Sex Ed

I know there's probobly already a thread on this but,

Recently while i was listening to the radio late at night one of those "Stay Teen" ads came on. It started off okay. It said the usual, "the only sure way not to get pregnant is to not have sex." That was fine, that was true.

But then they just had to had to ad this gem:

"1 in 3 girls gets pregnant before the age of 18"

WTF?

I though, yeah, in the world, counting all the countries where you get married when you're 15, are a grandparent by 30, and die when your 40.

But how could they put a ****ed up stat like that in an ad addressing American teenagers?

The reason teen pregnancy is so high isn't cause of sex, its cause teenagers are getting facts like "If you jump up and down after you won't get pregnant".

Feeding them more lies isn't gonna counteract that, its just gonna produce more ignorant (and horny) teenagers.

Originally posted by cococryspies
I know there's probobly already a thread on this but,

Recently while i was listening to the radio late at night one of those "Stay Teen" ads came on. It started off okay. It said the usual, "the only sure way not to get pregnant is to not have sex." That was fine, that was true.

But then they just had to had to ad this gem:

"1 in 3 girls gets pregnant before the age of 18"

WTF?

I though, yeah, in the world, counting all the countries where you get married when you're 15, are a grandparent by 30, and die when your 40.

But how could they put a ****ed up stat like that in an ad addressing American teenagers?

The reason teen pregnancy is so high isn't cause of sex, its cause teenagers are getting facts like "If you jump up and down after you won't get pregnant".

Feeding them more lies isn't gonna counteract that, its just gonna produce more ignorant (and horny) teenagers.

😆 And this has what to do with the Religious forum?

Originally posted by cococryspies
I know there's probobly already a thread on this but,

Recently while i was listening to the radio late at night one of those "Stay Teen" ads came on. It started off okay. It said the usual, "the only sure way not to get pregnant is to not have sex." That was fine, that was true.

But then they just had to had to ad this gem:

"1 in 3 girls gets pregnant before the age of 18"

WTF?

I though, yeah, in the world, counting all the countries where you get married when you're 15, are a grandparent by 30, and die when your 40.

But how could they put a ****ed up stat like that in an ad addressing American teenagers?

The reason teen pregnancy is so high isn't cause of sex, its cause teenagers are getting facts like "If you jump up and down after you won't get pregnant".

Feeding them more lies isn't gonna counteract that, its just gonna produce more ignorant (and horny) teenagers.

I have not seen the add, so I will reserve judgment on its contents.

That said, I am rather curious about your last statement. While you admit that girls who don't have sex don't get pregnant, you also assert that teen pregnancy is not resultant from teen sex. That is not logical. Unless you are arguing that some teen mothers become pregnant through artificial insemination, there can be no doubt that sex was the facilitating agency. If, on the other hand, you are asserting that better birth control education would solve the problem, you would again be proposing facts not in evidence, since abstinence is the only fool proof form of birth control.

Yes abstinence is the only surefire way, but it is also the least fun. STDs can be passed from multiple kinds of sex (SURPRISE TAKE A STEP BACKWARDS!) and if a teen does not know about safe sex, then they can be swapped. In my opinion, the more you know- the further you go. (LULZ! Buzz words) The more education- or knowledge- anyone has, the better decisions they can make.

Originally posted by Tim Rout
That said, I am rather curious about your last statement. While you admit that girls who don't have sex don't get pregnant, you also assert that teen pregnancy is not resultant from teen sex. That is not logical. Unless you are arguing that some teen mothers become pregnant through artificial insemination, there can be no doubt that sex was the facilitating agency. If, on the other hand, you are asserting that better birth control education would solve the problem, you would again be proposing facts not in evidence, since abstinence is the only fool proof form of birth control.

But if all the kids who were having sex where using birth control and condoms the teen birth rate would be much lower than it is now.

I understand sex=babies, but kids have sex no matter what people tell them, and since people are telling them false things about pregnancy they're having unprotected sex which = more babies.

Abstinence is not realistic. Sexual education is important.

Originally posted by cococryspies
I know there's probobly already a thread on this but,

Recently while i was listening to the radio late at night one of those "Stay Teen" ads came on. It started off okay. It said the usual, "the only sure way not to get pregnant is to not have sex." That was fine, that was true.

But then they just had to had to ad this gem:

"1 in 3 girls gets pregnant before the age of 18"

WTF?

I though, yeah, in the world, counting all the countries where you get married when you're 15, are a grandparent by 30, and die when your 40.

But how could they put a ****ed up stat like that in an ad addressing American teenagers?

While your wording expresses a certain level of nationalistic bigotry you are correct.

http://www.guttmacher.org/pubs/fb_ATSRH.html#n32

"Each year, almost 750,000 women aged 15-19 become pregnant. Overall, 75 pregnancies occur every year per 1,000 women aged 15-19; this rate has declined 36% since its peak in 1990."

Originally posted by cococryspies
The reason teen pregnancy is so high isn't cause of sex, its cause teenagers are getting facts like "If you jump up and down after you won't get pregnant".

Now it's been a while since I took a bio class but I'm relatively sure that sex has some involvement in pregnancy.

Originally posted by cococryspies
Feeding them more lies isn't gonna counteract that, its just gonna produce more ignorant (and horny) teenagers.

Naive 18 girls hungry of their first sexual experience . . . egad!

...As well as those that are thinking having a baby with their boyfriend will make their relationship to their boyfriend last forever.

Lonely little girls and horny little boys isnt a good combination.

yea.. religion comes in how here? 😖

Originally posted by Shelbert Lemon
...As well as those that are thinking having a baby with their boyfriend will make their relationship to their boyfriend last forever.

Lonely little girls and horny little boys isnt a good combination.

yea.. religion comes in how here? 😖

Primary proponents of "abstinence only" education are . . .

Originally posted by Jbill311
Yes abstinence is the only surefire way, but it is also the least fun. STDs can be passed from multiple kinds of sex (SURPRISE TAKE A STEP BACKWARDS!) and if a teen does not know about safe sex, then they can be swapped. In my opinion, the more you know- the further you go. (LULZ! Buzz words) The more education- or knowledge- anyone has, the better decisions they can make.

I think you've hit the nail right on the head! You're right. Abstinence isn't much fun.

But if we consider how unwed pregnancy can destroy a girl's whole future -- not to mention the risk of deadly STDs -- it seems ridiculous to promote a "safer sex" approach that is anything BUT safe. Abstinance can work. I interact with people every day who live it.

As a Pastor, I am also the one who most frequently cares for couples who didn't wait for marriage and are now paying the price as their relationship comes unglued. The deal is simple enough: Play now, and pay later. Or pay now, and play for the rest of your life in the godly wonderland of biblical marriage.

Originally posted by Symmetric Chaos
Primary proponents of "abstinence only" education are . . .

Originally posted by Tim Rout
you would again be proposing facts not in evidence, since abstinence is the only fool proof form of birth control.

Originally posted by Tim Rout
the godly wonderland of biblical marriage.

Biggest bullshit I have seen out of you Tim... just when you were starting to seem very reasonable.

"What the Research Shows: Abstinence-Only-Until-Marriage Sex Education Does Not Protect Teenagers' Health"

There is no conclusive evidence that abstinence-only sex education, which teaches students to abstain from sex until married and generally only teaches about contraceptive failure, reduces the rate of unintended pregnancy or sexually transmitted diseases (STDs). Moreover, research indicates that many of these programs do not help teens delay having sex. Yet the federal government has funneled well over half a billion dollars since 1997 into abstinence-only programs, steadily increasing funding in recent years to more than $165 million annually.

On the other hand, evidence shows that comprehensive sexuality education programs that provide information about abstinence and contraception can help delay the start of sexual activity in teenagers and increase condom use among sexually active teens. Yet there is currently no federal program dedicated to supporting comprehensive sexuality education.

Studies show that most abstinence-only programs do not help teens delay having sex, and some show evidence that these programs actually deter teens who become sexually active from protecting themselves from unintended pregnancy or STDs.

[list][*]A recent review of program evaluations in 11 states (AZ, CA FL, IA, MD, MN, MO, NE, OR, PA, WA) indicates that after participating in abstinence-only programs, teens are less willing to use contraception, including condoms. And in only one state, did any program demonstrate any success in delaying the initiation of sex.

D. Hauser, Five Years of Abstinence-Only-Until-Marriage Education: Assessing the Impact, Advocates for Youth, September 2004.

[*]Many abstinence programs include "Virginity Pledges," whereby teens sign cards promising to remain virgins until they are married. While data suggests that under limited circumstances, teens who sign a pledge may delay sexual intercourse, 88 percent still have sex before marriage. Recent research also shows that pledgers' rate of STDs does not differ from the rate of nonpledgers because pledgers are less likely to use condoms at first intercourse or to be tested for STDs.

H. Brückner and P. Bearman, "After the promise: the STD consequences of adolescent virginity pledges," Journal of Adolescent Health, 36 (2005) 271-278.[/list]

A recent Congressional report found that widely used federally funded abstinence-only curricula distort information, misrepresent the facts, and promote gender stereotypes.

[list][*]More than 80 percent of the abstinence-only curricula reviewed contain false, misleading, or distorted information about reproductive health.

[*]The curricula reviewed misrepresent the effectiveness of contraceptives in preventing STDs and unintended pregnancy. They also contain false information about the risks of abortion, blur religion and science, promote gender stereotypes, and contain basic scientific errors.

"The Content of Federally Funded Abstinence-Only Education Programs," Prepared for Rep. Henry A. Waxman, United States House of Representatives, Committee on Government Reform - Minority Staff, Special Investigations Division, December 2004.[/list]

Well we can fix that problem with the "Snip, snip." 😄

Originally posted by Adam_PoE

/thread

As a Pastor, I am also the one who most frequently cares for couples who didn't wait for marriage and are now paying the price as their relationship comes unglued. The deal is simple enough: Play now, and pay later. Or pay now, and play for the rest of your life in the godly wonderland of biblical marriage.

Hehe. Still not seeing an overt religious connection here. But meh.

My two cents:
It's all well and good to parade abstinence as the best alternative for teens (it is, by and large) but you won't get any practical results with it because abstinence isn't something that is going to be universally practiced. And those with unwanted pregnancies are the ones least likely to be receptive to abstinence arguments.

Teen pregnancy comes about when teens have unprotected sex. It's technically true that the risk still exists when protection is used, but the percentages of it are so small as to be negligible. And it's when you get religious agendas that shun birth control promotion that you get uninformed teens and unprotected sex, and thus unwanted pregnancies.

Sex will happen at all developed ages. It's an ingrained biological imperative and not an immoral act. Promote birth control and the number of unwanted pregnancies and STDs would drop dramatically. But as long as religion decides to play moral policeman on our youth, they'll be increasing the totals of impoverished young women, unwanted babies, as well as increasing the totals of those pesky abortions they're always out to stop too.

I would be personally against sex at such a young age, though I don't consider it immoral, but my viewpoint is not a moral one but a realist one. We might as well be making the environment safe for those who do practice teen sex, rather than making it harder on them by imposing archaic religious morals on the general population.

Reminds me of an excerpt from a poem I wrote recently:

I believe that when “terrorists” really want
To kill us all, it won’t be anthrax
That is the downfall of the United States
But some STD capable of causing
Spontaneous, Instantaneous combustion.
I believe it is certain to spread coast to coast
Cause men would choose death
Over celibacy like certain crustaceans -
Tis’ a cruel fate.

Originally posted by cococryspies
[B]

"1 in 3 girls gets pregnant before the age of 18"

WTF?

/B]

Some people get raped. . .