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The excessive use of scare tactics and the downplaying or outright ignorance of one side, conveniently, the side contrary to the agenda pushed by abstinence-only curriculums, leads me to compare the abstinence-only curriculum to the propaganda machine. Abstinence only promotes the joys of abstinence, and when contraceptives come in, it provides only the shortcomings, the disadvantages, the downfalls. For abortion, it fabricates or over-exaggerates possible risks and dangers. For STIs, the curriculum provides pictures that are no more than scare tactics.

My abstinence only curriculum also stated that extramarital sex went up in the 1960s as a result of the women's movement. As well, it dealt with the evils of online relationships, telling girls, in opinionated form, "you don't know who it is" and crap like that.

Seriously. School is a place to be educated. Propaganda is not education, and propaganda machines have no place in school aside from examples used to prove points in pertinent classes such as English or Social Studies/World History. Why the abstinence-only propaganda machine is SUPPORTED by the government of the United States of America for use in schools is far beyond my knowledge.

Abstinence should be an informed choice - just like every decision regarding sexual wellbeing. I heard on the radio this morning that one in ten uni students here (England) don't know how to put on a condom, and one in five think that two condoms are better than one. Clearly our own sex education is doing something wrong, even though we don't have abstinence-only pushed on us.

And the American government is mixing religion with politics. Not usually a good idea.

(On a side-note, I've met a few people online, but I always took someone with me and made sure that I wanted to meet them first.)

Speaking of the women's movement, the propaganda lady said the whole "Women don't need men" thing was not true.

Um. To a point, yes, it is very true. And if you're a lesbian, then I would say it's wholly true.

Oh yes, every woman must have a man. If she doesn't she's incomplete. Ever heard of Elizabeth I? Everyone knows she was just yearning for some weird (and possibly gay) French dude to come and boss her around. What else could a woman want but a husband and ten children? rolleyes

Well, as much as you slightly pointed out how there are exceptions, please stop highlighting and pointing out how this woman was right when there is another side and you don't make it look too good or right at all. I most certainly know Setar, and I most certainly love him. Bullshit if me hearing his mom and his grandparents on skype, him as well, him on webcam, him on the phone, pictures of him personalized for me make me not know him.

So yeah, you kinda can. Sometimes you don't, sometimes you do. The cases of rape, s**t happens. Yeah, people should be really careful. I don't blame them one bit cause' it's the sick bastards who pull this s**t and hurt people like that, but pleas eI beg of you do not defame the online world and online relationships by saying that it was right that you just don't know them.

I do appreciate that you didn't full on blast internet dating, but yeah..

Just saying as well, I suppose.

Although abstinence is the only way to avoid STDs and pregnancy (assuming that rape doesn't happen too often), I think that most Abs-only curriculum are BS- propoganda, as you put it- yes, that too.

Oh yeah- when you get married, then all of a sudden, the magical Abstinence-until-marriage fairy comes and makes all the STDs and risks of unwanted pregnancy MAGICALLY go away! rolleyes Seriously, when they don't teach about it, they don't teach it at ALL.