a very large blended family, figuring out which one is the culprit/victim in this case won't be easy.
One of the things I remember from my sex ed classes was the discussion on abstinence. The teacher was very clear on the subject. The best way to prevent unwanted pregnancies, sexually transmitted disease and unwanted social problems was abstinence. The entire class laughed at the concept. We were teenagers... the most sexual of all human beings. Our hormones were raging. We wanted to know what sex was about and abstinence was not on the radar scope. What was on the agenda was finding the right moment to experiment with whatever was possible and not let the parental units know what was going on.
From the perspective of a red-blooded heterosexual American male, the girls were growing in places that made them lose their cooties that they possessed in elementary school and made me want to put on deodorant, use mouthwash, brush my hair and dress in the coolest bell bottoms I could find. It was the will of the female of the species and the teachings of my sex education instructor--save for the abstinence idea--that kept me, the girls I met and the society safe and healthy.
Even those friends that went to church were not keen on the idea of abstinence. The Catholic high school in my home town had some of the best looking babes in town. They were keen on being "in love" and making sure they did not get pregnant and be faced with the choice of an unwanted pregnancy and the mortal sin of abortion. While many Catholic girls were known for technically keeping their virginity intact until marriage, it did not stop them from engaging in activities that Bill Clinton denied as being sexual relations... if you catch the drift.
During my active duty days as a Navy Hospital Corpsman I conducted examinations and "public health interviews" for patients and their contacts. I saw a number of cases of syphillis, chlamydia, gonorrhea, pelvic inflmmatory disease (PID), and even a case or two of chancroid. In the immediate years after leaving the Navy I saw clients being treated for substance abuse start dying of a stange syndrome that wasn't really understood at the time... AIDS. My clients acquired it through sharing needles and/or prostituting themselves in order to feed their habits. Men, women, gays, straights and children were dying of this disease that was directly related to having unprotected sex.
Somehwere along the way I felt called to Catholicism. I am a convert to the Church. I believe that a life has to be fulfilled by not only faith, but also moral action... good deeds. I believe in personal and interpersonal responsibility. But I also believe in giving people useful information at the right time in their lives.
Maybe it's time we struck a balance between the two sides of the culture wars and teach abstinence and social responsibility along side of the facts regarding sexual safety, sexually transmitted diseases, sexual anatomy & physiology, and the meaning of bringing forth life. Maybe it's time to bring the parents into the process and offer a sex education curriculum that allows the schools to teach the health and anatomy, and parents to teach the morality and family values. I am sure that most intelligent, moral people can find a way to meet each other halfway in the process.
We are faced with the other options... we can continue to have abortions of unwanted pregnancies, the rising costs of welfare, the exponentially increasing costs of treating disease, and the death of those we love that are infected with HIV. Since the track record of the religiously-based "abstinence-only" curriculum is one of failure, it is time to re-think the approach. At least the kids are getting the point... Perhaps they already have a sense of morality and values more developed than some of us adults.
"As the Bush administration continues to fund only abstinence-only sex education, American youth are taking comprehensive sex education into their own hands, RAW STORY has learned.
Programs favored by the administration often censor information about birth control and abortion completely. A December 2004 report commissioned by Representative Henry Waxman (D-California) found 11 out of 13 abstinence-only curricula examined to contain errors and distortions.
According to The Guttmacher Institute, a nonprofit organization focused on sexual and reproductive health research, policy analysis and public education, there are currently three federal programs—Section 510 of the Social Security Act, the Adolescent Family Life Act and the Special Projects of Regional and National Significance program—dedicated to funding abstinence-only sex education. None are dedicated to funding comprehensive sex education, even though the latter has been shown more effective in delaying sexual activity in teens and encouraging wiser and safer choices when teens do engage in sexual activity."
I grew up with little to no religious affiliation. By the time I was 14 I had decided to become a Buddhist because I saw nothing but hypocrisy in the way Christianity preached at the world. I also was what my very first girlfriend called a "horned toad," because my hormones were swarming. But it was the comprehensive sex education classes that kept me from making unwanted babies, becoming infected with a sexually transmitted disease, transmitting any sexual diseases, and creating social situations that would have added to the welfare roles. I have siblings that did not receive comprehensive sex education that did not fare as well. One of my brothers has a child with three different girlfriends from his youth and a history of having acquired a nasty STD. Since I come from a very large blended family, figuring out which one is the culprit/victim in this case won't be easy.
One of the things I remember from my sex ed classes was the discussion on abstinence. The teacher was very clear on the subject. The best way to prevent unwanted pregnancies, sexually transmitted disease and unwanted social problems was abstinence. The entire class laughed at the concept. We were teenagers... the most sexual of all human beings. Our hormones were raging. We wanted to know what sex was about and abstinence was not on the radar scope. What was on the agenda was finding the right moment to experiment with whatever was possible and not let the parental units know what was going on.
From the perspective of a red-blooded heterosexual American male, the girls were growing in places that made them lose their cooties that they possessed in elementary school and made me want to put on deodorant, use mouthwash, brush my hair and dress in the coolest bell bottoms I could find. It was the will of the female of the species and the teachings of my sex education instructor--save for the abstinence idea--that kept me, the girls I met and the society safe and healthy.
Even those friends that went to church were not keen on the idea of abstinence. The Catholic high school in my home town had some of the best looking babes in town. They were keen on being "in love" and making sure they did not get pregnant and be faced with the choice of an unwanted pregnancy and the mortal sin of abortion. While many Catholic girls were known for technically keeping their virginity intact until marriage, it did not stop them from engaging in activities that Bill Clinton denied as being sexual relations... if you catch the drift.
During my active duty days as a Navy Hospital Corpsman I conducted examinations and "public health interviews" for patients and their contacts. I saw a number of cases of syphillis, chlamydia, gonorrhea, pelvic inflmmatory disease (PID), and even a case or two of chancroid. In the immediate years after leaving the Navy I saw clients being treated for substance abuse start dying of a stange syndrome that wasn't really understood at the time... AIDS. My clients acquired it through sharing needles and/or prostituting themselves in order to feed their habits. Men, women, gays, straights and children were dying of this disease that was directly related to having unprotected sex.
Somehwere along the way I felt called to Catholicism. I am a convert to the Church. I believe that a life has to be fulfilled by not only faith, but also moral action... good deeds. I believe in personal and interpersonal responsibility. But I also believe in giving people useful information at the right time in their lives.
"With an administration nonetheless intent on abstinence- only education, youth are opting to pick up the fight on their own behalf. In response to federal budget requests which would increase funding once again for abstinence-only sex education, Advocates for Youth has launched two new campaigns domestically and abroad—the Keep it REAL campaign and the Fix the Gap campaign, which seek to prioritize sex education programs that include information about contraception and the HIV prevention.
'We launched the campaigns for several reasons,' Caeden Dempsey, Advocates for Youth's Program Manager, said. 'First, to educate the public on the importance of comprehensive sex education, which includes information about both abstinence and contraception. Secondly, to affect policy change; specifically, increase Senate support for the REAL Act, and increase Senate and general House support for global funding of comprehensive HIV prevention education. And finally, to build capacity among young organizers to advocate on their own behalf.'"
Maybe it's time we struck a balance between the two sides of the culture wars and teach abstinence and social responsibility along side of the facts regarding sexual safety, sexually transmitted diseases, sexual anatomy & physiology, and the meaning of bringing forth life. Maybe it's time to bring the parents into the process and offer a sex education curriculum that allows the schools to teach the health and anatomy, and parents to teach the morality and family values. I am sure that most intelligent, moral people can find a way to meet each other halfway in the process.
We are faced with the other options... we can continue to have abortions of unwanted pregnancies, the rising costs of welfare, the exponentially increasing costs of treating disease, and the death of those we love that are infected with HIV. Since the track record of the religiously-based "abstinence-only" curriculum is one of failure, it is time to re-think the approach. At least the kids are getting the point... Perhaps they already have a sense of morality and values more developed than some of us adults.
posted by Jim Downey at 10:46 AM
1 Comments:
This just in from AP:
PIERRE, S.D. (AP) — State lawmakers voted Friday to ban nearly all abortions in South Dakota and sent the measure to the governor, who said he is inclined to sign it.
Under the legislation, doctors in South Dakota would face up to five years in prison for performing an abortion unless it was necessary to save the woman’s life.
The bill directly targets Roe v. Wade, the 1973 U.S. Supreme Court decision that legalized abortion. State lawmakers believe the nation’s highest court is now more likely to reverse itself on the abortion issue because of the recent appointments of Justices John Roberts and Samuel Alito.
Planned Parenthood, which operates the only clinic performing abortions in South Dakota, has pledged to challenge the measure in court.
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