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Sex Education

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druscilla.
Bleeding on the Floor
druscilla.
Age: 36
Gender: Female
Posts: 1671
February 25th, 2007 at 10:48pm
I believe in sex education.
I do not believe in "abstinence-only" sex education.
I think it's irresponsible to not teach teenagers about safe sex.
I think it's just plain stupid to think that by teaching abstinence-only they won't have sex.

I also think that they misrepresent data to try and scare teenagers into not having sex.

Quote
A 2004 analysis of 13 abstinence-only curricula which received United States government funding found that 11 contained factual errors.
-United States House of Representatives Committee on Government Reform—Minority Staff, Special Investigations Division

I also believe that abstinence-only programs increase teenage pregnancies, rather than preventing them.

Quote
Even though there is great enthusiasm in some circles for abstinence-only interventions, the evidence does not support abstinence-only interventions as the best way to keep young people from unintended pregnancy...
-http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/8470845/

Abstinence-only programs have never been proven effective in delaying the onset of sexual activities of young people, and often result in riskier sexual behavior by teenagers.
-http://www.aauw.org/issue_advocacy/actionpages/positionpapers/repro_abstinenceonly.cfm

...research shows that comprehensive methods of sexual education that discuss methods of contraception, while encouraging teenagers to delay sexual activity, are most effective.
-http://www.menstuff.org/issues/byissue/teenpregnancy.html


Discuss?
Lovesick Melody.
Bulletproof Heart
Lovesick Melody.
Age: 83
Gender: Female
Posts: 25760
February 25th, 2007 at 11:20pm

I think that if you introduce sex eduacation too early then kids might think that everyone's doing it, but if you introduce it at about 17 then it might have a really good impact on todays youth.
Cigarettes And Suicide
Bleeding on the Floor
Cigarettes And Suicide
Age: 37
Gender: Female
Posts: 1725
February 25th, 2007 at 11:23pm
I remember seeing a movie where a fifteen-year-old had sex with her boyfriend, and because of her religious beliefs she couldn't wear a condom. Something about 'If I'm using protection, it means I intended to have sex, which is wrong in God's eyes' and guess what? She ended up pregnant.

In other news, abstinence-only education is ridiculous as far as I'm concerned. Kids are curious. They want to feel like they know what the world's all about, they're going to explore avenues of sexual activity as well as rebelling against their parents, and experiment with drinking or drugs in an attempt to make sense of their place in the world and how it all works.
The opinion of 'but if we teach them about sex (as in safe sex), it will encourage them to go out and do it' is appalling. Kids are easily influenced, yes, but not that easily influenced, nor are they that stupid.
In Australia, we start our sex ed in schools in Grade 5, which is 9 & 10-year-olds. To start off with, it's mainly the puberty issues and explaining the changers we're going through, or about to go through. Then in high school (Grade 8 - 12 & 13-year-olds), we start 'Lifeskills' classes, which is a weekly lesson like maths or English, but they teach us more about our bodies, puberty, peer pressure, teen issues such as drinking and drug use, and safe sex. I personally would say that it was quite comforting to be educated on all the specifics of sexual maturity, contraception options, the what-ifs and the wherefores and mainly the hows and whys. And good to know that there was an entire group of people going through it with me that could discuss these issues, and teachers and guidance counsellors that I could go to if I needed further advice.
And after all that, I was a 'late starter' - I stayed a virgin until I had found the person I wanted to give it to, I had respect for myself and my body and I wasn't curious so much about the act, because we'd had it all explained to us and God knows my friends and I had spent the last few years talking seemingly non-stop about it.

Abstinence-only ed makes no sense - the powers that be seem to think that our youth will swallow any old crap they feel like feeding us with no questions asked, but it's simple human nature that is likely to lead kids into temptation in this issue - they want to know why, how, when, where, etc, and unless someone tries to discuss it with them and share their knowledge, the poor kid will go out and find out for themselves, often with negative results (pregnancy etc).
We're not stupid, and we're not so easily led. Just teach them, give them options, allow them to wallow in knowledge, and see how far they get with that. A lot further than 'Don't do it or you'll die of AIDS', I bet.
druscilla.
Bleeding on the Floor
druscilla.
Age: 36
Gender: Female
Posts: 1671
February 25th, 2007 at 11:28pm
XxMyBrutalRomancexX:

I think that if you introduce sex eduacation too early then kids might think that everyone's doing it, but if you introduce it at about 17 then it might have a really good impact on todays youth.

17 is too young when the average age for sexual activity is 11 or 12.
I think 13 or 14.
Cigarettes And Suicide
Bleeding on the Floor
Cigarettes And Suicide
Age: 37
Gender: Female
Posts: 1725
February 25th, 2007 at 11:30pm
XxMyBrutalRomancexX:

I think that if you introduce sex eduacation too early then kids might think that everyone's doing it, but if you introduce it at about 17 then it might have a really good impact on todays youth.


17 could be too late, did you look at it like that?

Early education is the best prevention. Even if a kid decides they want to have sex and nobody can stop them, at least if they're aware of their options, they will make a better choice, and usually things work out fine. For instance, if they aren't aware of condoms, or the morning-after pill, or birth control, they could end up pregnant. If they've been educated and they know all those things, the likelihood of them enjoying their maturation as a sexual being, and realising that it's part of being human and that it's a personal choice, is much higher.

And the whole deal with 'everybody's doing it' is a load of crap. I never once felt pressured to give it up to some random idiot because people in my classes were bragging about their sordid weekends. If anything, it made me more determined to respect myself and only do it when I was ready, when the person I loved was ready, and after much discussion of the issue.
If there is no proper education, then kids are far more likely to indulge in dangerous practices (including giving in to peer pressure) because they aren't aware of how big a mistake they could be making. If you know the whole deal before you get to the stage of doing it, you will be more comfortable in knowing that you have all the knowledge you need.
It's about respecting yourself, having morals, making smart decisions rather than acting like a frigging sheep and going along with what you think everyone else is doing. You'd be surprised, for every 5 kids in my class that claimed they had had sex or sexual contact of some kind, 4 of them were lying. Do your own thing and stand up for your own beliefs. That's all there is to it.
x-Hail Of Bullets-x
Thinking Happy Thoughts
x-Hail Of Bullets-x
Age: 38
Gender: Female
Posts: 483
February 26th, 2007 at 12:54am
I also believe that 17 is far far too late.
I recieved my first sex education when I was in year 6, so that would have made me about 12....

Although after that I went to a Catholic High School, where they taught NOTHING about contraception. I realise they don't believe in that kind of thing and it's against their religion, but I think think they should cover it.
I mean not everyone in the school is going to be Catholic and not everyone is going to follow the rules.

I think if anything it's just promoting teen pregnancy. Just because they did it that way, way back when in the bible doesn't mean that it's applicable today.
I:IIIIII
Fabulous Killjoy
I:IIIIII
Age: 55
Gender: Female
Posts: 119
February 26th, 2007 at 03:56am
I think teaching sex ed is alot more responsible than teaching abstinence. I mean, if a school is teaching abstinence only, and a person at that school wants to know about safe sex, what is that school going to tell them? "DON'T DO IT!!" then if that person goes and has sex without protection, it could lead to unwanted pregnancy, STIs or something along those lines.
if its against someones religion to have sex ed classes at my school, they get a form signed by their parent, and they dont attend that class, simple as that.
iwillalwayshateyou
Killjoy
iwillalwayshateyou
Age: 30
Gender: Female
Posts: 1
February 26th, 2007 at 10:56am
i think its wrong that people who are having sex at the age of twelve is wrong because you should give your virginity to someone that means something i know someone who lost her virginity in year 6 and she regrets it
jayness1990
Joining The Black Parade
jayness1990
Age: 34
Gender: Male
Posts: 218
February 26th, 2007 at 02:28pm
In High School i didnt really recieve anything about sex. Sex was just this thing what everyone did. at Rudheath everyone knew about it. But not many people knew about the pros and cons. Like hardly anyone knew about safe sex. We knew for a fact people werent using Protection. Come on 7 girls in my year got pregnant at the age of 15!! WTF?! We got told a little tiny bit about sex in Science in YEAR 7! and that was it. We had this asian guy called Mr Balabil running around the class pretending to be a sperm! What a jerk! He never told us anything about safe sex or anything about how to do it. Just about once the sperm got inside. Useless or what?!
loaded_gun
Jazz Hands
loaded_gun
Age: 31
Gender: Female
Posts: 398
February 26th, 2007 at 07:56pm
I think that their should be sexual education for the young people of today. They need to be taught about safe sex. I also think that if they're in their teenage years they should definatly practice safe sex. But I persoanaly believe that teaching the abstinence-only method just makes kids want to go out and have unprotected sex. I think that if kids were taught in a civil manner than maybe there would be a lot less bad things cropping up, unplanned babies and STD's and STI's. I personally have never had sex but when I start I plan to be on the pill and to have the guy wearing a condom only because I want to protect myself and my body. I was taught by my friends about sex when I was 5...And I'm glad I never acted upon what they told me. I learned more from school but the used the abstinence method and told kids that they should wait till marrige to have sex. My parents told me that I should when I was ready and they walked me though safe ways to do it. I'm lucky to have such wonderful parents to talk to and be open with. They know a lot and they just want me to be safe and so do I. But I personally think kids should be taught about sex around the 11-13 age period.
Plus me and my boyfriend have decided that we would wait till we were very truely in love, we are in love but we want it to last a while and be in love which is what I think sex is all about. Expressing you true feelings of love for one person and being comfortable with who you're with so that they know where you are and you both...know what the other one wants Wink
Yeah...oddly spacific and personal answer to the topic. Shocked
Very Happy
don't aim to please.
Banned
don't aim to please.
Age: 33
Gender: Female
Posts: 1543
February 26th, 2007 at 09:14pm
XxMyBrutalRomancexX:

I think that if you introduce sex eduacation too early then kids might think that everyone's doing it, but if you introduce it at about 17 then it might have a really good impact on todays youth.
17 is real late.
Cigarettes And Suicide
Bleeding on the Floor
Cigarettes And Suicide
Age: 37
Gender: Female
Posts: 1725
February 27th, 2007 at 12:41am
loaded_gun:
I personally have never had sex but when I start I plan to be on the pill and to have the guy wearing a condom only because I want to protect myself and my body. I was taught by my friends about sex when I was 5...And I'm glad I never acted upon what they told me. I learned more from school but the used the abstinence method and told kids that they should wait till marrige to have sex. My parents told me that I should when I was ready and they walked me though safe ways to do it. I'm lucky to have such wonderful parents to talk to and be open with. They know a lot and they just want me to be safe and so do I. But I personally think kids should be taught about sex around the 11-13 age period.
Plus me and my boyfriend have decided that we would wait till we were very truely in love, we are in love but we want it to last a while and be in love which is what I think sex is all about. Expressing you true feelings of love for one person and being comfortable with who you're with so that they know where you are and you both...know what the other one wants Wink
Yeah...oddly spacific and personal answer to the topic. Shocked
Very Happy

I think it's great that you've made up your mind, you sound like you're pretty well-informed on the subject and it's good that you're standing up for your own beliefs - not many teens have the self-assurance to do so, which is sad. Hold on to that, and take whatever steps you feel comfortable with when you and you alone are ready.
I'm glad to know that there are parents out there who are open and supportive with their kids on such topics - I had to learn all I knew about sex from my friends, school, TV and magazines, because my dad never said a word about it and all my mum ever told me was 'You keep your pants on until you're married, end of story'. I was lucky enough to do my research and find out a lot of stuff so I could make the right decisions in my own time, and I'm kind of disappointed that my parents weren't able to help educate me. It got to the point where, at 15, I asked her to take me to the doctor's to get me on the Pill, and she flat-out refused - even my boyfriend's mother told her she would be more comfortable with us having a relationship if I was on birth control - my mum was too blinded by her own sense of morality to do the right thing. I knew even then that my mum was being an idiot because, hey, things were going to happen, maybe not right away, but thank God I knew about condoms, because God knows what could have happened otherwise.
It's not just a school's job to teach you the big life issues - that's where your parents should come in and share their experience and beliefs with you, and try and help you make good choices, rather than just 'wait until you have a ring on your finger' (which is a direct quote from my mother), and expect you to swallow it with no questions. But then schools should definitely abolish abstinence-only ed in case some students do have parents like mine - if nothing else, it gives you the knowledge you need to protect yourself.
Ava Maria
Bleeding on the Floor
Ava Maria
Age: 40
Gender: Female
Posts: 1423
February 27th, 2007 at 11:39am
You know,I think that should be up to the parent to talk to their children about this.

In school as far as showing how the reproductive organs work and stuff is fine but when they're handing out condoms of different flavors that's another.
Fezzik
Salute You in Your Grave
Fezzik
Age: 33
Gender: Female
Posts: 2748
February 27th, 2007 at 01:26pm
I think sex education is too important to leave to the responsibility of the parent. If a parent really doesn't want their child learning about sex / birth control, they should be able to sign their child out of class and deal with the consequences on their own, but if birth control education was left solely up to the parents, a lot of them would be too embarrassed - or just busy - to properly educate their children.
girl interrupted.
Salute You in Your Grave
girl interrupted.
Age: 29
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Posts: 2792
February 27th, 2007 at 02:43pm
I think sex ed is really important. My mum doesn't actually discuss it with me, just gives me books.
It should be taught in schools, cause then you wouldn't have boys bringing in condoms and throwing them at people for a laugh like contraception is some kind of joke (this actually happened TODAY).
People in our school either know too much (and joke about it regularly) or too little. Some people will yell 'go f*ck your boyfriend, h*ebag' at people walking down corridors, and some people think that you can get STI's from kissing.
Virginity shouldn't be something student's joke about or laugh at.
It should be taught because school is about learning about important things. If some parents really don't want their kid to have Sex Ed, then they should just sign a form and the kid can go in the library. If they do, they will have the responsibility of telling the kid everything, otherwise they'll get a twisted version of the truth from their friends which will probably include giggling and things like 'if your not a virgin while your still 16 your a total wh*re bag sl*g'.
And me being a retard, isn't absteneince only where it's 'Keep your pants on till your married or else' sort of thing? Sorry =|
bloodredruby69
Banned
bloodredruby69
Age: 35
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Posts: 8293
February 27th, 2007 at 03:45pm
I'm a former sex-educator from West Coast BC, and we had a very regemented program.
We taught kids starting in grade six right up until grade ten or eleven.
It was a mandatory section too.

From my experiences, I do not believe that abstinence only teaching is a good
way to go about it. It's like saying "just don't." It can actually make teens want
to try sex even more, and because it is only abstinence teachings, they don't
know about the options to protect themselves against pregnancy, or the STDs
and infections they can potentially get from unprotected sexual encounters.

Our sex-ed program consisted of ; puberty lessons in grade six,
and then (increasing in informational value and complexity as the grades got higher)
STD's, Birth Control, "Safe Sex", How to properly put on a condom, How to say No,
How STDs can get passed on and how easy they are to pass on,
HIV/AIds usually had at least on lesson to themselves, etc.

I find this to be the most effective way of teaching.
Because then the kids have all the information, whether they choose to use it or not.
goodbye lenin!
Bleeding on the Floor
goodbye lenin!
Age: 33
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Posts: 1309
February 27th, 2007 at 04:50pm
I had a lesson in school on sex education today, and I can honestly say it didn't tell me anything I didn't already know. The teachers just told us not to have sex before marriage. I think there needs to be a new way of teaching about sex education especially in schools. Because when your 67 year old teacher tries to explain how to use a condom & what to do if you get pregnant, all you can do is stifle a laugh and wait for the lesson to be over. And considering that this year alone I know of 3 girls who have got pregant and then got an abortion and I know of another who is only 14 and is due to give birth on 4 th april. I think this shows that sex education in schools were I live isn't making any difference.
ZOMBIE;
Thinking Happy Thoughts
ZOMBIE;
Age: 33
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Posts: 516
February 27th, 2007 at 05:07pm
I had sex ed today as well.
I really dont think that they should make kids sit and listen to them preach to us if we dont want to hear it. some kids minds kind be changed on what they think about sex and they will problley just go out and get STDs and get pregnant anyway. And i know its important for us to know but I've had sex ed since 5th grade and i think thats entirely to early to start but to keep doing it every year is ridiculous. There are girls in my school who have gottten pregnant and sex ed didnt help them at all obvioously

sorry about the spelling
Fezzik
Salute You in Your Grave
Fezzik
Age: 33
Gender: Female
Posts: 2748
February 27th, 2007 at 05:18pm
^But just because one method isn't effective doesn't mean the whole system should be tossed out the window. Obviously telling kids the same thing every year since the age of ten isn't the best approach, but surely there are programs that work better (like what Ruby said)
ZOMBIE;
Thinking Happy Thoughts
ZOMBIE;
Age: 33
Gender: Female
Posts: 516
February 27th, 2007 at 05:22pm
well I think that we should have sex ed but deffinetely not in the 5th grade and maybe just like twice in middle school not 4 times.
Its a good prgram but they are shoving it down kids throats.