An abstinence program for middle school students...

[masraum]

I believe those stats.

[Seahawk]

Originally Posted by Porsche-O-Phile

Reserve? As in "keep that one in reserve for when the other positions get too routine?"

I reserve the right to reverse

[Neilk]

I can't believe my tax dollars are going to this (I live in Texas). It is thinly veiled bible beating IMO.

I am all for proper sex education, but to say it is to "stand for purity" is ridiculous. Teach kids the cold hard facts about careless sex (STDs, pregnancy), the ramifications of sexting, date rape, etc, but to say someone is impure because they have sex is stupid.

[AFC-911]

Dang! Middle School?

I feel old for having Sex Ed in HS.

[JavaBrewer]

We had sex ed in middle school - way back in 1976 and 77. Just sayin. Agree the focus should be on safety and consequences. Let the parents inject their particular morals at home. Or not.

[aigel]

Abstinence? It works so well that we are now 7 billion people on the planet.

Unthinkable to have such a program in public school in California, for sure.

G

[Arizona_928]

Middle school is the new uni.
I consider it unfair to that person who wishes to pursue abstinence on motives other then their own. .

[fintstone]

I think that there is no place in middle school for sex education unless specifically enrolled by parents. Similarly in High school. I only wish they spent as much effort on math and science. Most "sex ed" materials that I have seem just make it more glamorous. Parents should determine when and how their children are exposed to some of this matter.

[porsche4life]

Whether or not you think kids should be screwing in middle school, it's happening. This isn't the '50s any more. Better to educate than have a bunch of teen moms to deal with!

[74-911]

Originally Posted by M.D. Holloway

........

I question not only the 'facts' stated above but also that this program is a school based program. Sex Ed in schools has been a topic of controversy for many years now. I remember sex ed as being a joke.

the whole thing sorta smacks of the religious right and maybe this should be in PARF...

I agree re: it smacks of the religious right and most sex education in TX public schools is not reality based, just based on wishful thinking. In the great state of TX abstinence is the officially endorsed method of sex education in public schools although schools have the option to enhance to include reality it to but most don't.

Perhaps that is why TX (last time I looked anyway) led the nation in teenage pregnancies and teenagers with 2 kids.... another of those were # 1 moments to brag about.

[A930Rocket]

When our son was in eighth grade at a public school (after being home schooled), it was an eye opener. Girls were always asking him if he wanted a blow job. And these were decent girls.

[aschen]

Ironically i went to a catholic high school in the 90s and sex ed was more balanced than you would think. They did try the time honored fear tactics of a lifetime in hell for promiscuity or however that works.

However they did quickly go to the subject of if you must, put a condom on etc. The best / worst part I remember was the slide show of graphic STDs. Not that is an effective fear tactic!

I remember how much it pained my bilogy teacher to teach intelligent design as a subject with any sort of scientific merit. I could tell even as an ignorant kid somebody made her do it.

[M.D. Holloway]

To try an stop a teenager from having (or at least craving) sex is tantamount to not allowing them to yawn or eat. Its not possible. I have impressed upon my soon-to-be 17 year old son that respect and responsibility are the most important of all things sexual. That includes texting and emails and what have you. He has severed relations with several girls because they sent him nude photos. He deleted them immediately for fear of getting arrested for child porn. Has he had sex? Yup. Is he active with the girl he is seeing now? He says things haven't gotten to that point yet but I fully expect them to no matter what I tell him. Bucks in rut. You can't fight chemistry. I just make sure I tell him on a constant basis that he must show her respect. That he must not be irresponsible. I also make sure he understands that the girl is someones sister and daughter and ask him how he would feel if someone mistreated his sister (who he is very protective of). So far so good....for now.

[aschen]

Like trying to teach a shark to be a vegetarian

[onewhippedpuppy]

Originally Posted by Seahawk

I applaud the fact that the 180 Degree folks are engaged and willing to try.

The only 180 Degree program I was interested in high school was reverse cowgirl but I digress.

Good on 'em.

All I will say is, thank God the bourbon was in my glass case vs mouth. Because it burns coming out my nose.....

[PorscheGAL]

I find it interesting that they believe they can have a "discussion" with middle schoolers about sex. Not many middle schoolers are going to have confidence to be open with their questions in a class of peers.

I am also not sure why promoting that abstinence is the best way to avoid pregnancy and STD is solely a religious policy. It is medically accurate, is it not?

[onewhippedpuppy]

Originally Posted by PorscheGAL

I find it interesting that they believe they can have a "discussion" with middle schoolers about sex. Not many middle schoolers are going to have confidence to be open with their questions in a class of peers.

I am also not sure why promoting that abstinence is the best way to avoid pregnancy and STD is solely a religious policy. It is medically accurate, is it not?

My only objection is that they aren't presenting all of the options. Kids WILL have sex, so you can either equip them with the correct information or leave them to figure it out, which is how kids end up with kids.

[fintstone]

Originally Posted by PorscheGAL

I find it interesting that they believe they can have a "discussion" with middle schoolers about sex. Not many middle schoolers are going to have confidence to be open with their questions in a class of peers.

I am also not sure why promoting that abstinence is the best way to avoid pregnancy and STD is solely a religious policy. It is medically accurate, is it not?

I agree. It doesn't take a medical degree to realize that abstinence is 100% effective whenever it is used.

In most cases, elaborate sex education for kids that are too young simply makes it more glamorous and less scary. It makes them feel adult enough to understand the mechanics and it charges them with the responsibility to do it correctly, so of course they feel they must be old enough to start at 11. We should probably teach them to mix martinis and smoke a bong correctly then as well. Teach them to drive a car too...just in case they steal one (so they will be safe). Kids will be kids.

[wdfifteen]

Originally Posted by PorscheGAL

I find it interesting that they believe they can have a "discussion" with middle schoolers about sex. Not many middle schoolers are going to have confidence to be open with their questions in a class of peers.

I have no clue what it's like to be a middle schooler these days. When I was that age I was curious about girls, but bikes and gokarts were so much more interesting. We had sex ed as about a freshman but it wasn't taken seriously. I remember the teacher saying something about putting your dick back together with duct tape.

Originally Posted by PorscheGAL

I am also not sure why promoting that abstinence is the best way to avoid pregnancy and STD is solely a religious policy. It is medically accurate, is it not?

It is solely religious because sexual "purity" is a religious goal. Avoiding unwanted pregnancy and disease are secular goals. There is a difference. Abstinence as an element of comprehensive sex education is fine. Abstinence only is a historical failure.

Humans are not biological machines, we have free will and make our own decisions, often against our own best interests. Abstinence only education would only be effective if our all children behaved like robots, unfortunately many of them seem to insist on acting like humans.

Abstinence only education, as opposed to comprehensive sex education has been shown over an over again to be ineffective when applied to real people.

PLOS ONE: Abstinence-Only Education and Teen Pregnancy Rates: Why We Need Comprehensive Sex Education in the U.S

[onewhippedpuppy]

When I was in 8th grade, one of my 7th grade neighbors got pregnant. The father was another 7th grader. Middle school is NOT too early for sex ed, because middle school is not too early for sex.