Abstinence Only -- Elephant Dung Passed off as "Education."
Thu Jul 31, 2008 at 08:36:33 PM PDT
Abstinence-based education seems like an attractive proposition at first glance -- what could be simpler than teaching our kids to stay away from a potentially destructive behavior from an early age? In that regard, let's examine what would happen if we were to make it a universal imperative. But right away, we see problems with this approach -- for instance, what about someone who wants information on how to avoid having more children than they can afford to take care of?
If we are going to teach our kids how to avoid making bad decisions, then that is one thing. But what about someone who is 25, who wants to have kids, and who has the kind of financial independence that they can have them? What about a couple that wants to cohabitate before marriage to see if it would work out before deciding to spend the rest of their life with that person? The problem is that these programs cross the line and amount to nothing more than religious indoctrination as opposed to education about sexuality and the functions of the body. And the Constitution prohibits the establishment of religion by the government.
The problem with these programs is that abstinence-only can't be universalized -- for instance, what if a lesbian person wants to have a child? What if someone is raped and they need contraception in 24 hours so that they cannot get pregnant? And on top of that, there is something else to consider -- the suppression of sexuality by the government simply puts our people in a position where they cannot live their lives to the fullest. Either people will express themselves in inappropriate ways, or they will condemn themselves to struggle over something that is a natural biological function. In other words, God made us as sexual beings -- if we don't ejaculate voluntarily, then it is a biological fact that we do so involuntarily; therefore, abstinence-based education is not only a crime against man, it is an act of rebellion against God.
And as the article points out, these programs don't even work -- even as teen pregnancy around the country is dropping, abstinence-only Kentucky's teen pregnancy rate is skyrocketing. This suggests that Kentucky, despite their emphasis on abstinence-only, is actually encouraging teens to engage in risky sexual behavior. This is hardly surprising when we see all the mixed messages floating around. Give a kid a father who has six-packs in the refrigerator, and that kid will likely be an underage drinker himself no matter how much the father lectures about alcohol. Give a kid parents who warn about the evils of sex when the kid has some kind of awareness of what is going on in the bedroom, and you will get a kid who will want to see what they are missing out on.
Children have a natural sense of curiosity. Therefore, if they see parents saying one thing and doing another, they will decide that their parents do not really mean it when they say what a horrible thing sex is. Instead, they will see for themselves what they are missing out on. But give the same kid the information they need to know what is going on with their bodies and what choices they have, then they will make the right choices. Sound public policy requires faith in people to make their own choices as opposed to someone screaming and preaching at them.
There are three levels of morality. The first is selfishness, where the person believes that the world revolves only around them. In order to turn out productive citizens, education must consist of bringing a child to the next level -- doing the right thing due to consequences. But if we don't take the next step, then we will still be slaves to our selfish desire -- we will ask what's in it for me before we do the right thing. The next level must necessarily consist of doing the right thing for its own sake, rather than for fear of consequences or for reward.
If we apply this thinking to sexuality, then we will have people who will make one of two responsible choices -- either they will decide that they are not sure who they want to spend the rest of their life with and will not engage in sexual behavior with a particular person OR they will decide that they accept the responsibility of raising a child and providing for a family.
That said, we have nothing against parents teaching their children abstinence -- but there is a catch -- it has to be done either in private schools or in a homeschooled environment. Religious indoctrination has no place in our public school system. The dishonesty of the abstinence-only crowd is obvious when there are rampant sex scandals involving Republicans and politicians who rail against the evils of same-sex marriages who are secretly gay themselves. Kids can sense this sort of dishonesty and want no part of it.
There are certain things that we know from experience, such as the fact that if you drop a glass jar, it will break. But there are other things that we can only learn from intuition; for instance, human sexuality is one of these things. Therefore, it is necessary that we allow people the freedom of conscience to explore their sexuality in healthy ways, give them the resources they need in order to make the right choices, and help those who make wrong choices get their lives back in order.
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