Just Say Maybe

Honestly, I doubt any one opinion will ever resolve the issue of teenage pregnancy and the de-moralization of our culture. Perhaps the radicals in the middle east are correct in their beleif that we as a society have become an amoral godless country fated to be destroyed by our own mindless self-indulgence. Maybe the conservatives are right and the only answer is to lower dress hemlines by a few inches or 2 feet, and cover up our children's belly area with something other than cheap shiny jewlery "as seen on TV". Maybe the MTV and VH1 generation should be forced to endure boring sex-ed tapes filmed in the 1970's by never really were celebrities that can further alienate them into ignoring the real message behind their "sex-ed" classes. Who knows, we might even get the court system to talk a few currently "rehabing" celebrities back from their country club drug and alcohol rehab clinics to join in the fun and further embarass our nation's youth on a subject they understand only through what they see and hear on TV and in the movies. Forget books, most of these kids don't or can't read anyways. Does it ever really register with congress people that the same kids who are getting into trouble with teenage pregnancy are the same ones not getting an education in anything else. You want broad based solutions to this country's teen pregnancy problems, start looking at where the rest of your tax dollars are going, and then you might really start to worry. But the truth is that teenage pregancy rates are just another symptom in a much bigger problem. Unfortunately, it is election season again, and most voters are being bombarded by well dressed empty suits, the campaign "issue of the month", and empty campaign promises, to notice that good parenting, and the general morality of this country have been brushed aside mostly because parents are just too busy with everything else to be parents. In the end, the only thing we have to fear, is ourselves. We worry about teenage pregnancy affecting our country, when we ought to worry about why those teenagers are able to get pregnant in the first place. I put that one squarely on the shoulders of mom and if there is one, dad. The decay of society has always been the result of moral decline. If you don't beleive me, look at the Roman civilization. Then get off the computer, and go tuck your kids in at night and read them a bedtime story. Who knows, you might even start a trend. Parents taking an active role in their children's lives.

Instead of "abstinence-only," it should be called "ignorance-only." The program makes the assumption that by eliminating accurate knowledge and replacing it with fearmongering, we can control their behavior.

The thing people forget is that teens are smarter than this. They know when they're being manipulated and controlled. They don't like it.

But what does a teen who knows he/she's being manipulated DO about it? Do they go out and do the research and come to intelligent conclusions? Or do they just decide to heck with all this I'm going to do what I want, when I want?

We need to stop pretending that we can control people's behavior by selective ignorance. "Ignorance-only" campaigns do nothing but foster mistrust and spread misinformation. They simply DO NOT WORK. If you're actually interested in reducing the teenage pregnancy and STD rate, you need to do what actually works, not what you think sounds like it will work, or what sounds like common sense.

And that's what the data shows. No matter how much you believe in ignorance-only sexual education, it doesn't do what you think it does. If you think it reduces teen pregnancy and STD rates, you are quite simply WRONG. You can't weasel out of it.

Comprehensive sex-ed classes HAVE been shown to reduce teen pregnancy and STD rates. They also empower the teens to make their own decisions based on accurate information. If that frightens you, it shouldn't. If you raise your kids properly, you can trust them to make good decisions. Conversely, if you can't trust your teens to make good decisions, then as far as I'm concerned it's on your own shoulders, as a parent, as having raised them poorly. And if you think you can correct that by keeping them ignorant, then I pity you.

(Apologies if this is a double post - the comment system is iffy with Firefox):

"Abstinence-only sex education" is a contradiction in terms. Only when the government stops trying to force its "morality" on everyone by forcing ignorance on the population will this unfortunate trend begin to reverse. Putting young girls in a position where they lack crucial information, and end up pregnant as a result, does all of us a disservice. Ignorance is NEVER the answer; FACTS are. I choose to educate my children, but I'm very sad for those kids whose parents lack the information, the time, the ability or the rational viewpoint necessary to impart facts instead of religious dogma. We can fix this, but only if we keep religion out of the public sphere. Flame on!

wups,the comment box didnt show what I was typing,lol. The fathers are nowhere to be found. I too was a mom at 19 and there was no help for me either.I still dream of getting an education, I am 33 now.My parents turned thier back on me, I was totally alone with a baby.They need to make talking about contraception #1 and disallow states to mkae stupid laws like they did here.It's only going to get worse.

I live in rural Missouri.Just not two months ago our Governor passed a law stating that sex education WILL NOT be taught in public schools.What they taught before this law was mediocre at best.My son would come home and tell me what they talked about and I had to correct him several times on anatomy.If the kids don't even know how it happens, well the problem is obvious.There are so many pregnant teens here it's so sad. sasadsad.sad.Italk to them and I asas