Sex Ed still an issue
Its a battle that is fought in pracitcally every school district in America. The latest: Mongtomery County, Maryland. Two groups, Citizens for a Responsible Curriculum and Parents and Friends of Ex-Gays and Gays, have successfully petitioned the Montgomery County School District (just outside of Washington, DC) to abandon a new and improved sex education curriculum. According to an article in today's Washington Post, the revised curriculum would have included a video demonstrating with a cucumber how to correctly use condoms as well as information about homosexuality in a publication prduced by Planned Parenthood entitled "Sexual Orientation Myths." The two groups opposed the new curriculum on the grounds that teaching high school students how to use condoms increases the risk of teenage sexual activity, and learning about homosexuality can be detrimental to students still unsure about their own sexuality. (Because as we all know, people choose to be gay! NOT!?!)
Aside from the scientific inaccuracy of the above charge, it seems that groups like these are in fact doing more harm to teenagers than good. Kids today are overexposed to sex in their everyday lives. It's in the media, its in their culture, and furthermore, it's what they frequently talk about in their own social groups. Whether or not the school board agrees to teach safe sex, teens are going to be sexually active. According to the article, by the time they reach their senior year in high school, three out of five teens in this country have been sexually active. That number is astounding!
Removing safe sex practices from the sex ed curriculum is certainly not the best solution to this problem. One high school junior quoted in the article put it best when she said:
"Adults fear that if we're learning about it, we'll be more influenced to carry it out. But not teaching it isn't the way, because one day kids are going to have sex, and they're going to need to know how to protect themselves."
-- Nicole Brown, RTV Intern
Aside from the scientific inaccuracy of the above charge, it seems that groups like these are in fact doing more harm to teenagers than good. Kids today are overexposed to sex in their everyday lives. It's in the media, its in their culture, and furthermore, it's what they frequently talk about in their own social groups. Whether or not the school board agrees to teach safe sex, teens are going to be sexually active. According to the article, by the time they reach their senior year in high school, three out of five teens in this country have been sexually active. That number is astounding!
Removing safe sex practices from the sex ed curriculum is certainly not the best solution to this problem. One high school junior quoted in the article put it best when she said:
"Adults fear that if we're learning about it, we'll be more influenced to carry it out. But not teaching it isn't the way, because one day kids are going to have sex, and they're going to need to know how to protect themselves."
-- Nicole Brown, RTV Intern
posted by Anonymous at 12:17 PM
11 Comments:
The two groups opposed the new curriculum on the grounds that teaching high school students how to use condoms increases the risk of teenage sexual activity, and learning about homosexuality can be detrimental to students still unsure about their own sexuality. (Because as we all know, people choose to be gay! NOT!?!)
We do not know whether homosexuality is genetically/biologically bred into people, or whether their environment decides the direction they go in. Therefore, trying to blow off homosexuality as "not a choice" is incorrect to a certain degree.
If some kid's parents don't want their kid learning about all sorts of homosexual material in a sex-ed class, that should be their choice. Science has not yet demonstrated whether homosexuality is influenced by the environment a child is surrounded by, so I can see their concern. And they have the right to be concerned, for homosexuality- particularly among males- has been proven to be much more of a health hazard than heterosexuality, all things even.
No public school should force sex ed curricula upon kids whose parents oppose it. Sex ed should be a matter that should be left to the parents to decide, and they have the perfect right to oppose gay propaganda being thrown at their kids. Personally, I think sex ed should be entirely optional, with parents being able to make the choice whether they'll talk to their own kids about sex, or whether they want the public schools to shove propaganda down their throats. I'd think that would be perfectly fair.
Plus, it would save schools money as they wouldn't have to put every student into that class.
Once again, Rock the Vote takes an inherently liberal position on an issue, without even bothering to understand the merits of the argument of those on the other side. I'm beginning to think that Rock the Vote is the movement of the "anti-choice" wing of the youth. You guys oppose choice in Social Security, you oppose choice in school curricula, and I'm pretty sure you oppose choice in school vouchers too. You guys also seem to love talking about the draft, so maybe you want the youth to be drafted, hence making you anti-choice with the military, too.
Agreed. RTV wouldn't advocate forcing religion on students, why do they do so for one group's view of sexuality?
People like those who advocate Rock the Vote's position on this issue are slowly, but surely, going to be responsible for the downfall of the public education system.
At this rate, I'm going to HAVE to send my kids to private school, if RTV and the likes get away with shoving the homosexual agenda down the throats of all public school children. RTV and the liberal left- while always preaching choice- never practice it. In being so absolutist towards school curricula, the left is basically telling any parent who wishes to have control over their child's own development to "f**k off" and go find a private school.
I think the downfall is already here.
Personally I do not have a problem with sex, on TV or otherwise. I would rather watch a scene that included a naked figure than one from the autopsy table as seen in many episodes of CSI (one of my favorite shows regardless of content). Same goes for sex ed in public schools, I think as long as we provide a 'free' education for the populous, many whom have parents that could care less about their child's education, then we should be responsible for educating them on safe sex.
Now, how to go about educating public school kids on this matter still requires some debate, but I believe that a school should setup sex ed classes as a requirement only if a supplied note mailed home is not signed by the parent/guardien stating they have already discussed the matter with their child. Sex ed should not be forced on each child, but with AIDS coupled with our society's unfortunate taboo view of sex we must ensure that each student understands the risk of having sex and how to protect themselves if they make that choice.
Remember, life is all about choices, and while many faith based individuals would rather have the schools but out of sex ed I would remind them that the schools have a responsibility as long as they're part of the public system to educate those who do not have good parents. Furthermore, there is nothing stopping any parent from sending their child to a private or religious institution to learn if they feel public education is too broad based in their teachings. In fact, I've already started a private school fund for my unborn daughter, and hopefully by the time she is ready for school I can send her to an institution of my choosing.
The gay issue is a bit over the top, especially since science hasn't proven anything yet. I'm all for Gay unions and adoption rights, but teaching gay sex in schools is a bit too far.
I graduated from the public school system in 2003 and I never wanted to see SexEd bcause I had seen it once in Elemetary school and thought it was discusting. Futhermore it didn't pertain to me as I am a lesbian. Had there have been info on homosexuality mabe it wouldn't have seemed so gross. The only info I got about gay sex and education was from renting video and looking online after high school, on my own. It's not fair to gay yourth to be subject to only heterosexual relations- its discriminating and actually furthers the thought of being an outcast. If no one will speak foe them I will.
I graduated from the public school system in 2003 and I never wanted to see SexEd bcause I had seen it once in Elemetary school and thought it was discusting. Futhermore it didn't pertain to me as I am a lesbian. Had there have been info on homosexuality mabe it wouldn't have seemed so gross. The only info I got about gay sex and education was from renting video and looking online after high school, on my own. It's not fair to gay yourth to be subject to only heterosexual relations- its discriminating and actually furthers the thought of being an outcast. If no one will speak foe them I will.
I think it would be a huge mistake to ban the teachings of Sex Ed in schools. I would not want to force it on students, but rather leave it as an alternative for them to learn more about the ways of practing safe sex (and other such info). I think it was helpful to me, for a while anyways, to learn about sex education in high school.
But somehow I still made the mistake of having sex. I was just a senior in high school, and was 17(almost 18) when I "Did It". I've only told a limited number of people that I've had premarital sex. I know if I told certain people that I had sex, that they would probably tell me: "Oh, honey, you need to go to church more often and confess your sins to the Lord." To me that would just sound like a load of bulls**t. I've countlessly tried searching for information, on the internet, for teens who've had premarital sex, but didn't find much guidance.
If you've had premartial sex, like me, and need some answers it's wise to search for books as a means of guidance. One book I would not recommend is "True Excitement", a book made by Focus on the Family. It basically said that you should save yourself for someone special and to abstain from having any form of sex. That book didn't help me at all. A piece of s**t to me. (Sorry to those who have found help from that book). I started to read another book, "Real Sex: The Naked Truth about Chastity" by Lauren F. Winner. She had premarital sex, at the age of 15, and she discusses some of the flaws that exist within "the church" and our society today. So far "Real Sex" has been my only hope to find guidance and answers to as far as what I've done. I hope I've helped someone.
I realized that title for the book by Focus on the Family is not called "True Excitement". After I posted the book title, I realized that it was incorrect. The book I was talking about is called "Pure Excitement". I apologize for any confusion. I hope I've helped.
I found this and it seems like an excellent opportunity for those whose education is being so fiercely debated to speak for themselves. ISIS-Inc and RH Reality Check have launched a contest called Fresh Focus Sex Ed Video Contest. I thought your readers might be interested. Film makers must be 15-30 years old and make an original video about sex education that follows one of two themes: 1. Share your sex ed experience so far. Show us how and why it sucked or rocked. OR 2. Redesign how sex ed could be delivered. Imagine that anything is possible. You can find out more at dogooder.tv/freshfocusvideocontest." The results could be really enlightening.
Ok... teaching gay sex or any sex at all is wrong really. I'm pretty sure once someone has sex and experiences it, they know what to do!
However, teaching that some people are gay, bi, or otherwise should be taught. And safe sex is safe sex. It needs to be taught. Where are kids going to learn it? Porn? I don't think so...
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