Thanks to reader Kelsey for bringing this to our attention, who was introduced to a new magazine for teens, J4G (Just for Girls/Just for Guys), on a recent senior trip.
The publication is described by the Human Life Alliance as "this extremely marketable, cutting edge magazine will cause your friends to want to get their own copy. The colorful graphics will catch their attention, and the thought provoking stories and facts on the inside will challenge them to change the way they think about sex outside of marriage."
These "facts" are actually (and not surprisingly) tons of misinformation cloaked in teen rhetoric. One example is a advice column type section with Dr. Mary Paquette, who she contends that abortion causes infertility, breast cancer and ruins girls lives. The feature also ends with a section called "My Choice," where there is what seems to be a biographical note of a teen who put her baby up for adoption, saying, "I thank God every day that I don't have to visit the memory of an aborted baby, the grave of an innocent life."
Funny thing is that right under the note signed "Molly" is the note: advertising supplement. In fact, every single "personal story" in the magazine is labeled with those two small words at the bottom; meaning, the magazine doesn't want to be held accountable for the stories, meaning they're not verifiable. Which is just shady.
The "Inside Scoop on Guys" section talks about the importance of dressing modestly and not tempting the "visual" nature of men, while the "Just for Guys" section of the magazine tells the boys to be a "knight in shining armor" and "fight the 'dragon' of sexual temptation while their ladies watch in wonder and admiration." Not to mention that both sections, of course, have the apparently popular duct tape experiment.
And this is just the tip of the iceberg. You can read the whole magazine here.
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"Cutting edge?"
More like, a tale as old as time.
Because teenagers are like racoons - anything colorful gets their attention!
Also, the duct tape thing doesn't even make sense to me - I mean, I see how you don't want to get less sticky or whatever, but I care about every person I've been romantically involved with, regardless of what happened sexually, and I'm proud to take something with me from those relationships. Those men weren't trash cans. For that matter, I feel that way about close women friends too.
Yeah, I never got the duct tape analogy either. I mean,it wasn't like I was having sex with the trashcan or someone's linty sweater. And I never thought of myself as 'used up'.
Isn't 'fighting the dragon' a euphimism for battling a heroine addiction? Like the opposite of 'chasing the dragon'? Egads, is this magazine trying to tell teen boys that they're naturally sex addicts?
This morning at school I had a discussion with a student about abstinence only education v. comprehensive, so I found it funny when I saw this posted this afternoon. I teach in south east Ohio so I could see this magazine being used in the public schools around her unfortunately.
despicable...to say the least. LoL colorful graphics... surely it will stand out because as well know the magazine racks are so sorely lacking in colorful graphics
::gag::
>>"fight the 'dragon' of sexual temptation while their ladies watch in wonder and admiration"
Sounds kind of kinky. . .
A few things:
1. What are your thoughts on the "Overcoming Rape" article on page 7?
2. Aren't you reaching quite a bit with that "advertising supplement" stuff? They are still responsible, morally, for printing things in their magazine, and the language is ambiguous, not the unambigious CYA you make it out to be.
3. Pray tell how the following are anything less than truth:
One example is a advice column type section with Dr. Mary Paquette, who she contends that abortion causes infertility, breast cancer and ruins girls lives. The feature also ends with a section called "My Choice," where there is what seems to be a biographical note of a teen who put her baby up for adoption, saying, "I thank God every day that I don't have to visit the memory of an aborted baby, the grave of an innocent life."
Abortion DOES cause infertility - those who abort are more likely to be infertile than those who do not abort.
Abortion DOES cause breast cancer. The only "study" that came out against that was systematically flawed. It examined health records of women born over a 43-year period. Problematically, it then lumped in post-abortive women with non-abortive women (as abortion was illegal and not noted in health records); that ruined about ten years of the data set. it included teenagers, solely for the purpose of ensuring that abortive women who did not have time to get breast cancer were included. Essentially, only 1/4th of the women studied had legal abortions and were of the age to get breast cancer, so the "statistically insignificant" result was a foregone conclusion, solely by study design.
Sorry. To all Feministing readers who have had abortions: Please, please, please take care of your body. Inform your doctor that you are at a higher risk. Get mammograms earlier. Get screened more often. We don't need you dying at an early age, too.
Teenagers who abort are ten times as likely to commit suicide as their never-pregnant peers. Teens who abstain are more likely to graduate from high school, go to college, and graduate from college.
If you gave a crap about what happens to women, you would at least understand the very pro-woman, feminist philosophy at work here. Sadly, you're elevating sexual pleasure above the health of women... which, last time I checked, is about as anti-feminist as you can get.
Just saying.
Please Bethany, pray tell, can you back up that half-witted claim about abortion causing infertility and breast cancer? Because I can back up the OPPOSITE. http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/factsheet/Risk/abortion-miscarriage
The Nation Cancer Institute, who has none of that misogynistic dogma clogging up their brains, supports the facts. As for the infertility claim? http://www.religioustolerance.org/abo_infe.htm
I mean, maybe if we're talking about pre-wade abortions I think that perhaps a coat hanger and draino might have a little something to do with uterine scarring and the such. But for now, whoever brainwashed you has some 'splainin to do.
One wonders if 'modestly' means that teenage girls should all wear long sleeves and scarves, lest their forearms and necks inspire teenage males to 'lust'.
Unfortunately even the "overcoming rape" page is a seeding of very helpful information (not your fault, don't shower, go to a medical facility immediately, report the crime) mixed with anti-abortion misinformation and abstinence-only agenda (Plan B does not cause an abortion, "second virginity" concept).
Cindy seems to have gotten over her victimization somewhat miraculously - not only is the pregnancy a precious gift, but "the worst is over!" after the rape.
There are tiny sparks of good information - unfortunately most of them are hidden by misinformation and anti-choice, pro-abstinence rhetoric.
this is the same group that put an insert advertisement in my college's newspaper a few years ago that was made to look like a special section of the paper and was filled with lies lies lies about sex education and abortion. I couldn't find any information about the group back then, the bright side was that there were a lot of people at my school who were angry about it and wrote letters to the editor calling this group out on their shady 'advertising' and bullshit.
they relied heavily on the margaret-sanger-as-eugenicist "argument" and claimed that europe and the us among others are actually underpopulated so we should all go out and have (white) babies to combat the falling birthrate.
after a little bit of digging around on their website i found a repackaged version of what they distributed, same "factoids" new layout: Trapped...
I think my "favorite" part was the graph in the guys' sections showing that scientifically all girls are psycho because of their periods (and conversely boys cannot be psycho because their hormones are steady freddies). Yay!
Also: I admit to just skimming, but did anyone find the part where I can check if my boyfriend is a lizard or not? It told me to read on to find out, but I couldn't find it. I want to know!!
"Teenagers who abort are ten times as likely to commit suicide as their never-pregnant peers. Teens who abstain are more likely to graduate from high school, go to college, and graduate from college."
Do you have links to back up these stats?
Plus, even if the former is true, might there be a causal link between, say, slut-shaming, guilt-tripping crap perpetuated by pro-lifers and depression? Actually, if the latter is true too, I'd still suggest a societal cause rather than a mere 'if you get an abortion you'll die!'/'if you have sex you'll never graduate!' non-reason.
On the first page, they say that the "Human Life Alliance has distributed copies [of their publications] in more than 55 different countries on all seven continents." Because, you know, all those scientists down in Antarctica really need abstinence-only education. Or perhaps they gave them to the penguins. Because penguins are known for their promiscuity...
If this magazine was handed to any girl/guy at my school they would be falling over themselves with laughter.
oenophile,
We don't allow medically inaccurate and misleading on our thread either. Post about this again and I'll ban you.
oenphile,
What studies are you citing that say abortions cause infertility and breast cancer? Botched abortions can cause infertility, but then Roe vs. Wade came along.
“To all Feministing readers who have had abortions….” Are you serious? Because Feminism makes us uninformed about our bodies whereas your ant-choice rhetoric masqueraded as concern is shedding light on our misconceptions?
And of course, this reader pool MUST be more likely to have had an abortion, right.
JUST SAYIN.
oh god, I couldn't make it past pg. 4 of this load of bull....
Regarding birth control:
"implantation happens 5-9 days after conception when the BABY tries to implant in the uterus" (emphasis mine)
I knew to stop reading but it really sucks hard core that this is the info so many teens are getting!
oenophile, I have some news for you: pregnancy also has lots of scary health risks, so why aren't you telling women to avoid pregnancy? You know, since you care so much for women's health and stuff. Because women want to have babies? What about the women who *don't* want to have babies? Why aren't they allowed to "risk their health" for their reproductive desires but it's ok for women who choose to have babies to do so?
I will refer to other commenters who are running down links that refute your claims; read up on your science and quit being a concern troll.
Eh, sounds like a messed up magazine, but I honestly don't think its any worse than Cosmo's 11476 ways to please your man.
How gross is the warfare imagery on the boys' side? Staying abstinent is like fighting a dragon! Be cool like the guys in Lord of the Rings! Flex for the cover photo! *vomit*
Actually, women who have their first child early have a higher incidence of breast cancer.
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science?_ob=ArticleURL&_udi=B6WC2-49PYMC3-4&_user=10&_coverDate=12%2F31%2F2003&_alid=750931238&_rdoc=3&_fmt=high&_orig=search&_cdi=6726&_sort=d&_docanchor=&view=c&_ct=13&_acct=C000050221&_version=1&_urlVersion=0&_userid=10&md5=7ca417bf5600de93bd01f061b2f1cdae
Delay babeez to save your boobies!*
*In all seriousness, don't. There are just too many factors at play. Do what is right for you.
Oenphile:
You are out of your mind. Did you just google and "abortion and breast cancer" and click on the first link you saw? Try critical thinking skills and look at an actual cancer web site like, I dunno, THE AMERICAN CANCER SOCIETY? "Research studies, however, have not found a cause-and-effect relationship between abortion and breast cancer." http://www.cancer.org/docroot/CRI/content/CRI_2_6x_Can_Having_an_Abortion_Cause_or_Contribute_to_Breast_Cancer.asp
Or the NATIONAL CANCER INSTITUTE: "The newer studies consistently showed no association between induced and spontaneous abortions and breast cancer risk." http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/factsheet/Risk/abortion-miscarriage
Even the questionable WebMD site has articles on the actual research. So take your absurd and fallacious claims and your "but the patriarchy protects us!" rhetoric, and go volunteer at Planned Parenthood for some education. Sheesh.
On the Q & A page, she allots 2 whole sentences to choosing to parent; 3 sentences to adoption; and no fewer than TWELVE sentences to dissuading someone (who doesn't even mention that she's considering it - in this wonderfully genuine letter) from choosing abortion.
Each options deserves equal gravity. None of them are easy. I can't see a url in there for teens who decide to continue their pregnancies. This is typical of the anti-choice movement - they want to prevent abortion but they don't care about kids who are born (or the women who give birth to them).
Fortunately, not many teens will read this mag.
This magazine really creeps me out! It is condescending to both boys and girls, while it fabricates information about contraceptives. Did anyone read the Dr. Mary Paquette Q and A's? I was especially disturbed by her saying that women shouldn't use the pill because it can abort the "baby" trying to implant on the uterine wall. It's one thing to say that abstinence is a good option, especially at young ages, but to mislead teens into thinking that condoms and the pill are ineffective and that abortion can lead to miscarriages, premature birth and infertility is just a scare tactic. Not to mention the infamous "Post-Abortion Syndrome" that Dr. Matt Paquette brings up (in the Just for Boys side) that apparently affects men and women alike. I don't doubt that women can have a variety of emotions before and after an abortion depending on how they feel about it, but lying to teens is flat out unethical. I sincerely hope that the teens who read this have access to real information. Oh wait, abstinence-only programs are teaching the same things...
Am I being dense, but I'm sure Oenphile was actually refuting Bethany's claims that abortion causes breast cancer and infertility?
A bit superficial, but I can't get over the hysterically stereotypical design. Girls love pink, lavender, and soft lines! Buys need solid things like brick, concrete, and corrugated steel because it's for masculine sexual dragon fighters!
"Please Bethany, pray tell, can you back up that half-witted claim about abortion causing infertility and breast cancer?"
Well, you're definitely at far less risk of infertility and breast cancer in your 40s if you die in childbirth at 14 than if you get an abortion at 14...
Oenophile -
Completely and utterly WRONG. Legal, safe abortion does NOT cause infertility, and the breast cancer myth has been debunked *repeatedly* over the past twenty years. It also does NOT cause the woman to have a higher risk of depression. Even C. Everett Koop, who personally opposed abortion, refused to say so because it was not true.
As for the statement, "once you've been raped, the worst is over" - a dear friend of mine was dated raped thirty years ago. It permanently destroyed her ability to trust men, and seriously damaged her ability to enjoy a healthy relationship with a man, let alone a good sexual relationship. Rape has serious, permanent, lasting consequences on a woman's psyche, and that completely leaves aside the possibility that a rape victim might catch an STD (some of which *do* cause infertility).
You really need to check your research, and use sources besides anti-abortion fanatics. All it does it make you look like a fool, and I'm sure you don't want that.
My partner and I had a good laugh about second virginity.
I guess we have to stop sleeping together now, so it will be special when we get married in a year or so!
JaneL: The author of the comment is listed at the bottom of the post. So I think Absinthe was actually trying to respond to oenphile's claims. As far as I can tell, Bethany hasn't posted anything about abortion/infertility claims.
My God, they've covered every talking point, haven't they? Girls are crazy, needy, and gullible, and boys are hormone driven buffoons who, despite their superior logic and power, occasionally need girls to protect them from themselves.
My favorite part was the "what does this gender mean?" page where the women said, "do you respect me?" and the guys heard, "blah blah blah."
Great, so a young girl gets raped, decides maybe she doesn't want to carry a pregnancy which resulted from rape to term, and then some dumbass abstinence magazine comes along and tells her, "The rape is the worst part, the baby you give birth to afterwards isn't so bad! Oh, and don't forget that Plan B is an abortion pill and that you're a baby killer if you take that pill, even if you were raped."
I can only imagine (as I have never been sexually assaulted) that a woman who has been raped has been through enough emotional, psychological, and physical harm as it is without being told that she's immoral and selfish if she decides she doesn't want to carry a pregnancy by her rapist to term (in fact, no woman should be told that she's selfish for making the choice to have an abortion, regardless of how she came to be pregnant.)
The rest of the magazine irked me too (especially the modesty section, ugh), and it's a shame that this sort of misinformation will be distributed to teenagers who might actually believe this stuff if they have not had comprehensive sex education in the past.
Oh, and by the by, Oenophile, since wyou're quoting education statistics, you really ought to look up the education adn income levels of teenagers that HAD babies.
My favorite parts:
- Item number seven on the suggested list of "come-backs" for girls when their boyfriends want to have sex with them: "You'll have to ask my parents."
- Condoms break "frequently" and the pill kills babies. Oh, and it'll depress you and give you zits.
- Women who have abortions are "haunted" and try to block out the memory. Then they get breast cancer, and their uterus never works right again. The end!
- Guys are "visual," and basically, if he can see you, he wants to do you. Good to know.
- The Lord of the Rings reference.
- The promise to the boys that if they keep it in their pants till their wedding night, they too can have the "fireworks-filled honeymoon of their dreams." Ew.
- THE HORMONE CHART. It mocks itself.
- "My girlfriend is pregnant... I'm thinking of telling her to get an abortion."
- "Post-abortion syndrome affects men as well as women."
- "Girlfriend Pregnant? Need Help? Call This Number..."
- "I haven't had sex yet, but my friend said there is some sort of pill that a girl can take to stop a pregnancy from happening. What is that all about?"
"You are referring to emergency contraception." NOT the birth control pill, dammit! You are NOT referring to that! And, of course, it "can cause an abortion."
- To convince guys not to sexually assault girls, they say this: "Don't mess with your future." And they follow it with legal information, plus the tip to "avoid situations where you could be wrongly accused." What the hell is that supposed to men?
- The porn page. I love how they discuss it as if it's a drug and end by pleading with sex addicts to get help. WTF?
Teenagers who abort are ten times as likely to commit suicide as their never-pregnant peers.
And what about pregnant teenagers who carry to term? And in which way does the causation go? Maybe more troubled teens are more likely to have sex in the first place ... but that doesn't mean that avoiding sex will magically save you from suicide if you are troubled.
Teens who abstain are more likely to graduate from high school, go to college, and graduate from college.
Speaking as someone who was abstinant as a teenager (and not entirely by choice), I can say the causation is exactly reversed here (at least at the level of graduating from college). It is that teens who are more oriented towards achieving future goals simply are too geeky, dorky or nerdy to score when they are still in HS. ;)
Just finished reading the magazine ... Damn, that was depressing. The Pill "aborts" foetuses? Dressing modestly? And that section about how female hormones are out of control whilst male ones are pretty steady - don't get me started. And the stuff about "purity" is just plain disheartening. It makes me think of a quote by the amazing feminist writer Angela Carter: "Where does a woman's honour reside then? In her vagina or in her spirit?"
Because the honeymoon every man dreams of is full of "fireworks" like "OW OW OW STOP I THINK I'M BLEEDING"
I always thought that encouraging girls to wait until their wedding night was a sort of cruel thing to do. Isn't it something you want to enjoy?
"Oh, and by the by, Oenophile, since wyou're quoting education statistics, you really ought to look up the education adn income levels of teenagers that HAD babies."
...and don't forget the educational and income levels of women who neither abstained from sex nor got pregnant while teenagers.
"- Item number seven on the suggested list of "come-backs" for girls when their boyfriends want to have sex with them: 'You'll have to ask my parents.'"
What if she actually doesn't want sex with him but fears a breakup, says "You'll have to ask my parents," and then for whatever reason (such as him convincing his parents to make an offer) her parents do give him "permission"...?
"Because the honeymoon every man dreams of is full of 'fireworks' like 'OW OW OW STOP I THINK I'M BLEEDING'
"I always thought that encouraging girls to wait until their wedding night was a sort of cruel thing to do. Isn't it something you want to enjoy?"