Abstinence based "education" and the lies they tell...

[1monster]

As a substitute teacher, I've had the opportunity to sit in on two different abstinence based sex education classes this school year.

The first class was for seventh and eighth grade students. The woman giving the program is very respected and well known in our community for helping kids. She did give the kids a lot of good information, but she flat out lied to them regarding condoms. Her message is no sex outside of marriage, period. One of the students asked for information about condoms. Her reply was to the effect that condoms were pretty much worthless and almost worse than using nothing at all. This was such a blatent falsehood that one of the regular teachers spoke up and refuted that statement claiming at least a 50% safty rate from condoms and higher if they were used properly.

The second class was held at a school that has seventh through twelfth graders. This program was much more graphic than the first program. There were five people involved in presenting the program, one of whom described sexual abuse beginning at a very early age and escalating to her need to be abused by others. She described getting genital herpes as having been so bad in the initial episode that she had to be carried into the emergency room. She went on to say that she has already (in her early 20s) become immune to the drugs that are currently prescribed to treat herpes and that she gets three outbreaks a month. She then described herpes as giving one "warts". Her story went on to absolutely pathetic after that and I have to admit that I was near tears myself...

Until I began processing her story as I watched the next person up on the program tell his story about drugs. His story was just too over the top, especially coming after the young lady's story. I began to wonder if these people were possibly actors protraying assigned roles rather than telling their own stories.

But getting back to the lady with herpes... Herpes does not give a person warts. Herpes does result in blisters in the genital area. It is impossible to get three outbreaks of herpes a month because an episode of herpes last at a minimum 10 days and generally fourteen days.

And then two of the presentation members talked a bit about condoms. They were not quite as drastic as the lady in the first presentation, but once again, the kids were told that condoms were ineffective for everything except some small protection against AIDS.

These kids are not dumb. It won't be long before someone finds out that they were lied to about one thing or another during that program, then all the information given in the program will be disregarded. The whole thing then is an exercise in futility...

[BanzaiBonnie]

1. My daughter was also told

in an abstinence program that condoms are worthless.

I believe that if one child gets AIDS or any other STD because of this mis-information the presenters should be sent to prison.

[BOSSHOG]

4. Let me display my ignorance

(or healthy skepticism) - Why would condoms even be part of a discussion about sexual abstinence? Could it be the right wing christian conservative lying hypocrites want to negate one argument while promoting their own? If I were teaching alcohol abstinence would I discuss how to use a beer keg?

[meegbear]

5. I agree with you 100%

If these people are more concerned with "morals" than factual information that could save a life ....

Grrrrr.

[HamiltonHabs32]

2. There is a clip for all situations

Sex education is out of control... and it will be for atleast 4 more years in the states there.

here is a great Jon Stewart Clip I swear their is a clip for all situations and topics :D

[Warpy]

3. This month's Harper's has an excerpt of abstinence

propaganda materials, courtesy of Waxman's investigation.

They are appalling, a mix of disinformation, misinformation, rabid sexism, and far right religious propaganda.

I was sickened.

If you have kids, you have GOT to swallow your embarrassment and talk to them about sex. Give them the facts. This garbage they're getting in school is a pack of lies, and they need to know that.

[fudge stripe cookays]

6. They actually had a clip on the local news here this morning....

(a BELO station- right wing affiliate, even!) saying that some study is now showing that abstinence education seems to be having the opposite effect, and more kids are having sex.

GEE. Ya think????!!!! :eyes:

This is one of the most moronic educational concepts that has come around in ages. We've ALL been teenagers. If an adult tells you not to do something, you're gonna try like hell to do it just because you want to.

Fucking idiots. And everyone points their fingers at us for being "stupid." We've been telling them all along that this idea was complete lunacy.

FSC

[coloradodem2005]

7. Condoms are effective against STD's?

I know that they can minimize the risk of pregnancies and maybe some STD's, but I don't know what you are talking about with effectiveness of condoms.

[1monster]

8. over all effectiveness against pregnancy and STDs ...

No, condoms are not 100% effective against pregnancy or STDs. However, used correctly, they are a lot more effective against both than not using them. Condoms have been shown to have a very positive effect in the prevention of AIDS and other STDs. However, it is true that some STDs are transmitted in ways other than sexual intercourse. In those cases, condoms don't help prevention of STDs..

edit for clarity

[firebee]

9. Why does this administration support "Abstinence Education"??

Simply, Because they know it doesn't work. They educate the children about abstinence and uneducate people on safe sex because the more children who have children, the more recruits they get for the military due to these children having to support their children. This process of teaching abstinence and disregarding safe sex is just a system of producing soldiers for their war.