Unfortunately, we don't do as well for our own citizens.
The rate of increase in unsafe sex is among the worst in the United States, of the countries listed in this article. This can be linked to abstinence-only sex ed funding, like the insertion of funding for failed abstinence only sex ed in 'Obamacare':
The bill restores $250 million over five years for states to sponsor programs aimed at preventing pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases by focusing exclusively on encouraging children and adolescents to avoid sex. The funding provides at least a partial reprieve for the approach, which faced losing all federal support under President Obama's first two budgets.No surprise, that right wingers like Presidential Candidate contender Rick Perry promotes abstinence-only sex ed as 'working' despite Texas having one of the highest rates of unintended pregnancies - and he highest rate of REPEAT unintended pregnancies. It's not just a war on sex ed and accurate medical information being provided to kids and adults, in Texas, there IS an actual war on contraception :
"We're very happy to see that funding will continue so the important sexual health message of risk avoidance will reach American teens," said Valerie Huber, executive director of the National Abstinence Education Association, a Washington-based lobbying group. "What better place to see such an important health issue addressed than in the health legislation?"
But the funding was condemned by critics, who were stupefied by the eleventh-hour rescue.
"To spend a quarter-billion dollars on abstinence-only-until-marriage programs that have already been proven to fail is reckless and irresponsible," said James Wagoner of the Washington group Advocates for Youth. "When on top of that you add the fact that this puts the health and lives of young people at risk, this becomes outrageous."
Yet another instance where right wing ideology is not fiscally responsible, and is misogynistic.
From the Ottawa, Sun:
More young people having unsafe sex: StudyThe War on Contraception and Sex Education about contraception is a dangerous and costly problem for our national Public Health policy. According to the web site of the National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancies, unplanned pregnancies result in a cost of BILLIONS of dollars in direct health care costs each year. That doesn't begin to address the indirect costs, and the related costs of STDs.
LONDON - Young people across the globe are having more unprotected sex and know less about effective contraception options, a multinational survey revealed on Monday.
The “Clueless or Clued Up: Your Right to be informed about contraception” study prepared for World Contraception Day (WCD) reports that the number of young people having unsafe sex with a new partner increased by 111% in France, 39% in the U.S. and 19% in Britain in the last three years.
“No matter where you are in the world, barriers exist which prevent teenagers from receiving trustworthy information about sex and contraception, which is probably why myths and misconceptions remain so widespread even today,” a member of the WCD task force, Denise Keller, said in a statement with the results of the study.
“When young people have access to contraceptive information and services, they can make choices that affect every aspect of their lives which is why it’s so important that accurate and unbiased information is easily available for young people to obtain,” Keller said.
The survey, commissioned by Bayer Healthcare Pharmaceuticals and endorsed by 11 international non-governmental organisations, questioned more than 6,000 young people from 26 countries including Chile, Poland and China, on their attitudes towards sex and contraception.
The level of unplanned pregnancies among young people is a major global issue, campaigners say, and the rise in unprotected sex in several counties has sparked concern about the quality of sex education available to youngsters.
In Europe, only half of respondents receive sex education from school, compared to three quarters across Latin America, Asia Pacific and the USA.
Many respondents also said that they felt too embarrassed to ask a healthcare professional for contraception.
“What young people are telling us is that they are not receiving enough sex education or the wrong type of information about sex and sexuality,” spokeswoman for the International Planned Parenthood Federation, Jennifer Woodside said in a statement.
“The results show that too many young people either lack good knowledge about sexual health, do not feel empowered enough to ask for contraception or have not learned the skills to negotiate contraceptive use with their partners to protect themselves from unwanted pregnancies or STIs (sexually transmitted infections),” she said.
More than a third of respondents in Egypt believe bathing or showering after sex will prevent pregnancy, and more than a quarter of those in Thailand and India believe that having intercourse during menstruation is an effective form of contraception.
But the fact that many young people engage in unprotected sex and the prevalence of harmful myths should not come as a surprise, Woodside said.
“How can young people make decisions that are right for them and protect them from unwanted pregnancy and STIs, if we do not empower them and enable them to acquire the skills they need to make those choices?” she said.
Can we AFFORD misogynistic right wing ideology and policies?
I don't think so.
I am all for the teaching of the use of contraceptives. I think it should be stressed that all contraceptives have a failure rate and that there is no such thing as "safe sex" in terms of pregnancy or STD infection possibilities. It should also be stressed that the only 100% effective method to avoid pregnancy and STDs is abstinence.
ReplyDeleteI wonder if contraceptive manufacturers are liable for unintended pregnancies of people using their products?
You are correct, Jim. There is a miniscule failure rate for some forms of contraception, and not all of them are also protection against veneral disease.
ReplyDeleteThe problem with abstinence only sex ed is that it has consistently taught a false failure rate, for example, for condoms.
It does not teach about a variety of sexual conduct, it in effect promotes ignorance which is NOT education.
Abstinence doesn't work, as evidenced by the failures of it. People do not choose to abstain, nor should they have to do so if they don't wish to abstain. What abstinence only sex ed does is promote a religious view of sexual conduct which has no place in our schools. Further, comprehensive, accurate sex ed INCLUDES information about abstinence. It just additionally includes the rest of the information people should have in preparation for being adults.
The assumption that not providing the information or contraception will result in an absence of sex is stupid.
We should be teaching contraception, and we should be making contraception widely and cheaply available.
And while we are on the subject, every one of the diseases classed as STDs DO have alternate means of infecting people - note my recent posts on HPV.
And women CAN become pregnant without genital penetration, so you are wrong that being a 'technical virgin' is proof against pregnancy.
Mostly, I'm sick of the right wing fighting against science, fighting against education, and fighting against an informed, and educated understanding of human sexuality and reproduction.
Effective contraception, the ability to control one's own reproduction, is one of the greatest gifts to the past century and to this one.
Yeah, abstinence based sex-ed works--
ReplyDeleteJust ask Bristol Palin!
Opponents and critics of abstinence based sex-ed, which include prominent professional associations in the fields of medicine, public health, adolescent health, and psychology, point out that these programmes fail to provide adequate information to protect the health of adolescents. This sort of programme is also religious interference in secular education.
Jimbo, you are in the wrong country if you want a theocracy!
So far, evidence has not supported the effective use of abstinence-only sex education. It has been found to be ineffective in decreasing HIV risk in the developed world, and does not decrease rates of unplanned pregnancy (as Old Bristol will attest).
in the United States, a "...study, conducted by Mathematica Policy Research Inc. on behalf of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, found that abstinence-only-until-marriage programs are ineffective." In 2007, the National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy published an overview of policy and research on "programs designed to prevent teen pregnancy and STD/HIV" titled Emerging Answers 2007. The report included a comprehensive metastudy examining research on the efficacy of abstinence-only as well as comprehensive sex education. Despite "[t]wo less rigorous studies suggest[ing] that abstinence programs may have some positive effects on sexual behaviour", Emerging Answers concluded that "studies of abstinence programs have not produced sufficient evidence to justify their widespread dissemination." In contrast, the report judged the evidence for comprehensive sex education favourably, finding it effective for a wide range of students.
Unfortunately, Jim, it sounds as if you are pushing your religious views onto others, which is not a good thing to do in the US of A. Unfortunately, you lot have forgotten the lessons of where that type of behaviour leads. That's why the Constitution makes the US a secular society.
If you don't like it, there are other countries that have state religions where you can move.
"Unfortunately, Jim, it sounds as if you are pushing your religious views onto others, which is not a good thing to do in the US of A. Unfortunately, you lot have forgotten the lessons of where that type of behaviour leads. That's why the Constitution makes the US a secular society.
ReplyDeleteIf you don't like it, there are other countries that have state religions where you can move."
I stated that I was all for teaching the use of contraceptives. I think information on the failure rates of contraceptive methods should also be provided with this teaching. I also think it should be stressed that there is no such thing as "safe sex." Condoms break, the pill sometimes is rendered ineffective by antibiotics, even sterilization has a small failure rate. When you engage in sexual conduct you have to understand that certain outcomes are possible even if you are trying to be "safe." If you don't want to deal with those outcomes, then the only method that is 100% effective is abstinence. Teenagers need to understand this. This is not a religious belief, it is scientific fact.
Some links to contraceptive failure rates:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.youngwomenshealth.org/summarychart.html
http://www.guttmacher.org/pubs/journals/3105699.html
http://womenshealth.about.com/cs/birthcontrol/a/effectivenessbc.htm
This information needs to be shared as part of any comprehensive sex ed class.
Promoting abstinence is largely a religious position.
ReplyDeleteFor the rest of the world, sex is a personal choice, including consideration of our personal religious / ethical / moral beliefs.
For those of us who do NOT choose to be celibate, we use the available medical science to assist us in those decisions, including when to reproduce.
There is no reason to STRESS failure rates; failure rates are about as low as getting hit by debris from a space satellite falling to earth. The rate of failure is so very very very very low as to make it NOT a serious reason to choose abstinence.
Fear of disease or pregnancy, given how easily either / both can be prevented, is not the basis for anyone to make a healthy and happy decision about their sexuality. For disease control, we have antibiotics; for pregnancy, we have medical alternatives.
We don't need fear, and we certainly don't need the medically inaccurate misinformation that has been required under abstinence only sex ed.
Pretty much the only demographic pushing abstinence only sex ed, or waging war on contraception, is the religious right promoting THEIR religious beliefs and trying to force them on others --- our Christian equivalent of the Taliban, if they had their way. Thankfully they don't have their way without a fight.
Jim Sez:
ReplyDeleteSome links to contraceptive failure rates:
http://www.youngwomenshealth.org/summarychart.html
http://www.guttmacher.org/pubs/journals/3105699.html--1999 study
http://womenshealth.about.com/cs/birthcontrol/a/effectivenessbc.htm--Probably the best of the three you suggest,Jim
This information needs to be shared as part of any comprehensive sex ed class.
Those type of classes do address contraception. Abstinence-only sex education emphasises abstinence from sex, and often excludes many other types of sexual and reproductive health education, particularly regarding birth control and safe sex. This type of sex education promotes sexual abstinence until marriage and avoids discussion of use of contraceptives. Comprehensive sex education, by contrast, covers the use of contraceptives as well as abstinence.
That's why those types of courses are failures.
I would also suggest the following sites:
http://www.contraceptivetechnology.org/table.html
http://www.arhp.org/Publications-and-Resources/Clinical-Practice-Tools/You-Decide/Efficacy-Tools
those types of courses are failures.
ReplyDeleteClarification--I meant abstinence based sex ed courses.
dog gone - I think you have an unreasonably high regard for contraceptive effectiveness. Most studies that I have seen on them indicate much higher failure rates than you seem to imply. And sure some STDs are cured by antibiotics, but others are with you for life - HIV and herpes for instance.
ReplyDeleteAgain, I am not suggesting abstinence only as the method of sex education. I am only stating that scientifically, even if used perfectly, the only form of contraception that is 100% effective is abstinence.
I have a very healthy regard for the factual failure rates of contraception.
ReplyDeleteWhat I don't have a high respect for is the misinformation that is promoted about failure rates.
IUD's for example have a 2% failure rate for conception, and are nearly always associated with a miscarriage in those instances, although the copper IUD has a failure rate of less than 1%.
Birth control using the pill has a failure rate of 1%-2%, depending on the kind of pill (with consistent use).
The Depo Provera injection has a failure rate of less than 1%
Ditto other horomone injections, patch, and the vaginal hormonal ring.
The failure rate is slightly higher for other methods, but those are for individual methods intended to be used in combination; in combination - for example,diaphragm or sponge AND spermicidal foam - the failure rate are minimal.
http://www.youngwomenshealth.org/summarychart.html
and from wikipedia:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Condom
"With proper knowledge and application technique—and use at every act of intercourse—women whose partners use male condoms experience a 2% per-year pregnancy rate with perfect use "
Those are not significant failure rates.
Further, we can now manage HIV without it being fatal, and are moving closer to cures and vaccines for it. As to Herpes - hardly life threatening; and 100% avoidable for contracting it, if one makes the necessary choices OTHER than abstinence.
So........your point is?
Wow - 2% per year failure rate is not significant? What would you say if your brakes failed 2% of the time over a years worth of driving? Of course your solution is to just get the result of the unintended pregnancy vacuumed out and you are good to go again.
ReplyDeleteAs to that HIV thing - no biggie huh? Just take a drug for the rest of your life and you are good to go...no real affect on the healthcare system with HIV nowadays huh? Sure Herpes isn't life threatening, but do you really want to have to deal with it? Can't say that is something I would look forward to. And how to explain either of these (or other STDs) to your future husband or wife?
I see you linked to one of the same charts I provided. You assume everyone with proper education will use birth control perfectly. Why do you ignore the typical results? You know these kids and their hormones... things start getting excited, who wants to stop if you forgot to take your pill that morning or the condom looks a little odd?
HIV is avoidable, so is Herpes --- with proper sex ed and safe sex.
ReplyDeleteIf you check out the link I posted, a number of the contraceptive methods have a failure rate of LESS than 1%. Those which have higher failure rates have a zero failure rate if used with a second method of birth control. Consider it a belt and suspenders approach to sex.
So, Jim, are you also in favor of teaching the benefits of having sex?
Do you even know what they are?
Since I doubt you know what the benefits are to having sex, let me quote them to you from WebMD:
ReplyDelete1. stress relief-"Those who had intercourse had better responses to stress than those who engaged in other sexual behaviors or abstained."
2. boosts immune system response- "Having sex once or twice a week has been linked with higher levels of an antibody called immunoglobulin A or IgA, which can protect you from getting colds and other infections. Scientists at Wilkes University in Wilkes-Barre, Pa., took samples of saliva, which contain IgA, from 112 college students who reported the frequency of sex they had.
Those in the "frequent" group -- once or twice a week -- had higher levels of IgA than those in the other three groups -- who reported being abstinent, having sex less than once a week, or having it very often, three or more times weekly."
3. Exercise- "Thirty minutes of sex burns 85 calories or more. It may not sound like much, but it adds up: 42 half-hour sessions will burn 3,570 calories, more than enough to lose a pound. Doubling up, you could drop that pound in 21 hour-long sessions.
"Sex is a great mode of exercise," says Patti Britton, PhD, a Los Angeles sexologist and president of the American Association of Sexuality Educators and Therapists. It takes work, from both a physical and psychological perspective, to do it well, she says."
4.Improved cardiovascular health -"While some older folks may worry that the efforts expended during sex could cause a stroke, that's not so, according to researchers from England. In a study published in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health, scientists found frequency of sex was not associated with stroke in the 914 men they followed for 20 years.
And the heart health benefits of sex don't end there. The researchers also found that having sex twice or more a week reduced the risk of fatal heart attack by half for the men, compared with those who had sex less than once a month."
5. Self esteem - "Boosting self-esteem was one of 237 reasons people have sex, collected by University of Texas researchers and published in the Archives of Sexual Behavior."
continued
ReplyDelete6 Oxytocin levels -"Having sex and orgasms increases levels of the hormone oxytocin, the so-called love hormone, which helps us bond and build trust. Researchers from the University of Pittsburgh and the University of North Carolina evaluated 59 premenopausal women before and after warm contact with their husbands and partners ending with hugs. They found that the more contact, the higher the oxytocin levels." Oxytocin is an amazing body chemical - you should read up on it... I keep a jar of veterinary oxytocin on the shelf, and use it; so I've had occasion to learn a bit moreabout it tha the average person.
7. pain reduction/ pain management - "As the hormone oxytocin surges, endorphins increase, and pain declines. So if your headache, arthritis pain, or PMS symptoms seem to improve after sex, you can thank those higher oxytocin levels.
In a study published in the Bulletin of Experimental Biology and Medicine, 48 volunteers who inhaled oxytocin vapor and then had their fingers pricked lowered their pain threshold by more than half."
8. Reduction of prostate cancer - "Frequent ejaculations, especially in 20-something men, may reduce the risk of prostate cancer later in life, Australian researchers reported in the British Journal of Urology International. When they followed men diagnosed with prostate cancer and those without, they found no association of prostate cancer with the number of sexual partners as the men reached their 30s, 40s, and 50s.
But they found men who had five or more ejaculations weekly while in their 20s reduced their risk of getting prostate cancer later by a third.
Another study, reported in the Journal of the American Medical Association, found that frequent ejaculations, 21 or more a month, were linked to lower prostate cancer risk in older men, as well, compared with less frequent ejaculations of four to seven monthly."
9 strengthen pelvic floor muscles - "For women, doing a few pelvic floor muscle exercises known as Kegels during sex offers a couple of benefits. You will enjoy more pleasure, and you'll also strengthen the area and help to minimize the risk of incontinence later in life." There are different exercises, different benefits to men in performing male kegel exercises in conjunction with sex.
10. sleep - "The oxytocin released during orgasm also promotes sleep, according to research.
And getting enough sleep has been linked with a host of other good things, such as maintaining a healthy weight and blood pressure."
Here is the link so you can check it out for yourself: http://www.webmd.com/sex-relationships/features/10-surprising-health-benefits-of-sex?page=3
Or are you only in favor Jim, of teaching the perils of sex,and the benefits of abstinence, but not the obverse, the perils of abstinence and the benefits of sex?
Don't even get me started on the benefits of spermidine,
http://www.nature.com/ncb/journal/v11/n11/full/ncb1109-1277.html
or the advantages to women of regular sex for the antidepressant advantages of semen absorbed vaginally....
http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/all-about-sex/201101/attention-ladies-semen-is-antidepressant
Jim wrote:"Why do you ignore the typical results? You know these kids and their hormones... things start getting excited, who wants to stop if you forgot to take your pill that morning or the condom looks a little odd? "
ReplyDeleteSimply this Jim: EVERY country - every single one - that has abstinence only sex education has far higher rates of uninetended pregnancy and STD/STIs.
So, teaching accurate contraception and safe sex, even if it is not perfect, is hugely hugely better than abstinence. If your comment about teen hormones is true of using sex, it is even more true about kids and abstinence.
The goal is more perfect and more correct use of contraception, and safer sex, not abstinence.
I would think that every male reader of this blog, across the age spectrum, should be paying particular attention to the benefits of having sex on reducing prostate cancer.
"But they found men who had five or more ejaculations weekly while in their 20s reduced their risk of getting prostate cancer later by a third."
ReplyDeleteLets be honest - every 20 something man easily has five or more ejaculations weekly... they may not be provided by a member of the opposite sex, but they are happening. :p
"HIV is avoidable, so is Herpes --- with proper sex ed and safe sex."
DG - your own website shows that every form of "safe sex" does indeed have a failure rate. So no, HIV is not 100% avoidable if you are having sex with an HIV positive person - even if you are perfectly practicing "safe sex."
Again, I am not espousing abstinence only education. Quit trying to say that I am. My point is that we can teach every single person how to perfectly use all forms of birth control and you will still end up with unintended pregnancies. It is unavoidable, so teenagers need to understand the consequences of their actions.
Jim:
ReplyDelete"Why do you ignore the typical results? You know these kids and their hormones... things start getting excited, who wants to stop if you forgot to take your pill that morning or the condom looks a little odd?
September 29, 2011 12:28 AM"
Really? That's an argument for "Abstinence only"?
"Really? That's an argument for "Abstinence only"?"
ReplyDeleteNo it is not. I am not advocating for abstinence only as I have said over and over.
Jim, You really seem to be into the failure rate of contraceptives. I don't know if anyone else mentioned it but I heard a good one once. Almost all of the "failures" are due to people forgetting to take the pill and lying about it or not using the condom and lying about that.
ReplyDeleteThe true failures are even less common than the true DGUs.
I think MikeB has made my point, about failure rates.
ReplyDeleteJim, I amarguing that the failure rate, as measured by a percentage of people who are sexually active, IS low.
You made the analogy of brakes on a car failing. Have you never heard of a case of a vehicle with brakes failing? Was it enough to justify not using a vehicle?
I agree that everyone should beaware of risks of pregnancy and STDs in being sexually active.
But that is a poor basis for when to engage in sex and when not to engage in sex. For example, by comparison, in europe where they have rates of 8.1 unintended pregnancy per 1000 women (age 15 - 19 years old) compared to 93 women in the U.S. with an unintended pregnancy in the same age range.
That suggests a lot of unsafe sex going on in the U.S., which argues that abstinence isn't happening and isn't going to be their choice.
A better basis for the decision to have sex is emphasized in European condom Public Service Announcements aimed at teens, promoting having sex in the context of committed loving relationships, and then only when truly ready - in the context of adults accepting teen sex and sexuality. I suggest you might want to look at material like this:
www.advocatesforyouth.org/storage/advfy/documents/european.pdf
I think Jim pretty much gives up logic when he employs the "Abstinence is the only 100% SAFE membe.". That is distinctly untrue as we have seen MANY, MANY young KKKommitted KKKristians who took a vow of celibacy and put on the "Purity ring", exchanging them for teething rings a little way down the road of life.
ReplyDeleteThe only SURE way to avoid STD's and unwanted pregnancies is universal castration/sterilization (except for the wealthy--and enough of the ubermenschen to take care of the gardening, cooking, etc.,). That, by GOD, WILL be effective!!!
Jim claims that abstinence is a more successful way to avoid pregnancy and STDs, than contraception.
ReplyDeleteI would make the argument that just as the success of contraception varies with consistent and correct use, so does the choice of abstinence.
Apparently, very few people practice total abstinence. Further, given that one is six women (probably the number is higher) will be the victim of rape in her lifetime in the U.S., having provisions for long term, passive birth control, like an injection, patch, or IUD, or the pill mitigate pregnancies from involuntary sex, where the role of abstinence as a choice is not applicable.
Beyond that, most of those who promote abstinence as a life style are also opposed to masturbation.
I recall my biology professor in class making the statement that 95% of men masturbate, and the other 5% were liars.
I don't know what an accurate figure would be for women, but it would not be a low number either. presumably fairly close - in the 90+% range.
This is opposed by conservative religious teaching, such as that of the Roman Catholic church and any number of evangelicals on the right.
I notice that Jim has been relatively quiet about the comparative benefits from having sex - some of which onl apply to partnered sex. Shouldn't anyone contemplating celibacy/abstinence also weigh the benefits in the balance, not only negatives of really low risks of pregnancy and STDs?
I find it very sad that conservatives seem, consistently, to emphasize negatives, whether it be over-emphasizing risks, or negative reinforcements in the form of punishments, fear tactics, etc., to influence behavior. The reality is that positive tactics are consistently more effective than negatives, as measured by the comparative success of positive and negative reinforcement of behaviors measured in psychology.
Jim's position seems to be another example of promoting a form of conduct based on unrealistic assessment of risk, without even considering the benefits.
That makes for a very poor risk analysis, low benefits, and an unsatisfying decision resul.
"I notice that Jim has been relatively quiet about the comparative benefits from having sex - some of which onl apply to partnered sex. Shouldn't anyone contemplating celibacy/abstinence also weigh the benefits in the balance, not only negatives of really low risks of pregnancy and STDs?"
ReplyDeleteI agree that sex between myself and my wife has given great benifits to both of us as was noted in a post above. I question whether the benifits noted would apply to say a 15 year old girl who thought that 17 year old boy loved her when she finds out all he wanted was a one night stand. I bet she would experience more stress, have a hard time sleeping, may get depressed and stop exercising, feel a great deal of pain, etc.
I question how well a teenager is able to determine that they are in a true loving and committed relationship that woud benifit from the health aspects of sex as described above.
I did mention that all men in their 20s easily achieve 5 ejaculations a week whether or not they are with another person, so I guess I wonder where the research project found a large enough group of men that were not ejaculating that often in the prostate cancer study.
One of the nicer things Jim about the difference in how Europe handles these matters is that there are fewer girls/young women who report that they regret their sexual activity.
ReplyDeleteIt is beneficial for both young men and young women to appreciate the importance of a committed relationship and waiting for the right relationship to become sexual, as well as the importance of intimacy, honesty, and mutual respect. That is a more complex message than simply saying 'don't', a message which is all the more hypocritical to teens when it comes from adults who are themselves sexually active - the 'do as I say, not as I do' conundrum. While young women can have their feelings hurt, even hurt badly - so can young men.
From the wikipedia article on sex ed, which I believe Jim addresses your comment about the 15year old and the 17 year old, which I believe is well-addressed by 1-4, and 9:
ReplyDeleteObjectives of Sex Education
Macnab (2004) outlined some general objectives for family life and sex education in accordance with Illinois sex education act. These include:
1. To make affection, sex and love constructive rather than destructive forces in society.
2. To develop feelings of identity,respect and responsibility as an integral part of ones own development.
3. To understand and appreciate the sexual side of human nature so that their own psycho-sexual development may occur as normally as possible.
4.To learn that human sexual behaviour is not merely a personal and private matter but has important social, moral and religious implications.
5.To learn about the dangers of illicit sexual behaviour.
6.To emphasize the case of premarital chastity as the sexual standard approved by our society because chastity provides a positive goal for teenagers linking human sexual behaviour with love, marriage, parenthood and family life.
7.To open channels of communication between children (students) and their teachers concerning the meaning, significance and potential values of sex in human life so that students will find it easier to seek information from reliable sources rather than relying on hearsay or misconceptions.
8.To understand that boy/girl, man/woman relationship of the right kind can lead to enjoyment and give meaning to their lives.
9.To develop a healthy, wholesome attitude towards sex in human beings including respect for their bodies as an integral part of their personality.
10.To appreciate the significance of sexual difference in girls and boys and male-female sexual roles in our society.
11.To understand how to deal with personal sexual problems such as menstruation, nocturnal emissions, masturbation and personal hygiene.
12.To learn the key parts and basic concepts of venereal diseases and the role of teenagers and young adults in the prevention and control of these important communicable diseases.
Btw, Jim, you made a comment earlier re one of the prostate cancer studies,and ejaculations.
ReplyDeleteYou can read the studies online if you are interested; I recall the study of older men and prostate cancer included both 'regular' and prostatic orgasm ejaculations as contributing to prostate health.
DG - the goals you quoted from that article seem like a perfect basis for a sex ed class to me.
ReplyDeleteHooray! I love it when we find common ground on which we can agree!
ReplyDeleteI think there's a big misogynistic element in the abstainance only programs. What the real message is is the young girls must stay virgins until marriage. The boys, well, you know, boys will be boys.
ReplyDeleteThese sick and twisted attitudes are harming our young women. They are expected to be the virginal property of their dad's until they get turned over to another man whom dad approves of.
Better would be to teach our 13-year-old daughters to think for themselves, to live their own lives, that we don't own them, that they have the right to say no when they mean no and yes if they choose to.
Shocking, I know, but more practical and better for the girls. The other thing is patriarchal control, nothing more.