The debate between teaching students comprehensive sex ed vs. abstinence only is unfortunately still going on, despite the fact that in the places where abstinence only is taught, teen pregnancy rates are the highest. In the U.S some of the state laws regarding sex ed are appalling: many states require or encourage abstinence only education. Some states require that if homosexuality is discussed, it must be discussed accurately, and only some states require that sex ed material is medically accurate. This is an issue I'm very passionate about and love to rant about. What are your guys' thoughts and opinions, maybe experiences with sex ed in the U.S. or elsewhere?
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It is a sad state of affairs that we can not rely on parents to properly teach kids everything that people should know about sex and masturbation. That this huge part of everyone's lives that can completely change lives is hidden away behind closed doors and awkward conversations.
However, that is the reality of it, so it falls to schools to make up for that parenting that parents often times do not do, or do properly. It is not to surprising that schools/states screw it up to.
Like many things (religion, other politics, etc) rational thought based on measured evidence does not win the day, emotions, lack of funding (not spending a little short term to: save a lot long term,) and politicians trying to score easy points does instead.
Instead of learning what sex really is, oftentimes kids learn what sex is through their horny teenage peers, media, and porn. All of which badly distorts the reality and does not show the possible very damaging long term consequences, (teen pregnancy, stds, sexual assault/abuse etc.)
It is even worse when sex ed is used to release fiction in medical accuracy and not talk about lgbtq.
Let us bring real conversation about all this into the light of day, instead of having it all fester in the shadows. I blame religions, and the early puritan colonies when the US got formed, as a big reason this is even an issue, when it should not be an issue.
This whole teach abstinence is a farce. This idea is religiously motivated
Abstinence-only is the mantra chanted by the Cult of Virginity.
Sex hadn't been invented when I went to school in the 50s and 60s in the UK/New Zealand. All I learned was to watch out for unmarried pregnant women trying to snag a husband, and to beware of dire but unnameable diseases. It sounds like they're still running the same program in some parts of the US.
The mechanics of sex are very simple. Even untrained amateurs seem to manage it. The emotional component is more difficult, especially for kids in the middle of hormonal perfect storm of adolescence. I think that rightly belongs in the family, rather than in a classroom full of horny but easily embarrassed teenagers. So maybe we should have sex ed. teaching classes for parents.
Defunding Planned Parenthood Led to More Teen Abortions and Unintended Pregnancies in the state of Texas.
http://www.patheos.com/blogs/friendlyatheist/2017/07/13/defunding-planne...
Theist in general are pretty ignorant of inconvenient facts, but "pro lifers" are particularly bad.
The whack jobs that stand all day outside of planned parenthood with posters of pictures of aborted babies are literally pushing towards more cases of what their posters show in their actions. Most of these people are pushing for outlawing abortion completely and shutting down any provider of abortion services even if they provide other very valuable services to women.
Abortions like the ones the pictures show these guys walk around with never happens in planned parenthood clinics. 3rd term abortions are very rare, and when they are performed it is usually because the mother's life is in mortal danger, or the fetus is severely damaged and likely non viable. Or other extreme conditions. A perfectly healthy female walking into planned parenthood 6+ months pregnant expecting an abortion of a healthy baby will be disappointed.
However outlaw and/or make all abortions difficult to acquire, and the back alley, dirty black market doc abortions will increase greatly, the kind of abortions like the one their pictures show. The proof of this is in history, and in other places of the world that banned abortions.
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-answering a common "pro-lifer" counter argument:
Yes, there is long waiting list for adopting babies. (Although, that list shrinks or disappears if the baby is male and has certain skin colors.) However on the other end, there are millions of unwanted kids, shuffling from lousy foster homes to wards of the state, and positive outcomes for these kids are very dim. If you are a boy, over the age of 5, without white skin, the odds that you will be adopted into a decent loving home is very, VERY! small. People that adopt mean well, but after going through the stringent requirements and expense of adopting a kid, they are far more likely to adopt that cute, undamaged by life, baby that they can raise to be their own from the start, then that 8 year old boy that already has behavior issues from a lifetime of neglect, rejection and living in poor, overcrowded conditions.
Outlaw abortion and you inject millions more unwanted babies into the adoption pool, even the waitlist for babies will dry up, and demand for non babies will evaporate to near non existence. A kid getting orphaned at age two, by a deadly car accident that also killed all close, willing relatives/friends? Be instantly doomed to a life of foster homes and being ward of a state with all it's negative outcomes.
Simply put, the more unwanted babies, (millions more!) will: further decrease the likelihood of kids of the wrong age/gender/skin-color getting adopted. Adoption is already a huge problem that will be made infinitely worse with banning/restricting abortion.
I could go on, with many other great points, but the two above should be more than enough to show the horrible damaging hypocrisy and ignorance of "pro lifers."
Of course it did. These christards are so short sighted that they have not realized the unintended consequences of their knee jerk faith based policies. Fucking idiots
This shouldn't even be a debate. All available data shows that abstinence-only sex-ed is ineffective. The only reason this argument is ongoing is because of a bunch of loudmouth religious extremists who think that their interpretation of a badly translated book not two millennia old is enough to overcome drives instilled by millions of years of evolution.
@The_Hyphenator: "bunch of loudmouth religious extremists who think that their interpretation of a badly translated book not two millennia old is enough to overcome drives instilled by millions of years of evolution"
I think they're well aware of those drives because they have them themselves. The first rule of religious moralizing is to cover up your own sinful urges by loudly condemning them in others. And if they can't have fun following their urges, the next best thing is to try to stop others from doing so.