Abstinence or Safe-Sex in schools? Your thoughts?

[Rainbow Mage]

No, I think teaching kids abstinence-only education would increase pregnancy and STD's. Well, at least this is what the data shows.

Ah okay, we agree there. Abstinence only will never work, because children will do something they want to do anyway, rather their parents tell them otherwise or not. My dad telling me to wait until marriage didn't stop me from losing my virginity at 12, or from being gay, LOL.

 

[*Anne*]

Looks like I agree with everyone here.

I'd love to teach a comprehensive sex ed course. I remember my teachers being awkward, embarrassed, and generally unhelpful. I, on the other hand, would leave no stone unturned.

 

[Mr Cheese]

Looks like I agree with everyone here.

I'd love to teach a comprehensive sex ed course. I remember my teachers being awkward, embarrassed, and generally unhelpful. I, on the other hand, would leave no stone unturned.

would there be a practical if I was to attend?

 

[9-10ths_Penguin]

I could agree, if they were teaching both, but people seem to want to teach either one or the other.

I've never heard of any sex education class that didn't mention abstinence as an option.

 

[*Anne*]

would there be a practical if I was to attend?

Well now you've got me thinking. I could make some serious money doing this!

 

[TheKnight]

The California Comprehensive Sexual Health and HIV/AIDS Prevention Education Act (Education Code [EC] sections 51930-51939), has two primary purposes:

• To provide a pupil with the knowledge and skills necessary to protect his or her sexual and reproductive health from unintended pregnancy and STDs;
• To encourage a pupil to develop healthy attitudes concerning adolescent growth and development, body image, gender roles, sexual orientation, dating, marriage, and family.

These sections of the EC address both comprehensive sexual health education and HIV/AIDS prevention education. The law requires that HIV/AIDS prevention education is taught once in middle school and once in high school, and states that if comprehensive sexual health education is taught, the local educational agency (LEA) must abide by all tenets of EC 51933. The LEA may not pick and choose topics.
"Comprehensive sexual health education" means education regarding human development and sexuality, including education on pregnancy, family planning, and sexually transmitted diseases (EC 51931).
"HIV/AIDS prevention education" means instruction on the nature of HIV/AIDS, methods of transmission, strategies to reduce the risk of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection, and social and public health issues related to HIV/AIDS (EC 51931).
Abstinence shall be taught within the context of HIV/AIDS prevention education (EC 51934 (3), however, abstinence-only education is not permitted in California public schools.


(Source)

Perhaps this is why I've never met anyone (in real life) who has had "abstinence only education".

 

[dawny0826]

Should safe-sex and sex education be taught at school, or should we go with the right-wing option, promote abstinence? I definitely think kids need to be taught about sex and safe sex especially, because I know my first time was at a young age, and a lot of people's are now. I think it's important they know

I think there needs to be a balanced educational system, which thoroughly overviews the importance of contraception and the varying options available. I think there should be equal emphasis on acknowledging the benefits of abstaining as well.

Most importantly, I think the parents and guardians of youth need to take responsibility for teaching and reiterating the same.

 

[Black_Shuck]

Should safe-sex and sex education be taught at school, or should we go with the right-wing option, promote abstinence? I definitely think kids need to be taught about sex and safe sex especially, because I know my first time was at a young age, and a lot of people's are now. I think it's important they know

It has to be safe sex because humans are very sexually charged even if you teach abstinence young adults are still going to experiment, most of the people I know had their first sexual experience from 14-19, That is usually when all that sex is bad propaganda pops up in the school. The more people try to avoid sensitive issues the more the problem grows unmonitored. I would rather have my kid know what a condom is an how to use it so I don't have to watch him waste away because of an STD or watch him try to raise kids at fourteen.

 

[Rainbow Mage]

Since many parents of certain religious beliefs are unwilling to teach their kids about safe sex, or condoms and birth control, perhaps the schools should hand out condoms and birth control. After all, the parents aren't likely to get it for their kids if they think it promotes sex.

 

[Storm]

Perhaps this is why I've never met anyone (in real life) who has had "abstinence only education".

Well, I know we're not irl, but I did. My sex ed consisted of "condoms don't work." Other contraceptives weren't included. We did get explanations about the plumbing.

 

[Rainbow Mage]

Well since I was sent to Christian school most of my life by my father, we didn't recieve sex education, and I didn't have it until high school, when I went to public school. I had sex long before I ever learned about it, despite my dad's attempts to tell me sex before marriage is wrong or immoral.

 

[Kathryn]

Yosef, everyone's experience differs. My parents are strong and devout Christians, but they taught me about sex as soon as I started asking about it (at about age 5 or six - you know, the "where do babies come from" questions). Our household was always very open about sexual issues and I knew I could always ask my parents anything. They also had several books about sex that they kept in the family room bookcases and I'm sure they knew us kids got those out and looked at them from time to time.

In jr high and high school I attended mostly public schools in the southern US (we moved a lot). Keep in mind this was thirty years ago. We had complete sex education - what I mean by that is that there weren't any restrictions concerning content about birth control, safe sex, etc. I do remember that parents had to sign a permission slip. I don't recall any children NOT being allowed to attend the classes, though I do recall a lot of snickering DURING the classes. Mostly I remember the girls rolling their eyes a lot at the comments by the boys.

All that being said, I experimented a little sexually off and on during high school. I didn't have a steady boyfriend so I never had any extended periods of sexual activity.

To be honest, nothing much that my parents OR the schools taught me had much bearing on my sexual activity - EXCEPT for the graphic photos of venereal diseases and abortions. These images were so firmly implanted in my mind that I knew I wanted to avoid ANY scenario that could lead to either of those situations. Even then - when the heat got heavy, I did what any other immature, horny teen does - I contributed a lot of steam to the windows in the car parked out by the lake.

As the old saying goes - an idle mind is the devil's playground. Teens that are unsupervised and largely left to their own devices will almost certainly engage in risky sexual behavior - whether they plan to or not. For the most part, they're hardwired that way. Parents and other authority figures would do well to minimize unsupervised time when it comes to their kids. Parents should know more about where their kids are, who they're with, and what their plans are.

 

[TheBotanicalDolly]

Telling teenagers not to do something is probably the worst thing ever, or not teaching them. Because when they find out, they will be even MORE curious. And if they are having sex anyway, why not go ahead and teach them how to be safe?

When I have children I will want them to be as safe as possible...I'd probably even give them condoms myself and a book on sex. lol

 

[Guitar's Cry]

I used to work at a vocational school for young adults, and I would get students who, when finding out their girlfriend may be pregnant, would say "But I pulled out!"

Over-population is becoming a serious problem along with STDs, so I think we need to educated on practical birth control and disease prevention methods.

 

[Rainbow Mage]

I think if parents don't want to teach their kids about condoms and birth control then the school needs to, and needs to pass them out if necessary.

 

[whereismynotecard]

Safe sex should be taught.

1. Kids will have sex if they want to. Maybe not all of them, but many will, and they should know how to do it without risking pregnancy and STDs.

2. Abstinence is a religious moral and should not be promoted in non-religious schools.

 

[Alusky]

Abstinence? I don't believe a horny teen too be able to handle that (I couldn't handle it)
At least masturbation should be promoted.

 

[Rainbow Mage]

I know most teenagers can't handle it. I remember my school days well.

 

[lombas]

I didn't need sex education, I had girlfriends for that purpose...

Besides, the Jesuits gave us sex education - oh sorry! - a bit too late: at the age of 16. In our country, normally sex education starts at 12-13.

They had to explain to 16 year old girls what menstruation was like. By law. We had a good laugh.

 

[LuisDantas]

Abstinence-only education is excellent... to create pointless guilt, to make children avoid talking to adults about serious matters, to teach hipocrisy, and to spread STD and unwanted pregnancies and abortions.

It boggles the mind to think that there are adults who actually defend it.