TEXAS: Little Sex education More Sex

LaWood · Post by **LaWood** » Mon Jul 14, 2008 2:36 pm

Texas leads nation in abstinence education dollars

AUSTIN – Texas spent a nation-high $17 million last year for abstinence education programs that continue to stir debate about whether classes promoting virginity before marriage work in public schools.

Federal statistics in June showed that 52.9 percent of Texas students in ninth through 12th grades had sexual intercourse, compared with 47.8 nationally. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention also reported that Texas youths are less likely to use condoms.
........
In Texas, some school districts struggle with how much information they can give students in the classroom. Texas Education Agency spokeswoman Debbie Ratcliffe says the state gives school districts "flexibility" about how to teach sex education, but few appear to be doing so.

"It breaks my heart," Whitney Self, a health teacher at Chapa Middle School in Kyle, said about the uncertainty of how far the district can go when talking about contraception.

In some schools in California, teachers can demonstrate how to wear condoms by rolling them onto bananas. In Texas, schools are forbidden to hand out condoms or instruct proper use.

Abstinence supporters say it's the job of parents, not the schools, to determine how much their teenage children know about contraceptives.

"Can you imagine being a parent and having your child come home and tell you all the ways they learned in school that you can (have sex)?" said Republican state Rep. Rob Eissler, chairman of the House Public Education Committee.

link

Edited by Savonarola, 20080714 1621: shortened yet another link because LaWood can't follow directions

Doug · Post by **Doug** » Mon Jul 14, 2008 2:56 pm

DOUG
Typical conservative values.

The choice is:

A. Your teenager hears accurate information about sex and is less likely to have sex or get pregnant.
B. Your teenager hears inaccurate and incomplete information about sex and is more likely to have sex and get pregnant.

Given the choice, the conservatives go with "B" every time.

LaWood · Post by **LaWood** » Tue Jul 15, 2008 12:10 am

Hey Doug do you know what they call teens who don't get sex education ?

Betsy · Post by **Betsy** » Tue Jul 15, 2008 11:23 am

mothers and fathers?

Doug · Post by **Doug** » Tue Jul 15, 2008 11:56 am

LaWood wrote:Hey Doug do you know what they call teens who don't get sex education ?

L.Wood · Post by **L.Wood** » Tue Jul 15, 2008 1:41 pm

And the three day Florida Vacation goes to Betsy!

RobertMadewell · Post by **RobertMadewell** » Tue Jul 15, 2008 7:51 pm

Have you guys noticed that the people who are against accurate sex education and contraceptives are the same ones who against abortion?

Honestly, I can see reasons to be against abortion. It's expensive (compared to preventive contraception), invasive, risky, etc. So in my mind, if your pro-life, wouldn't you want to prevent unwanted pregnancies? I'd think so. Of course, contraception is a good way to prevent unwanted pregnancies and it's cheap too ($0.75 for a condom)! Sounds logical to me. If you're pro-life, support contraception. The number of unwanted pregnancies go down and the number of abortions go down accordingly.

As far as contraception goes, abstinence is the best. It really is. It's the cheapest ($0.00). It's the most reliable (100%). It prevents the transmition of STDs. Of course the problem is that for abstinence to work, you have to be abstinent! This is the problem that abstinence only eduacation has. They are telling teenagers,"Just don't do it." Might as well tell a Dog not to sniff other dog's butts. The only teens that aren't doing it are the socially awkward kids that are being abstinent, not because they don't want to, but because no one will do it with them. It was like this in my high school. I don't expect it is any different today.

Post by **Dardedar** » Tue Jul 15, 2008 9:18 pm

RobertMadewell wrote: The number of unwanted pregnancies go down and the number of abortions go down accordingly.

DAR
The real driving force for the fundie anti-abortion position is not a concern for babies (that's an add on feel good sales feature). And it's certainly not biblical. The Bible never says a word against abortion and clearly does not consider a fetus a person. See our tract on this here.

The real impetus behind their idiotic increased abortion rate position is a zealous, puritan, anti-sex, guilt based feeling about unmarried people having fun, having sex, without any intention to reproduce.

That is sin. Gotta be.

D.

L.Wood · Post by **L.Wood** » Tue Jul 15, 2008 10:42 pm

Ok I was gonna wait for Betsy to climb aboard this one. The ultimate goal of making laws about birth, abortion, is so the same thing that's been going on
for thousands of years will continue. Men make the decisions and women are not to be trusted with decisions about their bodies.

Betsy · Post by **Betsy** » Wed Jul 16, 2008 9:31 am

I have mixed feelings about abortion and I think it's very understandable how people can feel so strongly that it should be abolished. However, any thinking person, even if they're opposed to abortion, should be able to figure out that abolition is not the answer. Just as you've all said, the answer lies in education, birth control, and instead of worrying about stopping abortion, resources should be spent (time and money) on providing assistance to pregnant girls and women who are not prepared to have a child and might be considering abortion for that reason.

Post by **Dardedar** » Wed Jul 16, 2008 10:00 am

Betsy wrote: ...the answer lies in education, birth control, and instead of worrying about stopping abortion, resources should be spent (time and money) on providing assistance to pregnant girls and women who are not prepared to have a child and might be considering abortion for that reason.

DAR
I agree Betsy. "Stopping abortion" in the US is a hopeless stance for those against abortion. I read somewhere that 60% of republican women are now pro-choice. And yet the republicans keep their antique plank in the party platform saying abortion should be banned with no exceptions for the health or even life of the mother.
I gave a presentation at a meeting on this abstinence issue and did a show for the CAT local cable station (along with a doctor from Planned Parenthood, which ended up winning an award for best documentary). There is a lot of good data about how bad (counterproductive) this abstinence only education is in this thread.

D.
-------------------------
U.S. Abortion Rate Falls to Lowest Level in Decades
New report does find medical abortions on the increase

By Kathleen Doheny
Posted 1/17/08

THURSDAY, Jan. 17 (HealthDay News) -- The U.S. abortion rate has reached its lowest level in three decades, according to a new report released Thursday.

"We don't know why," said study author Rachel Jones, senior research associate at the Guttmacher Institute, a nonprofit group that focuses on reproductive issues. The findings will be published in the March issue of the institute's journal, Perspectives on Sexual and Reproductive Health.
Related News

The actual number of abortions dropped to a new low, with 1.2 million abortions in 2005, compared to a high of 1.6 million abortions in 1990....

The abortion rate for 2005 was 19.4 abortions per 1,000 women aged 15 to 44. In comparison, the rate was 29.3 abortions per 1,000 women in 1981, 21.3 abortions per 1,000 women in 2000, and 19.7 abortions per 1,000 women in 2004.
...

"This study shows that prevention works, and that's what we provide in our health centers every day," Cecile Richards, president of Planned Parenthood, said in a statement. "Planned Parenthood knows from daily experience that the best way to continue the downward trend is with policies that expand access to health care and real information. At the end of the day, Americans of all stripes believe that we need to do more to prevent unintended pregnancy and make health care affordable and accessible."

While the study didn't include an analysis of why the rate is declining, Janice Crouse, director of The Beverly LaHaye Institute at Concerned Women for America, a conservative public policy organization, said one reason could be a decline in abortions among teen girls.

That drop, she added, is partially explained by the success of abstinence programs. "Abortion definitely has gone down, particularly among young people," Crouse said.

US News and World Report -- AKA Moonie Times

Betsy · Post by **Betsy** » Thu Jul 17, 2008 7:34 pm

I'm guessing the drop has a whole lot more to do with the acceptability of being a single pregnant woman in today's society - in fact, Hollywood seems to be promoting it lately. No longer do women live in fear of being ostracized; in fact, it's almost promoted!

L.Wood · Post by **L.Wood** » Thu Jul 17, 2008 11:17 pm

"We don't know why," said study author Rachel Jones

They do know why. In many area across the South there are no abortion clinics. In Mississippi there is one small clinic serving several counties. Restrictive state laws are usually behind the drop.

In NWA there is one place to get an elective abortion and Dr. Harrison stays very busy.

Post by **Dardedar** » Thu Jul 17, 2008 11:25 pm

L.Wood wrote:

In NWA there is one place to get an elective abortion and Dr. Harrison stays very busy.

DAR
The local Planned Parenthood does do medical (RU486) abortions.

Doug · Post by **Doug** » Fri Jul 18, 2008 10:32 am

L.Wood wrote:They do know why. In many area across the South there are no abortion clinics.

DOUG
That would be my guess. An online search found just one for the entire state of Mississippi. The right has a strategy of killing/terrorizing abortion providers out of business.