Can we get over our "morality" and prevent careless pregnancies?

Question

Western European teens have fewer pregnancies, and lower levels of STDs than their American counterparts.Why?

- Because European teens have easy access to contraceptives, confidential health care and comprehensive sex education.

- Because teen reproductive health is treated as a public health issue, not a political or religious one.

- Because mass media is a partner, not a problem. The European message is simple: respect and protect yourself and your partner.

Almost a million American teenagers become pregnant each year, resulting in almost 500,000 births, 125,000 miscarriages and 264,000 abortions.

Isn't time to scrap the ineffective "abstinence programs," get over our conservative "morality" and get real about teen sexuality?

Sex education needs to start in the home environment and be continued in primary school. You would not allow a parent to withdraw their children from math or English lessons; neither should they be allowed to withdraw them from sex education.

re: Ruth
"Obviously" you like shooting off your big mouth.
"Obviously" parents are not doing their job.
"Obviously" we have a child who was gifted and now owns his own business, and reared a wonderful grandchild.
If parent's can't or refuse to educate their children, then someone else needs to do the job.

Hey, Ruth...how do you feel about the over-prescription of Ritalin? Think it's wrong to drug our kids? But we can't give them information and contraception?

Answer 1

Applause John Doe! Honestly, this whole subject just winds me up. I remember when Planned Parenthood tried to reach out to the pro-lifers. They approached them with the idea that they could both come closer to their separate goals if they could get together and effectively reduce pregnancies. But the pro-lifers wouldn't talk with them or meet with them. Instead they stood behind Bush on the abstinence only programs. Now those programs are failing, and it's only a surprise to the pro-lifers who so stubbornly resist the reality that teenagers especially will be human, no matter how well they were raised. Ignoring reality does nothing but cause more problems for everyone.

I actually find it to be a very selfish and self-serving thing for parents to rely on abstinence only. It makes THEM feel good about their parenting, but it does nothing but put our children at risk for not just pregnancy, but STDs as well. Children are not robots, they make mistakes and they make them often. It doesn't mean they are bad kids or that their parents aren't good parents. It means they are human and they have failings. To pretend that isn't so puts our children at increased risk - and all so they can delude themselves that that makes them a good parent. There's nothing wrong with teaching abstinence, nothing at all. But it has to be in tandem with information that stems from the reality right in front of us.

Answer 2

Sex education might be the most important thing a child learns in school. A bad choice with sex could ruin their lives. The argument that parents should be the sole provider of this information is obviously naive. Too many parents don't do the job there supposed to when it comes to educating their children about sex. The reason people oppose sex education is simply irrational. They claim it's too intimate to teach in a secular classroom. They claim that their religion will address it. What happens ? The statistics you gave, shows what happens.
Sex education should be mandatory. REQUIRED BY LAW. The success such policies have had in Europe validates this policy.
ruth, you gave your typical b.s. You have overlooked the obvious ! The reason that Europe is different from the United States is BECAUSE they have pursued different policies. Do you really think that people from different parts of the world are innately different ?! The point is that we have got to change the very culture of how we deal with underage sex !

Answer 3

You are absolutely correct in everything you have said here! Teaching children and teens that sex is dirty and shameful, has a negative effect on the psyche, that can last a lifetime, and can do great damage to some people's ability to have good relationships with life partners! Education is key, and birth control, etc., is also key! *sm*

Answer 4

We can, John, and doing so starts with education. A little education in the sciences and that morality melts away. A little studying of the social sciences and the societal problems associated with unwanted pregnancies take precedence over moral issues. I could go on and on...

Answer 5

The Catholic Church has alot to say on this topic.
Okay, so we'll tell teens that sex is WRONG before marriage.
I don't understand how people think that just saying those words is enough? Teens have those natural urges and they will ultimately make their own decisions.
So why not encourage safe sex rather than saying abstain from sex entirely?
Telling them to abstain from sex is not a realistic goal to try and reach. I'm sure not all teens have sex but for those that do, safe sex options should be made readily available to them.
People who speak AGAINST abortion AND birth control are not being realistic!
If one chooses to be against and fight abortion, how can you be against birth control for teens??
Its obvious that they aren't all listening to abstain from having sex, so why not make condoms and other forms of birth control available to them?
You can't shake your finger at them and say,"No no no-you are not to have sex, and if you still choose to, you cannot have any birth control."
Its better for teen girls to have sex, become pregnant, be denied an abortion, continue with the pregnancy, meanwhile possibly be on public assistance so Us tax dollars are paying for her prenatal care?!
This country acts way too conservatively and also too nosy and controlling while infringing the rights of others.
I agree with you 100%!

Answer 6

I agree. I have never ever understood the logic of teaching sex ed, but not contraceptives or protection. If this was taught there would be fewer teenage births, fewer unwanted children, fewer abortions, and fewer numbers on social programs. Seems like a win win to me.

Answer 7

I completely agree with your 150%. Abstinence programs don't really work, that's not sex education, sex ed is condoms, pregnancy, STDs, and such. In this day and age, teens needs to hear about sex protection, not sex prevention because that doesn't exist

Answer 8

Oh how dare you infringe on their rights to have stupid uneducated kids? How dare you think that education is the key to keeping America's kids safe from VD? You must be a liberal.
Conservatives are too prudish about sex to ever agree with this, they think it needs to be kept private, hidden away and not talked about. These are people who think porn is bad for Gods sake.

Answer 9

The thing you need to realize is that abstinence is the ONLY 100% effective way of preventing STDs and pregnancy.

Besides, you can go to any free clinic to pick up contraceptives for free. Most facilies put them at extremely easy access points. The problem is that most teens are too lazy to go get them. They know that they are there. They choose not to go get them. Why should they? Our government provides free health care to the new mom and her baby, food stamps, and many other benefits that we the hard working citizens provide.

The bigger issue here in this country is if we are truly going to fix the problems associated with teen pregnancy we will have to ask ourselves why then do we make the "problem" seem like a good thing. If you are going to have all of your expenses paid and then some, why shouldn't you get pregnant. It is a very mixed message we are sending our young people by not making pregnancy a big deal.

Even after the child is born, unwed mothers can get a free education for college. I didn't get that. Of course, I abstained in high school so I was punished for it later.

And while the mother is getting her free education (again, paid by us) her child is getting free, or reduced, daycare.(guess who pays for that?)

Ask how many people out there who went about having there families the right way if the government paid for all of that? It's another mixed message.

Answer 10

O.K. Who's daughter should we start with. Do you think this may be why the rash of young teachers are engaging in sex with their students. Something is not working with the program.