Monday, March 30, 2009

Abstinence only Education

As I'm typing this blog tonight, I have the unfortunate Pleasure (and by pleasure I mean my blood is boiling and crystallizing in my veins....very painful) of listening to Bill O'Reilly in my resident lounge. I'd like to change it but it's providing fodder for this blog. Today this fool is talking about Abstinence only education and how it is the ONLY way to go. A columnist without the opportunity to defend her views on providing condoms and contraceptives to students was lambasted; Just desserts I thought, she should have just gone on the show, though I don't blame her for not being there.

But what really chapped my ass was the fact that he had a woman promoting abstinence only education in DC, and she claims that her program "works, and has done so for over 20 years. Students in DC Public Schools [no less], have decided to not have sex, have not been doing so, and say that their friends respect their decision. Furthermore, the fact that teen pregnancy in the District has declined can be attribute [solely] to her abstinence only education."

***Le Sigh***

Her comments bothered me for several reasons:

1. I currently live in the DC area, and there is NOTHING you can say or do to convince me the DC kids are simply not having sex. In fact, there is nothing you can do to convince me that more that the majority are not engaging in ANY type of sexual activity. Your teens are the years for sexual exploration to say the least!

2. I have no problem with abstinence education, but I feel it should be part of a comprehensive program teaching abstinence as an option along with contraceptives, etc. The reality is that people are engaging in sexual activity, whether it's consensual or not, and you need to know how best to protection ESPECIALLY if you are forced to participate!

3. My fault with most abstinence only education is that it neglects to address facts and dispel rumors about transmission of sexually transmitted infections. There's a reason black middle class girls make up many of the new cases for infections and the AIDS infection statistics (in DC especially) are the way they are. I believe, in part, that it is because of misinformation among African Americans and African American youth!

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