The Wednesday meeting(June 2, 2005) for Sex Ed in Schools by Planned Parenthood was quite informative. In the years since Bush was first elected, the federal funding for abstinence only curricula has increased from 50 million per year to 170 million per year(upcoming fiscal funding). This despite a recent study by Yale and Columbia University that teenagers who took Virginity/Abstinence Pledges were as likely to get STDs and/or be a part of a teen pregnancy as those who do not make such pledges. The study also noted that 88% of those who signed Abstinence Pledges as young teens would, in fact, become sexually active(see "ALTERNATIVE SEX") before marriage.("Adolescent Health", Mar 18) This dramatically underscores the immense failure of abstinence only curricula. The study also noted that "Pledgers" were less likely to use condoms, tended to not seek treatment immediately for STDs, and carry the diseases longer because of the stigma of having to admit they broke the pledge. This makes the diseases harder to treat and easier to spread. ALTERNATIVE SEX: One thing that surprised even me was that abstinence pledgers, in protecting their "virginity"(defined as vaginal intercourse), were SIX times more likely to engage in oral sex than were non-pledgers and FOUR times more likely to engage in anal sex. While either may avoid pregnancy(and preserve Vaginal Virginity), neither will prevent STDs, and both are generally engaged without protection in teens. Dr Fred Mondin, Professor of Human Sexuality at BSU for more than 20 years, related the European approach the problem. Sweden and Holland, for example, begin teaching sex education in grade school(Sweden at age 6). Information, contraception, and "protection" are readily available for all ages. The rates for STDs and teen pregnancies in those countries are among the lowest in the world. STDs and teen pregnancies are a serious problem in this country, and education is the route to the cure. Teachers present at the meeting noted that they were prohibited from answering specific questions regarding conception, contraception, STDs, and homosexuality. Instead, they are required to refer students back to their parents for answers to those questions, recognizing that oftentimes parents WON'T answer the questions, and/or students are afraid to ask parents those questions. While students can get medically correct information from Planned Parenthood, too often the parental consent issue prevents even that. A Booth Memorial representative noted that they teach medically correct sex education. Unfortunately, the teens they teach are already pregnant.
MIS-INFORMATION: Below are some items of mis-information presented in current, Bush Administration approved teaching curricula and detailed in Wednesday's meeting.
1. Science has proven that condoms can't protect you from STDs(Me, My World, My Future, page 142)(note: CDC reports condoms 98% effective)
2. Jealosy, embarassment, depression and disappointment can be eliminated by abstaining from sex until marriage.(Choosing the Best Path, page 19)
3. 50% of gay teens are HIV positive(Middle Schools Facts, page 112-113)(note: I would like to know how they came up with this number)
4. One of the best ways to avoid AIDS is to avoid Homosexual behavior(student woorkbook, page 25)
5. Because they generally become aroused less easily, females are in a good position to help young men learn balance in relationships by keeping intamacy in perspective(student woorkbook, page 6)
6. Syphyllis rates have more than doubled since 1980(student woorkbook, page 36)(note: CDC report of 1999 states syphyllis rate to be the lowest since 1957, with only insignificant increases in recent years)
7. Condoms have a 14% fail rate for pregnancy(Choosing the Best Path, page 39) and a 31% fail rate for HIV(Choosing the Best Path, page 18)(Note: CDC reports condoms have a 2% fail rate, and much of that is attributed to human error, not condom failure)
8. Women who want to keep a partner should never ever act too smart(Choosing the Best, page 51)
9. Sweat and tears contain the HIV virus(WAIT, page 219)(CDC reports HIV cannot be transmitted through sweat or tears)
Items 1 and 7 are key. The Yale and Columbia study noted that many teens didn't use condoms, because school teaches them that condoms don't work. The Bush administration is hurting our young, by attempting to keep them ignorant. The focus seems to be to promote abstinence through scare tactics and fictional statistics. It doesn't work and the problem simply worsens.
Because of the religious agenda of the current curricula, sex education before marriage is avoided and birth control after marriage is discouraged. This brings to mind another detriment. As religious folk still strive for large families and the planet's population continues to grow rapidly, more and more land must be utilized for human inhabitation and support. Oftentimes, those same people who are crying out to protect and preserve what nature there is left(wildernesses, rain forrests, etc), are a large part of the problem. They are failing to realize they are contributing to the encroachment of man upon nature by having a large family that will inevitably increase the planetary needs for more lands for human inhabitation and survival resources. The first step to insuring existence for future generations is to not overpopulate the earth in the present. That path leads us back to birth control, which in turn takes us back to the need for information and education. Any couple who has more than 3 children is acting irresponsibly with regard to the future of our planet. It is mathematically impossible to save the rain forrests and wildneresses without reducing the breeding rate to a ZPG(Zero Population Growth) level. Imagine how fast world population would grow if we are successful in eliminating wars, genocide, and disease, without reducing the breeding rate. We are in danger of breeding ourselves into extinction. In my opinion, the detriment of overpopulation and the concept of ZPG should be an integral part of a comprehensive sex education curricula in our school system. And grade school is not too soon to begin teaching sexual responsibility. All actions have consequences and information has always been the key to righting the wrongs.
D G Van Curen
Vice President, Idaho Humanist Association
Humanism Links
American Community Values
Idaho Humanists
Ten Commandments Controversy
American Atheists - Idaho
