Sleeping Through Sex Prevents Sexually Transmitted Diseases!
...And other idiocy brought to you by the backward fundamentalists running our government. Marti Harvey exposes the facts about keeping the facts of life from kids:
The high school health textbook Lifetime Health lists that one strategy for teens to avoid contracting a sexually transmitted disease is to get plenty of rest. Yep, that’s right. Get plenty of rest.And while abstinence is touted as the preferred preventative, the book never mentions condom use. Never. Not once.
Apparently, some on the State Board of Education believe you can tell a teen to get plenty of rest, and they won’t have sex.
Continuing pressure from conservative groups such as Advocates for Youth has forced many textbook publishers to leave out controversial or sexual information for fear their books will be rejected by increasingly conservative review boards. More and more often, publishers are offering abstinence-based texts that are likely to be accepted.As a result, three of the four new textbooks adopted by the State Board of Education last week promote abstinence and traditional marriage with almost no information about contraception, condoms and other sensitive sexual topics.
For example, Lifetime Health mentions abstinence, staying away from drugs and alcohol, respect for one’s self and choosing friends wisely as STD prevention strategies. It also says to go out as a group, get plenty of rest, and be aware of your emotions.
But it overlooks the elephant in the middle of the room — what if those things don’t work? What if a teen’s emotions get out of control? As adults who were young once, should we be surprised that teens occasionally use bad judgement?
... Most studies, including a recent one from health education professor Buzz Pruitt of Texas A&M, report that there is almost no evidence that abstinence programs work. If they did, why would Texas, which spends more in abstinence-based programs than any other state, have the highest teen pregnancy rate in the country?
Listen up folks.
It’s not the religious right or the liberal left that’s getting hurt here. It’s our kids. If their health education is really the issue, we should change course and begin to equip them with the information they need to make informed decisions. However, if promoting a religious agenda is the goal, then let’s be honest about it and see if others agree.
I bet they won’t. But if they do, I better get plenty of rest.
I wouldn’t want one of those nasty STDs finding me.
Arguments to look out for: There's an abstinence program where I work, and the folks in charge accuse the condom manufacturers, pharmaceutical companies and sex education "industry" of trying to profit off the STDs of our horny youth.
I haven't given much thought to a response. Personally, I think the profit motive undergirds practically all behavior, so I don't see why "Big Pharma" (yawn) is so evil.
Live and let fuck.
Lena at January 27, 2005 4:57 PM
"Backward fundamentalists" is redundant. Which reminds me to remind Amy: "The End of Faith" would look so spiffy on the Book Picks page, oui?
"Mercy bucket," as the cheese-eatin' surrender monkeys say in Paris. (Sorry--couldn't resist.)
L
Lawaneke at January 27, 2005 5:07 PM
Thanks Lawan...unfortunately, I can't add anything now -- I can barely post. Want to link to LaCoquette in France, and that book, but we're having some...technical issues!!!!...at the moment. Please do remind me again if you don't mind. Should be fixed by next week. My new favorite term "theo-cons" -- read it on Sullivan.
Amy Alkon at January 27, 2005 5:22 PM
Well I will march right over to my son's campus and tell the RA to quit handing out condoms on request. He can give out packets of chamomile tea instead!
There would probably be that one uneducated kid that could not sleep anymore and would try to wear the tea bag........
Sonja at January 28, 2005 12:28 AM
I believe in abstinence, since, as the fundamentalists like to point out, it's the only 100% surefire protection against STDs and unwanted pregnancy. However, it's unrealistic to expect someone who has come of age sexually at the age of 12 to abstain up until such time as he/she has finished school, has a solid career and is ready to start engaging in the ultimate expression of narcissism (commonly known as "parenting").
Like I said, I believe in abstinence-based sex education. It's abstinence-ONLY based sex education that I object to.
Patrick, fan of the Advice Goddess at January 28, 2005 12:54 AM