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I know I made a thread about hypocritical contraceptive arguments that's somewhat veered off into a discussion about sex ed in schools, but that wasn't really the point of the thread.

I mention abstinence a lot when I discuss abortion. I do that because I guess I have a very simplistic way of attacking certain problems. I don't think dealing with a problem and solving it are always the same thing. It seems like when we focus so much on trying to deal with a problem, no one ever thinks about solving it. It's very "I Want A Twenty-Four Hour Truce During Which There Is No Rape"-ish of me, I guess.

My beliefs about sex ed in schools come from this same idea. I've waffled between comprehensive sex ed and abstinence-only, and I guess what I've landed on is: it doesn't matter, because neither of which will stop kids from having sex, protected or not.

Now, I know that's a myopic point to make, but hear me out. Whenever I hear people crusading about comprehensive sex ed, I'm always interested to know a) what kind of sex ed did they go through, b) did they contract an STD or get pregnant in high school because they didn't know about birth control, and c) what percentage of teens do they think know nothing about contraception?

I ask because I think people use this as yet another platform to cut down our current administration (which sucks on its own) and religious groups. I know education is important, but I also know we're never going to solve anything by blaming lack of education when kids make errors in common sense. With the PSAs, national dialogue on sex ed, the media, MTV, the Internet...I don't think the problem is kids don't know enough about contraception. I think it's our culture (which we see samples of here) that teaches kids that it's OK to ignore correlative properties between sex and things like unwanted pregnancy, STDs, bad romantic relationships, bad reputations, etc. Why? Because sex is natural, and since it's natural, discretion is a suggestion, not really a requirement.

It's our hook-up culture where Paris Hilton becomes an A-list celebrity because she released a grainy sex tape. Pam Anderson becomes a sex symbol because she has big boobs and released a sex tape. Britney Spears have a 55-hour marriage. George Clooney seen as a lady's man because he's in his forties with no kids and no wife for no real reason. People watch the Real World and see them have drunken hook-ups and then laugh about it. People use sex to sell effing cheeseburgers at Carl's Jr, they bring into question SpongeBob SquarePants' sexual orientation. They see Republican politicians propositioning young boys and undercover officers in bathrooms for sex. We inundate the media with sex all the time, and then expect kids to have the same impression of it that a thirty-five year old would. I hate people who are always like "what about the children?" just as much as the next guy, but seriously, what about them? Do we not realize that they are a different beast altogether? We're not born with our personalities and sexual identities intact, and our wiring can be screwed with.

It's stuff like that that causes kids to be sexually active, recklessly and irresponsibly. Not whether somebody from the comprehensive sex ed dog-and-pony show comes in and tells them how to put on a condom.

I thought it was because us ladies want to have sex with him, and he's apparently indulged a lucky few? confused

And I thought I mentioned that comprehensive sex ed INCLUDES discussions on peer pressure and unrealistic depictions of sex in the mass media.

Sex isn't bad. It IS natural. So while it's reasonable to tell kids "these celebrities are being irresponsible," and programs already do this, it makes much more sense--and kids are more likely to listen--when it's explained that it's possible to engage in sexual activity responsibly, even before you're married (since not everyone believes in the sanctity of marriage, and in most parts of the U.S. you can't marry someone of the same sex.) That's what they listen to, not "don't have sex" or worse, "having sex before you're married makes you a dirty slut."

And since you asked:



a) I don't recall much from grammar school, but in high school, sex ed was a major part of our mandatory health class, taught by an absolutely brilliant guy who covered quite a lot. In college, though, I took a psychology course that was basically sex ed, and that was extremely comprehensive. I even learned a few new things. blaugh

b) I didn't even let a guy put his hand under my clothes until after I graduated high school. So...even though I knew about sex, and I didn't have any intention of waiting until I was married, I waited until after high school.

c) Nothing? Or not enough? Probably very few teens know *nothing* about contraception--maybe Pentecostal or Amish kids. But I've seen posts on Gaia from kids who think you can get pregnant from swallowing sperm.

But kids can pass along bad info. Your friends can discuss sex but not say anything true about it.

I agree.

Personally, I feel that the number of teen pregnancies going down during the 90s (under Clinton - when many schools taught comprehensive sex ed), and that the current rising numbers of teen pregnancies (while most schools are teaching abstinence only sex ed) shows that teaching better sex ed helps to prevent at least some pregnancies.

Of course, it isn't possible to prevent all unintended pregnancies right now. But preventing some is far better than not trying to prevent any!

Here's the problem. They are taught that it's just something to do. It's a part of growing up, like graduating from high school and getting a job. While it is a natural part of a relationship, they aren't taught that it's something to respect. They don't respect their bodies and just what they are capable of. They live in a culture where they are taught human life is expendable. That the cells forming and growing insides women's bodies are just that, cells. They aren't taught truly what is happening inside of their bodies, just given facts.

Look at it one way. Why is it suddenly so important to have schools teach sex education? Are parents really that incapable? They are supposed to be the ones leading and guiding their children, they are the first ones to do so. Yes, it's nice to learn about it from school. I can safely say this. I had no real idea what the heck menstruation was until I got it. Yea, I learned about what it was, but I didn't really know what it meant. That's part of the problem, kids are being taught about something they don't really understand. In order to really know what sex is, you have do it, or at least watch it. And in this society, it's not really hard to get that kind of experience. If you ask me, more harm has been done by telling kids so much about something their bodies aren't ready for and their minds aren't truly ready to comprehend. I believe less damage is done to the teenage psyche experimenting with drugs and alcohol than with sex, not to mention there are far more repercussions for the former than the later.