Abstinence only education fails

Upton · #1 (**permalink**) 12-06-2007, 04:07 PM

The Christians screwed up again. The nation's teen birth rate rose for the first time in 15 years.

The birth rate had been dropping since its peak in 1991, although the decline had slowed in recent years. On Wednesday, government statisticians said it rose 3 percent from 2005 to 2006.

However, some experts said they have been expecting a jump. They blamed it on increased federal funding for abstinence-only health education that doesn't teach teens how to use condoms and other contraception.

Some key sexually transmitted disease rates have been rising, including syphilis, gonorrhea and chlamydia. The rising teen pregnancy rate is part of the same phenomenon, said Dr. Carol Hogue, an Emory University professor of maternal and child health.

Quote:

Teen Birth Rate Rises in U.S., Reversing a 14-Year Decline

By Rob Stein
Washington Post Staff Writer
Thursday, December 6, 2007

After falling steadily for more than a decade, the birth rate for American teenagers jumped last year, federal health officials reported yesterday, a sharp reversal in what has been one of the nation's most celebrated social and public health successes.

The birth rate rose by 3 percent between 2005 and 2006 among 15-to-19-year-old girls, after plummeting 34 percent between 1991 and 2005, the National Center for Health Statistics reported.

"This is concerning," said Stephanie J. Ventura, who heads the center's reproductive statistics branch. "It represents an interruption of 14 years of steady decline. Now unexpectedly we have an increase of 3 percent, which is a significant increase."

Ventura said it is too soon to know whether the increase was an aberration or the beginning of a trend. But she said the magnitude of the rise, especially after many years of decline, is worrisome.

"This early warning should put people on alert to look at the programs that are being used to see what works," Ventura said.

While experts said it was unclear what may be causing the reversal, the new data reignited debate about abstinence-only sex-education programs, which receive about $176 million a year in federal funding. Congress is currently debating whether to increase that by $28 million.

"The United States is facing a teen-pregnancy health-care crisis, and the national policy of abstinence-only programs just isn't working," said Cecile Richard, president of the Planned Parenthood Federation of America. "It is time for everyone who cares about teenagers to start focusing on the common-sense solutions that will help solve this problem."

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rob · #2 (**permalink**) 12-06-2007, 04:33 PM

Well, I am not sure who is to blame for this but it sounds like parents not doing their jobs to me.

J04miller · #3 (**permalink**) 12-06-2007, 04:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rob

Well, I am not sure who is to blame for this but it sounds like parents not doing their jobs to me.

Exactly right, Rob.

BTW, if you are too stupid to know how a condom works, you are probably going to be the "victim" of many unfortunate social ills.

As a parent, you can easily purchase a cucumber and a pack of Trojans to demo this very difficult task. Why does the school have to do this?

My six year old daughter made a comment about vaginas the other day. I guess she was discussing this with another girl during "quiet time". Now that cracks me up! Anyway, I told her that was the appropriate name for that part of the female body (up to that point we called it a "pee pee"). Why would I need any school program to deal with that for me? I liked that my daughter came to ME. I didn't make her feel bad or weird. It is just the beginning of many fun talks..............

Eternal Footman · #4 (**permalink**) 12-06-2007, 05:37 PM

J04miller · #5 (**permalink**) 12-06-2007, 09:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Eternal Footman

If the stork ever approaches me again, I'll shoot it.

cat's meow · #6 (**permalink**) 12-07-2007, 12:38 AM

The bottom line is we are SET UP BIOLOGICALLY to have sex and pro-create. All the religion in the world and puttting that in a framework of abstinence will always be doomed to fail. 'God' (or whoever you might blame) made sex a very pleasurable thing for us to do and one has to work within the framework of all that. Love...monogamy...families...sure, this is all good stuff but it still does not overcome the fact that sex is a pleasure that humans seek, and we are DRIVEN to have sex.

Get a pack of condoms, they are quite cheap; you can get them anywhere.

36shadow · #7 (**permalink**) 12-07-2007, 01:07 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cat's meow

The bottom line is we are SET UP BIOLOGICALLY to have sex and pro-create. All the religion in the world and puttting that in a framework of abstinence will always be doomed to fail. 'God' (or whoever you might blame) made sex a very pleasurable thing for us to do and one has to work within the framework of all that. Love...monogamy...families...sure, this is all good stuff but it still does not overcome the fact that sex is a pleasure that humans seek, and we are DRIVEN to have sex.

Get a pack of condoms, they are quite cheap; you can get them anywhere.

And this is exactly one of the reasons you have parents telling them wait till your married or the pastor is teaching them that it is not ok till your married and then the rest of the world tell them that the parents and pastor are full of shit and you have a right to do as you will. This is a reply to upton aslo. Religion has not failed on this one Society has as a whole you can fight like hell at home but when the rest of the world is pushing it in there face and telling them there parents don't have the right and religion is bullshit what chance do you think the parent has. The world is all about sex money and screw the other guy I'm getting what I want. It is in advertising tv shows etc etc hell you get told enough that killing everyone because they are not your religion well you know how that has turned out. You give me anyone that hates religion and especialy the muslim radical religion, the most docile person you can find in America and take him back to say when he was as old as five six and let him be raised in the middle east with these radical muslims and you can bet your ass that person will be straped with a bomb and ready to kill the infadels by the age of 15.

Eternal Footman · #8 (**permalink**) 12-07-2007, 06:32 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cat's meow

The bottom line is we are SET UP BIOLOGICALLY to have sex and pro-create. All the religion in the world and puttting that in a framework of abstinence will always be doomed to fail. 'God' (or whoever you might blame) made sex a very pleasurable thing for us to do and one has to work within the framework of all that. Love...monogamy...families...sure, this is all good stuff but it still does not overcome the fact that sex is a pleasure that humans seek, and we are DRIVEN to have sex.

Get a pack of condoms, they are quite cheap; you can get them anywhere.

I agree with most of that but I certainly would not put it in those words when teaching my own.

Eternal Footman · #9 (**permalink**) 12-07-2007, 06:36 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by J04miller

If the stork ever approaches me again, I'll shoot it.

Condom guns work well with spermicidal shot.

Abstinance: Sure fire
Condoms: Quick and easy back up when plan A fails

Happy hunting J04.

Tokenconservative · #10 (**permalink**) 12-08-2007, 08:38 AM

LOL!

I love this sort of "reasoning."

D'ya juuuuusssttt 'pose there might be one, teensy, eeensy, widdle tiny almost infinitessimally small factor NOT um...factored into this?

Hmmm...let's see if these hints help you figger it out:

1. 12-30 million.
2. A culture that views girls as "women" at age 12
3. A border that only deserves that name in nostalgic references.

Now, you mission, should you choose to accept young Libbie, is to see if you can cut the blinders that are lag-bolted to your temples away, and THINK.

Give 'er the old college try, why doncha!?

Sheesh.

Tokie