No sex is safe sex for teens in America

[emad]

Joanna Walters in Killeen, Texas, reports on the $170m Bush-backed abstinence drive that teaches condoms are useless

Sunday January 2, 2005
The Observer

Ona a bright but breezy Texas winter morning at the high school on Clear Creek Road, next to the vast Fort Hood military base, the talk is all about sex.
Or, rather, about how you absolutely must not do it or anything close to it outside wedlock. It is part of the sexual revolution in US schools called Abstinence-Only Until Marriage, a programme being cascaded with funding from the Bush administration.

Karen Koehler smoothed her demure skirt, adjusted her green blazer and looked out intently at the class as the 15- 16 -and 17-year-olds fidgeted in their seats.

'Give me an example of risky behaviour,' said Koehler, sex education teacher at Shoemaker High School, Killeen, about an hour north of the state capital Austin.

The teenagers started with easy stuff. 'Cheating in tests,' called out one. 'Smoking,' said another. Not what Koehler was after.

http://observer.guardian.co.uk/international/story/0,6903,1382117,00.html

[BulletproofLandshark]

1. People like Karen Koehler are dangerous.

Not to mention completely out of step w/reality. I don't have links on hand to back me up, but it seems like every time an abstinence-only program is started in a school district, STD and pregnancy rates go through the roof. I don't know what sort of life these fundies led as teens, but I think they're living in a fantasy world if they expect teenagers to simply NOT have sex. Actively discouraging condom use is the TRUE risky behavior, and an abstinence only program is only going to create more unwanted pregnancies and more kids walking around with diseases.

[sam sarrha]

2. Bu$h only gave 16Million for aid because he wanted to spend 270 Million on

teaching that Condoms were worthless and push "Purity Beads"

more Prof he is a F'n MORON.

[rodeodance]

3. Girls can buy 'purity beads' 'true love waits' bracelets chastity T-shirts

There have been so so many of these stories in the press. People shake their heads and accept it-so it seems!! The Gov. holds the purse strings!!! (blackmail is more like it!!).

"....It is all part of the radical conservative backlash, much of it evangelical-inspired, against the lurid diet of sexual imagery in American music, movies, media, and now the internet.

Bush's home state of Texas, and Florida, where brother Jeb is governor, are two of the largest recipients of federal abstinence-only funding - around $7m annually. Only California and Maine have no abstinence teaching in their state schools. Many schools are backed up by youth groups and churches promoting abstinence as cool. Girls can buy 'purity beads' and 'true love waits' bracelets and chastity T-shirts. According to Mike Goss, president of Abstinence America, a government-funded campaign in Houston, a bestseller has the slogan: 'Virgins make the best lovers in marriage - I'm prepared to wait', while boys go for: 'Abstinence - the new sexual revolution.' ......


Abstinence-only policies go back to the early years of Ronald Reagan and intensified while Bill Clinton was in office, when Republicans slipped a provision into welfare reform legislation. Bush began his crusade from the mid-Nineties when he was governor of Texas. .....

A national report on the efficacy of abstinence-only programmes has been postponed.

[latteromden]

4. Well hell, if we can't bring back sodomy laws, ban sex until marriage

and ban gay marriage, in effect, bringing BACK the sodomy laws!

:wtf:

I'm more concerned about the fact that one kid said "cheating in tests." Apparently, not only are their sex-ed classes twisted, their English classes are teaching the incorrect usage of prepositions.

[sam sarrha]

5. Talaban jail time for Adultry... and make divorce illegal

[FellowAmerican]

6. Abstinence should be an option . . .

just not the 'only' option. But I would support this program as part of a broader package of options - excluding abortion of course.

[OneBlueSky]

7. trying to abolish teenage sex is like trying to hold back a tsunami . . .

you're dealing with a force of nature, and there's absolutely nothing you can do to stop it . . . for a minority of individuals, maybe . . . for most, however, no chance in hell . . . and given that a certain percentage -- probably a significant majority -- of teens will engage in pre-marital sex despite all efforts to stop them, not providing information about contraception and preventing STDs is worse than irresponsible . . . it is criminal . . .

[rtassi]

9. Teach your children well

I agree with you, It won't be stopped by a bracelet or tee shirt. It is a force of nature, one that should be properly nurtured and explained. Instruction in will power, or the assignment of guilt alone will fail. I would prefer schools stay out of it all together. I realize their involvement has come about as a result of parents not assuming the responsibility for the education of there children. But as long as we a are willing to abdicate to someone else, it will be controlled by those who's agendas are compromised, and our children will be poorly prepared.

[davsand]

8. Everybody KNOWS teens do what adults tell them.

Right? :shrug:

Don't kids ALWAYS take to heart what parents and teachers say? Isn't THAT why we have so many jokes about teen rebellion?

::sarcasm mode off::

I have no beef at all with teaching and telling kids that waiting for sex is a good thing--as long as it is followed up immediately with a discussion of what to do to avoid disease and pregnancy.

Seems to me that all the 'purity beads' and 'true love waits' bracelets and chastity T-shirts are not going to do shit to prevent an STD or a conception in the back of some kid's car after the football game.

This shit is beginning to sound a lot like amulets and philters to ward off disease and babies--and we ALL know how medically sound THAT has proved to be in the past.

We are headed to an epidemic of HIV+ kids along with a jump in teen pregnancy rates and those idiot adults teaching this crap are culpable.


Laura

[ashmanonar]

13. indeed

it's sad, when you live on a college campus, and see all these people that are only going out and having sex...but at least our campus encourages protection (hell, they give away condoms!)

i agree that encouraging that kids wait is a good idea, as long as the education on abstinence is followed up by a thorough discussion on how to protect yourself if you do make the choice to have sex...

more reproductive rights in danger?

[noamnety]

10. I don't claim to be an expert on the subject

But a chastity "T-shirt" ... that doesn't seem like it would cover the right parts.

[Toucano]

16. Good call! n/t

[lawladyprof]

11. The problem that they don't acknowledge

or will not acknowledge the roots of-is consumer-capitalism, which uses sex to sell everything from cars to hamburgers, in an effort to make more and more money. This cheapens sex and insures that our young people and children are inundated with sexual messages, think ten year Brittany Spears wantabees. The message should be that sex is wonderful (enhancing the human experience) and powerful (best treated carefully and with respect) force but sadly in our culture sex is commodified.

Besides, sex ed. is supposed to be for life not just the narrow window of adolescence temptations.

[Megawatt]

14. Excellent post

What you said --:)

[Swamp Rat]

12. All part of the plan...

Get them to breed BEFORE the young men die in the perpetual resource war.

[Guy Fawkes]

15. News from 2006: Birthrate skyrockets; 16 year old parents abound.

You heard it here first, folks.