Abstinence-only sex ed and limited access to birth control don't prevent teenagers from having sex? We’re shocked!
Two new studies show that teens who lack contraceptive information and services are at an increased risk of unintended pregnancy and STDs. Also, most teenagers said they choose to tell their parents that they use birth control, but one in five would rather have unprotected sex than use contraception if parental notification were mandatory.
Don’t expect the Bush administration to pay attention to these studies. The federal government is spending nearly $170 million (thankfully less than Bush’s recommended $268 million on abstinence-only education programs in the coming year.
Think that dollar amount isn’t scary enough? Here’s what some of these federally-funded programs are telling teenagers:
Watch what you wear, if you don’t aim to please, don’t aim to tease.
The liberation movement has produced some aggressive girls today, and one of the tough challenges for guys who say no will be the questioning of their manliness.
Because they generally become aroused less easily, females are in a good position to help young men learn balance in relationships by keeping intimacy in perspective.
You hear that, girls? Bush says to keep your legs together.
Contributed by Ann Friedman
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The only thing worse than State as Church is State as Catholic Church. This complete reversion to mid-20th century mishegos would be a spot-on, witty sci-fi novel. It's truly unbelievable as real life. What can we do about this one, in particular? I feel enraged.
The advocacy group No New Money has an online action center where you can tell your representatives that you don't want your tax dollars funding abstinence-only education.
http://www.nonewmoney.org/
Who said anything about the Catholic church? I think its more Prostants who are pushing for this, especially in the South where people are predominantly Prostestant, not Catholic. Sounds like you just hold a personal grudge.
I think lisa meant that the state as church we have now is ACTING like the Catholic Church has for so long, mainly in Europe and the Third World. i didn't read her comment as saying it WAS the catholic church, we all know bush is an evangelist. they are all as bad as eachother is the sentiment i think. there is no grudge in that observation i reckon, the catholic church has an appaling record when it comes to preventing contraception, from the pope trying to ban condoms in africa (really freakin smart move there..) to the whole tone of debate in for example Ireland.
And what is so wrong with keeping your legs together? I for one am proud of having standards. I don't use sex as a weapon. I save it for men that I truly love. Their body is a temple to me and appreciating is makes having sex all that much more intense and better.
Guess I must be a SUBMISSIVE and STUPID girl! I need your help, ladies! Quick, teach me the ways of casual sex and cleavage shirts! Afterall, it's only logical to be surprised at getting male attention when I wear something that exposes my three nipples. I need you to teach me to walk into a room naked and NOT expect men to see me as a sex object. Afterall, if I walk into a room naked and they see my boobies I can accuse them of RAPE and send the evil fuckers to a lifetime of jail.
Wow, I've seen the light.
NO MORE KEEPING MY LEGS CLOSED!!!
Nothing wrong with keeping your legs closed. Your body is your body. Point well taken on walk into a room full of men naked we will look, I admit men are generally pigs that way. However when it comes to the catholic church, they don't allow any contraception except the rythm method. As a married man I don't want to risk having a child each time my wife and I are intimate. I taught sex ed for six years, I taught abstinance and I taught birth control at the same time. I feel that I mentioned abstinance more but I did point out that a woman can get pregnant any time they have sex, not only from intercourse but from heavy petting. The pregnancy rate dropped at my school from 1998-2002, but when the right wing religious crowd showed up,made the class a semester rather than a year, and stressed only abstinance and refused to discuss birth control (I left that dept to teach history then) the birth rate shot up to where it was before 1996 When we were given a grant to do a self study. I think that discussing both options to teens is important and believe it or not their parents at home do not talk to their kids about it. By the way when it came time to have this talk with my son it went like this. "did they tell you about pregnancy and birth control in school" good here are my rules.123.... relief never felt better