Abstinence only sex education ?

[notmarcie]

So I open up the debate by asking you fine people the following.

Should abstinence only sex education be the only form of sex education in schools in order to reduce pregnancy and rates of STIs amongst teens ? As sex education in schools has increased and become more explicit so has the rate of sexual activity amonst teenagers and there are increasing numbers of underage mothers in both the US and the UK.

or

Should teenagers' sexuality be recognised, and a comprehensive programme of sex education be implemented, including condom use and information on STIs , on the basis that teenagers will have sex and they need to be equipped with the facts in order to make an informed choice ?

[squealpiggy]

I think that welfare should be limited to the first three children in the UK at least, and education and free contraceptive made available to anyone of any age. So the second one but the limiting of the welfare is an important step. The income a single other of one child gets is tiny. A single mother with 4 kids is far better off financially because of the way welfare funding works. If we take away that incentive then we will cut the number of teen mothers living and raising a family on welfare. Education is there to help them stop reproducing.

[sack the chimp]

I think the second one has to be the better option. They will hear about sex from somewhere, and there are many young teeenagers who get pregnant who just didn't think it could happen on your first time etc. Plus better on will reduce STIs (hopefully).

Many teenage mothers actually want kids young, and don't care what people say, not realising the problems till they occur (and not really caring that much about the kids). Although this is down to female instincts as much as anything, so I can't really speak too much about that.

At the end of the day, when they teach this stuff in school they don't treat it as a real subject, allow the kids to have laugh, and there are no tests to see if the teachers are doing their jobs. So they don't bother.

[sack the chimp]

Squeal piggy has a good idea, but what if someone has many kids in a loving family, which then goes wrong (death/divorce/prison), leaving a parent unable to work due to number of kids, and unable to feed them due to lack of welfare?

[squealpiggy]

That's a different matter which would be looked at on a case by case basis. Besides which in such circumstances there is almost always a life insurance policy which can be used to help with the costs.

[Alomie]

Well i'm a teenager, and i think that sex education needs to be more explicit. i mean i don't want people to show porn, although most of the males in my school had seen some kind of porn by the time they were in year 8.

But to be honest sex education, is taught as though it is a bad thing to do, and as though we shouldn't do it. STI's have increase by a large amount as sexual activity has increased if there was more information readily avaliably to young people then they would be able to understand the importance of having protection.

Also the price of Condoms, most young people can't even afford them, and yes young people are having sex earlier, but is that really the fault of the individual? i think peer pressure gets to each and every one of us.

Also, The teacher who teach sex education, omg, would you want to be taught by an old man who believes in the morals of the old days where women didn't have sex untill they were married. it's rediculous!

[basstard]

Originally posted by Alomie
Also the price of Condoms, most young people can't even afford them, and yes young people are having sex earlier, but is that really the fault of the individual? i think peer pressure gets to each and every one of us.

Dunno about where you're from, but the price of condoms are fine. They're available free from many locations around my local city centre (glasgow) after 10pm at night, and from normal machines in most public bathrooms for £1 for two. It's not the price that concerns me, it's getting people to use them.

There's a tale told by AIDS workers in Africa - a white man goes to a local tribe, describes the dangers of AIDS, and brings a big box of condoms for the village. He also puts one on his finger to show how they're used. He comes back a month later, and finds that the guys are putting said condoms on their fingers before having sex.

I realise this doesn't directly concern the topic, but the underlying message is that we need better sex education, not at younger ages, but better sex-ed at teenageness.

What we got was an embarrassing "discussion" session in which nobody said anything besides the teacher, several very cheesy and cringeworthy American videos produced in the '70s, and one time where the whole class has to put a condom on a test tube. Now if the adults could treat us also as adults, inform us of the dangers in a mature way, I wouldn't have a problem. But a lot of the sex education we get is very condesending. The fact is, I think a lot more teens would stop all the underage sex if they were given a fair, balanced account of the facts, rather than the biased, condescending pap they give us at the moment.

[nutnoodle]

To be perfectly honest, I don't think telling them at a younger or older age will affect this. When I discovered the *facts of life* I didn't automatically think "Ok, time for sex." In fact, I think it is better told before you get older, since otherwise you may hear the *facts* from someone who doesn't know what they're talking about. Education about contraception, STD's etc should be taught, I think about the age of 10 or 11. I realise this is a very young age, but like it or not children are getting less innocent. It's better they hear it from you than from some tv program, or a friend who doesn't knw all the facts.

And also, perhaps this is not the case in other places but in Glasgow you can actually get condoms for free at special clinics. (bear in mind I doubt there will be much choice as to flavour or whether they are ribbed or something) but just thought you might not know that.

I think the cause of so many teen mums is the examples being set on tv and by celebrities. Programs like Sex in the City are being watched by a surprisingly young generation. I once heard a 12 year old talk about it. And we wonder where they get their ideas from...

And the other day, I heard a crowd of 12 year old girls singing "It's Getting Hot in Here, so take off all your clothes" (you know the song).

'Nuff said really..

[K'uin K'ra]

The education system shouldn't focus on the hows and practicalities of sex, as most people will learn them from their peers or parents. Instead, the school should teach children to refrain completely.

Although reintroducing harsh discipline into schools should help alieviate the situation. The problem is, for many, that they feel getting pregnant at 14 is something to be proud of. :/

[dominatrix]

i've read about it and i think it's retarded.sex isn't bad and if kids are going to have it they should be taught the risks and what to do if they get an STD/I or if they get pregnant.parents might tell you quite a bit but they don't know as much as you think(unless they're nurses or something)......

if someone gets into trouble and they don't know where to go or what to do there'll probably be way more teenage mothers,and even more over populated world and more stories like the girl that gave birth in an unused changing room and left the newborn there to die.

and k'uin k'ra,how many people do you know are proud of getting pregnant at 14?

[K'uin K'ra]

You walk down my local council estate and observe how many girls there have children. *They* seem to think it's really cool to be pregnant.

Apparently, I am really sad because I don't try to fuck the generically 'hot' or 'fit' girls. Pop culture seems to be based upon the principle that the younger you have sex, the 'cooler' you are. There is something *very* wrong with that.

[Carly]

People are uneducated. No matter what, the general consensus is something like, 'Yeah, I know.' No, you don't know.

I absolutely support sexual education in schools and I would expect them to go into great detail to disgust the kids in the class. No teenager should walk into college lacking the knowledge of sexual intercourse of all forms and the consequences of each and the lifetime commitments it entails.

I would say: Teach them how to please themselves, teach them how to handle any situation. Schools are so afraid to speak out and then they wonder why kids are fucked up. I hate to blame it on just schools, but my mom never taught me anything and I'm a 20 year old abstinent virgin, infectionless woman. Sex-Ed dropped standards in the last five years.

[Panto]

I agree, kids should be taught the facts about sex because otherwise you end up with stupid rumoury type things that kids think are true (like not being able to get pregnant the first time you have sex). Personally I think that most kids are smart, and that if given the facts (about pregnancy and STDs etc.) they will be able to make an informed decision.

To be honest I don't think that sex has any 'lifetime commitments' attached (of course barring pregnancy and sterility that can come with some STDs). I think that if two people want to have sex it's fine, but if they don't know about it how are they gonna be aware of the dangers how can they make a proper decision and how does it show that they are considered to be maturing (or to already have matured) into adults when it seems they can't be trusted with the facts

[SweetDreams]

i am 16, and i lost my virginty almost 2 years ago now, at the age of 14 and a half, it was mentioned earlier that sex education should take place in schools at the ages of 11 or 12, well here in queensland, australia, it's taught at the age of 10, in year 5, and again in year 7, at the age of 12. i didn't pay much attention when the sex education people came to the school (we actually call it family planning) i was 11 at the time of the first visit, and my school of grade 7 didn't take part in sex education, and i'd started going through puberty about a year earlier, and i had been looking up porn on the internet, i tohught i knew evrything there was to know about sex because i had seen it happening.

i now wish that i had listened those times i had sat there doodling in my books, my firs titemi had sex was with my boyfirend (now ex) and it was unprotected, he was 15 and was a lot more experienced than me, and he never practiced safe sex (i now always do) and i am worried about STD's, i want to go and get tested but i don't want to tell my parents i'm worried because they think i'm still a virgin, it worries me greatly to think that i could have aids sitting in my system just waiting to pounce on me and start it's slow process of killing.

i sometimes look around on here to find out what i can about STD's, what types there are, what they do to you, the most common ways that they spread, i want to educate myself as much as possible, i've probably gone off topic by jsut telling this story, but i also have an opinion.

i think that sex eduacation shouldn't be treated as jsut a normal lesson, it should be treated as an extremely important one, and students should be punished for not listening. last year in school, year 10 for me, my school conducted a family planning unit in science, i was quite looking forward to it because i wanted to have another chance to be educated, but my teacher isntead of taking part in this unit, decided to do something on chemical reactions, and i once again missed out, and that's when i committed to educating myself. i think that sex education should be made a compulsory unit in high schools, and maybe grade 8 or 9, instead of grade 10

[Panto]

I'm sorry if this insults you but IMO people who still add halves and quarters to their age really aren't mature enough to have sex

[Carly]

Originally posted by SweetDreams
it worries me greatly to think that i could have aids sitting in my system just waiting to pounce on me and start it's slow process of killing.

Just so you know, HIV comes first and then AIDS. You don't die from AIDS, you die because the AIDS virus destroys your immune system and you become completely incapable of fighting off something as small as a cold. Typically AIDS victims die from pneumonia or influenza.

As a side note, the acronyms would tell you this. Human Immunodeficiency Virus and Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome.

i didn't pay much attention when the sex education people came to the school

Perhaps you should have. Having sex does not make someone an expert.

[dominatrix]

Originally posted by Alomie
Well i'm a teenager, and i think that sex education needs to be more explicit. i mean i don't want people to show porn, although most of the males in my school had seen some kind of porn by the time they were in year 8.

But to be honest sex education, is taught as though it is a bad thing to do, and as though we shouldn't do it. STI's have increase by a large amount as sexual activity has increased if there was more information readily avaliably to young people then they would be able to understand the importance of having protection.

Also the price of Condoms, most young people can't even afford them, and yes young people are having sex earlier, but is that really the fault of the individual? i think peer pressure gets to each and every one of us.

Also, The teacher who teach sex education, omg, would you want to be taught by an old man who believes in the morals of the old days where women didn't have sex untill they were married. it's rediculous!

eeeeerrrrrrmmm.HELLO,YOU CAN GOT TO A FAMILY PLANNING CLINIC.they give you handfuls and put them in a bag for you.it's free

[FaerieLady]

Originally posted by notmarcie
So I open up the debate by asking you fine people the following.

Should abstinence only sex education be the only form of sex education in schools in order to reduce pregnancy and rates of STIs amongst teens ? As sex education in schools has increased and become more explicit so has the rate of sexual activity amonst teenagers and there are increasing numbers of underage mothers in both the US and the UK.

or

Should teenagers' sexuality be recognised, and a comprehensive programme of sex education be implemented, including condom use and information on STIs , on the basis that teenagers will have sex and they need to be equipped with the facts in order to make an informed choice ?

I don't believe abstinence should be the only option when giving sex education. Since when did we make sex a dirty thing? Kids need to know about other forms of birth control and also ways to prevent getting std's such as using condoms.

AS you said in your second option, they WILL have sex and then when they do they need to know what options are available to them. If they only think their options are abstinence or sex, they will end up pregnant or dieased from not using any protection cuz they didn't know about it.

I think sex education should be FULLY informative. They should just tell them everything, and also every option of birth control (pills, patch, injection, condoms, iud, whatever...) and all about every STD. This way they'll be well informed and be able to make wise decisions. If they don't make wise decisions, then at least they can't blame poor education because they WERE taught everything.


Just my thoughts...:)

[munchkin]

i hate to go against the grain and all but i was really well educated on sex when i was in high school. we got taught in year8 then again in year 10.
Fisrt in year 8 it was mostly just facts and figures and stuff, everything we need to know about sti's and std's and all types of contraception including the injection girls can get that are effective for upto 2 years.......i dont know how much more detailed youy can get.

however, when kid's in year 8 hear all this stuff it doesnt matter how detailed and informative it is it's still kids who are too immature to grasp it everytime they even mention sex everyone starts giggling. Not much you can do about that.

in yr 10 it was better even tho most ppl by then already had sex but it was actual real discussions where everyone knows whats going on so the information is relevant. and it helps us to know how we can get help and make better decisions.

[SweetDreams]

Originally posted by Carly
Just so you know, HIV comes first and then AIDS. You don't die from AIDS, you die because the AIDS virus destroys your immune system and you become completely incapable of fighting off something as small as a cold. Typically AIDS victims die from pneumonia or influenza.

As a side note, the acronyms would tell you this. Human Immunodeficiency Virus and Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome.



Perhaps you should have. Having sex does not make someone an expert.

i know all that, and i know having sex doesn't make me an expert, thats what i fucking said, read it next time, i specifically said that i wish i had listened in the sex ed sessions instead of ignoring them

[Mexican Pie]

A kid in year 7 lost his virginity last year, I think the was about 13-14 years old. He even showed me the condom pack he used.

And I was like: "HEY EVERYONE! THIS KID GOT LAID ON THE WEEKEND!!!"

Only 3 people listened, though.

Stupid people want to get laid early. What are they achieving? Nothing. Best to save it for someone you really appreciate, I reckon.

I remember a while back a teacher got a tampon and put it into a beaker full of water. The tampon was like a supersponge!!!

[Panto]

Originally posted by Mexican Pie
A kid in year 7 lost his virginity last year, I think the was about 13-14 years old. He even showed me the condom pack he used.

And I was like: "HEY EVERYONE! THIS KID GOT LAID ON THE WEEKEND!!!"

Only 3 people listened, though.

Stupid people want to get laid early. What are they achieving? Nothing. Best to save it for someone you really appreciate, I reckon.

I remember a while back a teacher got a tampon and put it into a beaker full of water. The tampon was like a supersponge!!!

How old are you?!?!

[dominatrix]

Originally posted by K'uin K'ra
You walk down my local council estate and observe how many girls there have children. *They* seem to think it's really cool to be pregnant.

Apparently, I am really sad because I don't try to fuck the generically 'hot' or 'fit' girls. Pop culture seems to be based upon the principle that the younger you have sex, the 'cooler' you are. There is something *very* wrong with that.
sorry.......there are some people that i know that go around telling peope how much they're at it but most people think that they are twats.

i don't think that we're taught well enough about STD/I's.i don't think that sex is wrong though and i think that a lot of teens do it because they have the opportunity and they want it.the ring of abstinence thing wont do anything unless they brainwash the kids.....