1 Topic by ☭ Fokker (edited by ☭ Fokker 26-Apr-2008 15:33:33)

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Topic: Has abstinence failed?

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/7368219.stm

>>US lawmakers are investigating whether to cut government funding for health education programmes that promote sexual abstinence until marriage.

The move follows a report earlier this year from America's leading health agency, the Center for Disease Control, which revealed one in four teenage girls has a sexually transmitted disease.

Opponents of abstinence education say the approach ignores the fact that teenagers are sexually active and fails to give them accurate medical information or advice on safer sex.

"We get sex-ed classes in school and that should be where teens get the right information - but that isn't happening," says 15-year-old Mildred, from Arizona, who volunteers as a peer educator with the pro-choice organisation Planned Parenthood.

"They don't touch on subjects like sexuality, STDs (sexually transmitted diseases), birth control - it's not allowed because of abstinence-only education. It leaves you on a cliff-hanger - and a lot of teenagers become sexually active in their middle school years."

"Teens are curious and they want to experiment and if they know what's out there and they have the correct information, they're going to know how to protect themselves and prevent an unwanted pregnancy and an STD," adds Maryland high school student Melissa.

"Putting up a wall and saying 'don't have sex' makes them more curious and wanting to know what it is. But if you tell them the straight facts they're going to know how to protect themselves. It's about taking care of yourself."

Teen pregnancy

Planned Parenthood estimates that two thirds of teenagers will have experienced sexual intercourse by the time they leave school.

And with some 750,000 teenage pregnancies a year, America has one of the highest teen birth rates in the developed world.

"This national programme which has wasted $1.5bn (

"So, it's defeat for you, is it? Someday I must meet a similar fate..."

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2 Reply by avogadro (edited by avogadro 26-Apr-2008 16:29:27)

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Re: Has abstinence failed?

stupid baptists; i think its more of a fail on baptists then a fail on abstinence.

""They don't touch on subjects like sexuality, STDs (sexually transmitted diseases), birth control - it's not allowed because of abstinence-only education. It leaves you on a cliff-hanger - and a lot of teenagers become sexually active in their middle school years"

thats just unacceptable.

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3 Reply by Justinian I (edited by Justinian I 26-Apr-2008 18:31:50)

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Re: Has abstinence failed?

For pete sakes, people's sexual urges are very powerful, and in our socially permissive and sexually charged society it is very difficult to persuade people to be abstinent when marriage and virginity have lost their perceived value. As are result, no matter what kind of argument or appeal to fear you cook up, our youth are going to call "BS" in their minds.

And I agree with them. However, telling them to use protection alone is not sufficient to protect them. Condoms don't protect you from a number of STDs such as herpes.  It's possible to be sexually active and minimize your risks, but practicing a little abstinence is a good idea. By that I mean limiting your partners and trying to commit to one regular. You don't have to be married, no, but there is utility in monogamy, even if it's serial monogamy or you are friends with benefits. A closed system of polyamory can also be safe, where a group of people have sex only with members of that group, and there are standards for admitting new members. However, it's also risky because the chance of someone cheating and catching an std and spreading it to every member of the group also increases. But at least it is less risky than an open system, that just creates an expansive network.

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Re: Has abstinence failed?

Why are we even discussing this? Abstinence compaigning doesn't work. Period. Forget all the moral weighings, statistically, it's useless. It doesn't work. America is in crisis. Look at how brilliantly the Scandinavian/North Euro countries are doing; they have the most intensive Sexual Education programs in the world and teen pregnancy rate is lowest in the continent.

Schools should be places of truth, not religious or political propoganda.

[i]Tommy gun

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Re: Has abstinence failed?

#368251 +(1076)- [X]

Titanium_Dragon> Hey everyone
Titanium_Dragon> I had a revelation today
Titanium_Dragon> Everyone knows that more intelligent creatures (humans, dolphins, chimps, ect.) tend to have sex for fun
Titanium_Dragon> But some people believe that sex for any reason but procreation is wrong
* Titanium_Dragon never put two and two together

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