Abstinence-only education is the right thing for America

Lately there has been a debate on sex education in American schools.  There is a camp that proposes that students should be taught how to use contraceptives, safe sex methods, and the responsibilities and risks involved with having sex.  Those in the other camp propose that abstinence only should be taught and that showing safe methods of sex only encourages the participation in sexual activities.

I agree with the abstinence-only camp and propose that this method be applied much more liberally to our academic policies.

Those who propose that abstinence only should be taught to school students regarding sex advocate the "Just say no" approach to teenage sex.  If students are taught to abstain from sex entirely and do not learn safe methods and how to use contraceptives then unwanted pregnancies and sexually-transmitted diseases will decrease.

I agree totally.  If students are taught how to engage in sex, even though if it is in a safe manner, this will peak their curiosity and encourage them to engage in sex.

But this lead me to think of other avenues where we teach students safe methods rather than abstinence-only education.

For example, drivers education.  We teach students how to react and prepare for accidents and what safety precautions to use to avoid them; but doesn't this just encourage unsafe driving practices?  Wouldn't it be better to simply advise the students to drive in a safe manner and avoid accidents entirely?  If we teach students how to control cars in a skid during high-speed stops, we're simply inviting them to drive at high speeds!  

And what about gun safety?  There are areas of the country where hunting, for example, is popular and guns are commonly found in homes.  In these cases it is common to find gun safety courses.  In these course students are shown hand guns and rifles, how they operate, and how to use them safely.  But isn't this just enticing the naive and Hollywood-influenced youngsters into using the firearms in an unsafe manner?  Better to lock away the guns and tell them "Do not use these at anytime, especially when we are gone away on extended vacations..."

Alcohol education is another subject perfect for abstinence-only education.  We teach students how much alcohol is safe to drink, what to do if they have drank too much, to use designated drivers, etc.  This is simply giving them carte blanche to attend keggers and chug-a-lug.  Tell them to "Just say no."  Lock up the liquor and hide the key.

In summary, we don't need our teenagers liquored-up, handling firearms, and having sex at our invitation.  Teaching them how to use these tools of the devil is advocating their use.  Abstinence-only education should be applied to our schools in a systematic manner to help protect our most important resource; the young men and women who will be paying off our war debts in the decades to come.

•  We must end this scourge

  of gun-toting, liquored-up, pregnant teens!  Please join me in this effort!

  by wry twinger on Wed May 21, 2008 at 11:34:57 AM PDT

  •  LOL ...

    you got me!

    I was wondering who was foolish enough to post something saying that abstinence only education was the best ... then found out I was the fool for thinking it was serious! ;-)

    Well done.

    by billlaurelMD on Wed May 21, 2008 at 11:39:43 AM PDT

    •  I just assumed it was a McCain troll.

      This was much better.

      by Nick Blas on Wed May 21, 2008 at 11:44:15 AM PDT

      •  Yeah me too

        with the name wry twinger and all, I thought for sure it was a McCain troll... was about ready to start throwing meatballs.

        by Progressive INTP on Wed May 21, 2008 at 11:49:25 AM PDT

        •  The name got me into trouble at first

          but I've been here for 4 years so people have gotten to know me by now...

          by wry twinger on Wed May 21, 2008 at 11:50:45 AM PDT

          •  And we know how much trouble you really

            are!  ;^D

            by SallyCat on Wed May 21, 2008 at 12:18:25 PM PDT

          •  You should submit this for points

            from McCain. It would be amusing to see if they awarded you any! (Good snark, btw).

            by Blue Intrigue on Wed May 21, 2008 at 12:18:46 PM PDT

  •  gun-toting, liquored-up, pregnant teens!

    gun-toting,Driving Like NASCAR ,liquored-up, pregnant teens!

    by JML9999 on Wed May 21, 2008 at 11:40:11 AM PDT

    •  Using iPhones while driving! eom

      by Sharoney on Wed May 21, 2008 at 11:41:58 AM PDT

      •  And texting on the intertubes. nt

        by Angry Mouse on Wed May 21, 2008 at 12:01:25 PM PDT

    •  Leave Britney

      Alone !!!

      by indycam on Wed May 21, 2008 at 12:16:19 PM PDT

  •  I will join you!

    We shall travel across the country locking up alcohol, guns, and single people's genitals!

    by jcil5 on Wed May 21, 2008 at 11:40:43 AM PDT

  •  great job, wt.

    The same thing about eating a healthy diet.

    Lock away the pizza and french fries! Salad-only education for all!

    by JoeW on Wed May 21, 2008 at 11:40:53 AM PDT

  •  This seems like...

    ...a sort of twisted version of what McCain wants in his troll recruits -- the difference is that it's snark here, but some of them would actually buy it!

    by wiscmass on Wed May 21, 2008 at 11:48:22 AM PDT

  •  But you're wrong.

    You're missing the entire point. The problem with all the situations you cite is that we teach them to think for themselves. This is the biggest mistake we can make. This is why home schooling is vastly superior--it's much easier to prevent independant thought. Statistics show that home-schooled kids are much easier to control. And the results are even more dramatic if they are kept in a walled compound.

    Intellectual curiosity is the road to perdition (especially for the young ladies)!

    by homogenius on Wed May 21, 2008 at 12:08:39 PM PDT

    •  I have one great counterexample

      of a home-schooled student who was among the few who could think logically from data and reason things out from known facts. I don't know if it's the 'teach-to-the-test' phenomon or what, but so many students I find are in shock when you ask them to do more than spit back exactly what you have told them.

      by berkeleybarb on Wed May 21, 2008 at 12:44:04 PM PDT

      •  Ummm...that was snark.

        I know that not all home-schooled kids are fundiebots. I thought the "walled compound" would be the tip-off. My bad.

        by homogenius on Wed May 21, 2008 at 04:03:06 PM PDT

        •  Ah, ok, sorry

          I'm not up on who's who in home schooling and it could indeed be true that the predominant reason for it is to shield kids from actual thought.  I think I did not even see that sentence about the walled compound - reading too many posts today I think - my bad, not yours.  

          by berkeleybarb on Wed May 21, 2008 at 09:57:11 PM PDT

  •  "peak" their curiosity?

    by Madeleine Crowd on Wed May 21, 2008 at 12:16:44 PM PDT

  •  Nicely done, wry twinger.

    I shall not abstain from tipping and rec'ing.

    by Crashing Vor on Wed May 21, 2008 at 12:27:34 PM PDT

•  I Gave You the First Rec

  Great analogys and great snark.

  by feebog on Wed May 21, 2008 at 11:37:45 AM PDT

  •  Thanks!

    If I make the rec list then chastity belts and salt peter for everyone!

    by wry twinger on Wed May 21, 2008 at 11:53:52 AM PDT

•  haha

  I almost thought this was the first McCain blog troll to hit the site or something.

  by FleetAdmiralJ on Wed May 21, 2008 at 11:38:21 AM PDT

•  50 shekels and a mule

  Women should have to wait until marriage before losing their virginity.

  Plus they can't date who they want.

  The father picks the man, the man pays up, 50 shekels and a mule, and she's his.

  Okay I'm kidding (in case some lurker or troll actually liked what I said.)

  by davefromqueens on Wed May 21, 2008 at 11:38:50 AM PDT

•  I'll give up firearm safety

  as long as I get to keep sex and alcohol

  

  I do get to choose which I give up...don't I?

  by SallyCat on Wed May 21, 2008 at 11:39:08 AM PDT

  •  I'd be willing to give up sex and guns

    as long as I get to keep alcohol and tobacco.

    by LynneK on Wed May 21, 2008 at 11:40:22 AM PDT

    •  Well

      Count me in for keeping alcohol and sex.

      Its like the you-pick-two at panera.

      by discocarp on Wed May 21, 2008 at 11:43:14 AM PDT

  •  The sad thing is

    I wouldn't have to give up any since I'm not "participating" in any!

    by wry twinger on Wed May 21, 2008 at 12:08:17 PM PDT

  •  Mmmmm. Yummm.

    But I hope you brought enough for everyone!

    by homogenius on Wed May 21, 2008 at 12:10:38 PM PDT

•  LOL!

  I almost flipped til I read the snark tag!

  Thanks for the laugh though, I was feeling pretty damn angry at Geoff Garin the last hour and needed a pick-me-up.  :)

  by That Crazy Mom Over There on Wed May 21, 2008 at 11:41:21 AM PDT

•  Abstain from voting republican!

  by irate on Wed May 21, 2008 at 11:41:50 AM PDT

  •  Friends Don't Let Friends Vote Republican nt

    by JML9999 on Wed May 21, 2008 at 11:43:30 AM PDT

•  People have been having sex for a very

  long time and alot early than we do now. Are they in such a state of denial that they believe it can actually work. They are so silly sometimes.

  by ghett on Wed May 21, 2008 at 11:43:20 AM PDT

•  Someone needs to enroll Brittany spears

  and Miley and Lindsay and poor knocked up/liguored up Jamie Spears

  by arogue7 on Wed May 21, 2008 at 11:45:04 AM PDT

•  Wry twinger, Yes you are a right winger.

  And a parodious snark as well.
  You almost caught me writing a serious reply.

  by Gregory Wonderwheel on Wed May 21, 2008 at 11:45:25 AM PDT

  •  The serious replies

    are the best rewards for writing parody diaries!

    by wry twinger on Wed May 21, 2008 at 12:00:26 PM PDT

•  You're in favor!

  Of teaching kids how to drive!!!
  If I could walk 35 miles to school and back (up hill and against the wind each way) then they can do the same.
  Next thing I know you'll be showing them how to use a telephone, so we'll all get prank calls.
  It should be clear that nobody gets to use a phone, credit card, automobile, gun, any electrical appliance, sharp scissors, matches, or hold a pointed stick until they are 35.
  We will make a few exceptions for the miltary since using guns could be important there, but all enlistees must be kept under guard until legal age and never allowed to interact with civillians.

  by fat old man on Wed May 21, 2008 at 11:47:04 AM PDT

•  I forgot to through in a reference

  to chastity belts...

  by wry twinger on Wed May 21, 2008 at 11:47:09 AM PDT

•  Teenagers should have sex with adults.

  When a teenager gets a learners permit, he/she can drive but only if there is an adult with them.

  Since learning to have sex safely is just as important as learning how to drive safely, I suggest teenagers get a "sex learners permit", which allows them to have sex with adults 21 or over, until they've become skilled enough to safely go it alone, or with another teenager.

  by Sarge in Seattle on Wed May 21, 2008 at 11:48:25 AM PDT

  •  I'll be working on

    My teaching certifcate.

    by fat old man on Wed May 21, 2008 at 11:50:20 AM PDT

    •  With a handle like that...

      I may opt for abstinence. ;-)

      by Angry Mouse on Wed May 21, 2008 at 12:03:51 PM PDT

      •  Use the proper

        hand signals

        by TBarta on Wed May 21, 2008 at 12:08:22 PM PDT

      •  Your loss

        :)

        by fat old man on Wed May 21, 2008 at 12:27:54 PM PDT

•  Great first step, but you don't go far enough.

  I say we eliminate driver's ed all together.

  We'll keep giving them licenses to drive because nature is still driving them to be independent and get out on their own, we just won't teach them how to drive. This will keep kids from wanting to learn to drive (they can find other ways to be independent) and it will VERY effectively discourage the purchasing of vehicles by and for teenagers. Then we can sit by and watch as automobile accident rates in this country go down to very nearly nothing.

  amen and hallelujia

  by Leslie H on Wed May 21, 2008 at 11:49:43 AM PDT

•  also good for foreign policy

  Just say no to terrorism, everybody! Talking about the causes of terrorism and what we can do to prevent it only mekes people more interested in trying terrorism. We need to tell everybody around the world to take a pledge to be terror abstinent.

  by Marcion on Wed May 21, 2008 at 11:59:02 AM PDT

  •  Sort of like...

    we can't describe the torture enhanced interrogation methods that we use because then the terrorists can plan for them...yes, the terrorists from the Middle East are totally unaware of harsh interrogation techniques...

    by wry twinger on Wed May 21, 2008 at 12:02:14 PM PDT

  •  Ban box cutters and knives and airplanes

    All terrorist tools.  You can never be too safe, you know.

    by CA Libertarian on Wed May 21, 2008 at 12:05:09 PM PDT

•  Heh

  Yeah, abstinence works 100 percent of the time... until it doesn't.

  by droogie6655321 on Wed May 21, 2008 at 11:59:58 AM PDT

•  Why teach them to drive at all?

  No cars, no accidents...it's failsafe!  Driving is risky--if we teach our kids to drive, they might actually try it out, Lord forbid!

  by Elsinora on Wed May 21, 2008 at 12:00:22 PM PDT

•  Wait just a minute!

  OK, you don't want them drinking and screwing, but to suggest that they not play with guns is un-American and I'm not gonna sit here and take it.  I'm calling the IRA!

  by mojave mike on Wed May 21, 2008 at 12:01:49 PM PDT

  •  The NRA or the IRA?

    I'm Irish, ya know, so they'd take my side...

    by wry twinger on Wed May 21, 2008 at 12:02:57 PM PDT

•  Comprehensive Sex Education works . . .

  Abstinence-only sex education doesn't.  Do some research on the internet.  In a few seconds, I found this study:
   Science Daily

  New research suggests that comprehensive sex education might lead to less teen pregnancy, and there are no indications that it boosts the levels of sexual intercourse or sexually transmitted diseases.

  You can go read the article yourself and then you need to talk with some teens.  You will be appalled at what is going on out there at a very early age.  

  Read this article:  Half of All Teens Have Had Oral Sex

  This article speaks of older teens.  Middle School students, however, are engaging in this practice.  Our daughter is 33 now and, when she was in Junior High School, this was happening on the bus to ballgames.  We live in a very conservative Christian rural area.  

  I can't find a link right now but I recently heard that 1 in 5 teens has or will have a Sexually Transmitted Disease.

  Here is one statistic from this article:

   STDs

  Every year more than 12 million cases of sexually transmitted diseases are reported in the United States. At least 3 million among them are from teenagers. Teens have the highest rates of sexually transmitted diseases of any age group.

  Please do some research and use your head about this.  Our kids are seriously at risk.  Girls are reaching puberty at frighteningly young ages and cannot wait to receive sexual information until high school.  I heard the other day of a pregnant 10 year-old.  I'm not kidding.

  It would be great if kids would abstain until they are emotionally ready to handle sex, but they don't.  History teaches us this and current statistics teach us this.  Do your homework.  They need honest information.  

  Ideally parents should be the ones to teach their kids about sex but many of them aren't comfortable doing this and don't think it needs to be done until much later in life.  Many kids don't have functioning parents to talk with about anything and those that do still go to their friends first.  Did you discuss sexual issues with your parents?  I sure didn't and the misinformation out there was, and still is, amazing.  I won't go into graphic detail but you wouldn't believe how ignorant teens and pre-teens can be.  I'm frankly shocked at the naivete of this diary.

  By the way, they don't need to be taught how to engage in sex.  This comes pretty naturally . . .

  by doghaven on Wed May 21, 2008 at 12:21:16 PM PDT

  •  I'm frankly shocked

    at the distance between the diary and the top of your head. Boy did you miss!

    by ChurchofBruce on Wed May 21, 2008 at 12:35:56 PM PDT

    •  Oh well, my heart was in the right place . . .

      If this is the worst thing that happens to me all day it will be a good day.

      by doghaven on Wed May 21, 2008 at 12:57:33 PM PDT

  •  Homerun!

    The greatest compliment for a parody diary is a long, serious rebuke!  Thanks!

    by wry twinger on Wed May 21, 2008 at 01:02:22 PM PDT

•  why stop there?

  BOOKS, for instance, can be very dangerous in the wrong hands.  If we simply tell children what they need to know, instead of teaching them to read they won't ever be tempted to read evil books like Harry Potter and An Inconvenient Truth for themselves.  

  by lcork on Wed May 21, 2008 at 12:36:51 PM PDT

•  It's all a plot

  on the part of you wry twingers to breed more of yourselves ;)  The children of the right (wryte?) will reproduce at younger ages, and remain dependent children, spouting their parents' beliefs, for their entire lifetimes.

  by berkeleybarb on Wed May 21, 2008 at 12:46:18 PM PDT

•  Abstinency-only teaching worked great for me!

  And I've got the 34 year old kid (conceived in the back seat of an Oldsmobile Delta 88 with electric reclining seats) to prove it! ;-)

  by Got a Grip on Wed May 21, 2008 at 12:59:36 PM PDT

  •  Say hi to Delta for me!

    That is what you named her I hope...Unless it's a son, then I guess you could have gone with Olds...

    by wry twinger on Wed May 21, 2008 at 01:06:47 PM PDT

    •  Sorry, it was a boy. I named him something

      biblical to please my parents.  And that is the extent of the biblical pleasing that went into raising him.  He's a godless heathen, but a fine father/husband/human being nevertheless.  He makes momma proud on a daily basis.

      A short story:

      I started teaching my kids about the importance of responsible sex early.  As they got older and took to driving and going out on their own, I was clear about what kind of condoms were acceptable, the importance of not drinking and driving, all the things that a mother worries about when their kids begin to venture out on their own.

      One Saturday night, my youngest son was heading out the door to go to a party and he was tasked with taking a friend with him and both their girlfriends who were too young to drive.  I gave him my usual lecture early in the afternoon about not drinking and driving, and to be especially mindful of the younger kids and make sure they didn't drink, as well.

      As he was heading out the door I asked him, "what are the rules for tonight?"

      He paused for a second and, with a smirk on his face, said, "latex, no lambskin?"

      My husband and I laughed for weeks afterward.....

      by Got a Grip on Wed May 21, 2008 at 01:26:06 PM PDT