Comments on: Abstinence sex ed w/out morality lecture prove effective

By: reneeschaferhorton

reneeschaferhorton — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 19:01:16 +0000

Leftfield: We should want to encourage self control for the sake of the planet and the economy, yes. Among everyone, not just the poor. This study looked at lower rung of socio-economic scale, but I’m betting many teens would fall into the same statistical pile re: actions with sex ed regardless of socioeconomic area. It isn’t harm done to the “more desirable” classes – it is harm done to the society as a whole. And studies show that the more we raise people out of poverty, the more they self-regulate births – why would you say that is? Education? Money? Have you seen Precious yet?

By: leftfield

leftfield — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 01:20:59 +0000

“This isn’t a moral argument, it is an economic one. We can’t afford the economic toll that comes with teen motherhood and we can’t afford the economic tolls that comes with an increase in STDs among people who either lack health care or have their health care paid for by others’ taxes.”

There you go again, Renee. I have no problem with the idea of investigating various approaches to sex education as regards their effectiveness in minimizing unwanted pregnancy. But this business of the impetus being that we have to control the sexuality and reproduction of the “lower classes” because of the potential harm done to the more desirable (tax-paying, contributing) classes is repugnant.

By: Karen Nelson

Karen Nelson — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 17:56:11 +0000

“Catherine Camacho, deputy director for the California Department of Public Health’s Center for Family Health, said previous research had shown that it made sense to include abstinence education as part of a comprehensive program.”
Hmmm… will be interesting to see if this study could be repeated and if the “Comprehensive” program can be limited to “just the facts”!
What a novel idea… if you take the complications of moralizing and overwhelming with too much information, and just give the truth, they may actually listen.
Although, I must say it is still appalling to me that 33-52% of 12-13 year-olds (which over the next 2 years became 14-15 year-olds) are having sex! Wow…

By: tiponeill

tiponeill — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 17:50:34 +0000

1) Abstinence education was most “successful” in creating abstinence.
Wow.
If your goal is anti-sex, then great – maybe it will increase recruitment for priests and nuns.
Since unwanted pregnancies were not determined (the goal of the rest of us), there is nothing in the study to show any “success” for any form of “education”.
2) Focus on the Family has no “right” to air ads, nor does anyone else – it is not a “right” any more than I can demand that the Tucson Citizen run my ad.
It is a policy question for CBS – which has the “right” to do whatever they wish. And the criticism is that CBS has a track record of rejecting ads which are pro-gay such as the United Church of Christ’s ads and yet is willing to run fundie Focus on the Family ads.
Personally, considering the audience for football games, I thing CBS is just pandering to its audience of redneck morons, so I don’t care.