What do you think of this feminist quote about abstinence only "sex education"? Agree or Disagree? Why?

Question

"Just saying no prevents teenage pregnancy the way 'Have a nice day' cures chronic depression."
-- Faye Wattleton --

Answer 1

Abstinence only education is what I was taught throughout my adolescence from both church and parents.

I got pregnant the first time I had sex when I was eighteen because my boyfriend said I couldn't get pregnant the first time and I didn't know any better (this was years before the information was as easily available as it is today.)

My resentment stemming from that event changed my relationship with my parents (who never knew) and caused me to leave the church.

To this day I am angry that religious dogma was an excuse for me not to be educated about sex when I needed the information the most.

When you consider the stats on the number of people having premarital sex, you have to know that most of these people preaching abstinence only are hypocrites, including my parents who got married because my mother got pregnant.

Answer 2

Teenage sex has been occuring since the beginning of time. It is pretty irresponsible to teach children that when it never worked for thousands of years. I would prefer my child to have safe sex than to end up with an unwanted pregnancy or a life threatening sexually transmitted disease.
I have been teaching sexual education for many years. My sons and daughters have been told to make responsible choices so they don't impact the life of another or bring a child into the world when they are not emotionally and psychologically ready.
I agree with that quote 110 percent.
More parents should be teaching children responsibility instead of turning a blind eye and getting by on a wish and a prayer.
One of the most disturbing sites I have witnessed was a thirteen year old giving birth. The father was nowhere to be seen and the poor thing was crying for her mother through the entire labour. This could have been prevented. What kind of life can she give to a baby when she is but a child herself?

Answer 3

I agree. These are children we are talking about. Rich with an abundance of raging hormones. It is a part of human nature to be sexual. Given the right circumstance, anyone can get caught up in the moment. It is not that the children are bad.

It is like giving a child a car without teaching him or her how to drive and telling them that they can start driving it in 4 years. You don't tell them that what could happen to them if they don't buckle up.

Because you told them to wait, you expect them to ignore peer pressure and stand by the convictions that you have imposed on them. Of course they want to do as you ask, and be the child you want. But, that is not a realistic expectation. Think back to when you were young, granted, many didn't give in to sex. Others weren't given the option to say no. There are many different scenarios.

It is a fool who goes out into a rainstorm without an umbrella, and it is a fool who would send their child out into this world without the safety precautions that could prevent life altering consequences. In these days, sex can kill.

Aids doesn't care how many times you have said no. It could strike your child the one time they said yes. Why can't we love our kids enough to give them a safety net that they may never need to use? If you have taught your child well, why don't you trust them? Knowledge is the power they need to make the right decision.

To think that calling abstinence a sex "education" is absurd.

Answer 4

Great quotation! I think it's spot-on, and is similar to effectiveness of the "just say no" to drugs slogan. Abstinence should be a part of education, but so should all forms of birth control. Also, one of the things that should be taught is the psychological, physical, and spiritual implications of sex--as well as sex that is not heterosexual. Young men and women should be allowed to know that sex has all kinds of positive elements to it when it is responsible. The idea of respect for the self and partners should also be taught, as should the psychological implications of sex--how people can feel about themselves if they make the wrong choices. The idea of a spiritual communion between people--that it's not only a physical act, but an important connection--should also be taught. Sex is one thing, sexuality is another, and it's sexuality that needs to be taught. That is, kids should know that everyone is unique, everyone has dignity, and everyone deserves respect. We are letting our children down when we don't talk about both the positives and negatives about sex and clearly, judging from the poor sex-ed programs now, anything that helps people become more confident, aware, and knowlegeable about what sexuality is can only help them be healthier and self-respecting.

Answer 5

People who advocate abstinence only "education" have clearly forgotten what it is like to be a teenager. Telling teenagers not to do something is a sure way to guarantee that they're going to do it. And if they're not being taught about birth control, it just makes it that much more likely for them to get pregnant. It's great to teach teenagers about abstinence as an option, but it shouldn't be a substitute for teaching them about safe sex, if they do make the decision to be sexually active. If Christian groups took the money that they spend every year advocating abstinence only education and protesting abortion rights, and instead spent it on educating teens about safe sex and increasing accessibility to birth control for teens that do make an educated decision to have sex, that would do way more for decreasing teen pregnancy rates than abstinence only education ever could.

Answer 6

All legitimate research clearly shows that abstinence education is an abysmal failure at preventing teen pregnancy and the spread of STDs. Abstinence education has been as completely absurd as was another punitive paradigm Christian-based loser of a community health "plan": "By preventing the distribution of condoms, no one will have sex, and, if they have unprotected sex, clearly they deserve to die of AIDS."

Answer 7

I don't know about the quote by Ms. Wattleton but I do know that abstinence-only programs are Not sex education.

Real sex education is Sexual Health education that gives us knowledge that we need to take care of ourselves. It is not about morals it is about information.

The Sexuality Information and Education Council of the United States has studied how effective abstinence-only programs in American schools are and they do not have a significant effect on teen sexual behaviour.

I believe that kids who are in abstinence-only programs have less use of birth control by both sexes and a slightly higher rate of STIs than kids who have sexual health education for real. And this is definitely true when you compare American teens to teens in every other 1st world country and many 3rd world countries.

There is no evidence that abstinence-only programs stop teens from having sex or do anything but not educate them about protection. There is no evidence that sexual health education encourages teens to have sex.

And the truth is that Real sexual health education is needed in America not just for kids but for many Adults. I see that when I answer some questions in Womens Health.

Answer 8

Agree, although only mildly. abstinence education has its place, but it needs to be supplemented with real education about sex, std's, protection, and the dangers and rewards of sex. Basically I know its cliche but being honest can pay dividends. I mean, most people that have had sex understand that it can lead to heartbreak, and from the number of sexually transmitted diseases we know that its a risk, but it also needs to be explained that sex isn't a complete taboo, because, well kids like to do the wrong thing, they love to push the limits, and just saying "No, it isn't for you!" doesn't work well. Teach them everything and trust them to make their own choices.

Answer 9

I totally agree because most kids go with their hormones not with their heads. Depending on abstinence to prevent pregnancy is about as smart as using the Rhythm method of birth control. It works only if you work it an teenagers in the middle of arousal don't work it. Most of them don't' want to stop mid point and most of them don't realize that it takes little to get to that point. When they think of birth control it's usually after the fact. It makes more sense to deal with reality as it is not as you would like it to be.

Answer 10

That's completely true. Too often schools don't even have sex ed, unless of course you count someone shoving down abstinence down your throat for a week sex ed. Personally I never got sex ed, and neither did many of my friends. It really should be the parents' job, but sadly they aren't taking the responsibility to do it, and it seems the schools aren't either.

It's a sad day when our children have to resort to the internet to learn, as I did.