wow, name calling that is one way to open comminucation. I understand that teens are having sex, but now I am asking you. Does planned parenthood inform all about the legal issues. Yes, I have been to meetings and taken my daughters to planned parenthood to help them make an educated decision about sex. I am not an idiot, I just would like for all the consequences to be taught.
Why doesn't planned parenthood inform teenagers that underage sex is illegal. The boy will pay a heavy price and could go to prison for having sex with a teenage girl. THIS IS SEXUAL ASSAULT OF A CHILD. Start teaching the boys what could happen to them as well.
So how often do you come to Planned Parenthood meetings? How do you know for a FACT that we do not share that information with teens? Something tells me you've never been to any of the meetings or listened to any of the information we share.
Even so, no matter what the law says, teen will, without a doubt, have sex. it is simple human nature. So they need to know about protection and the risks they face by entering the world of sex. including the legal risks. Idiot.
@littleraeofsun Well I don't know where you're from, but here there is no education at all about sex except that abstinence is the way to go.
Do not get me wrong, I think that the longer you wait for sex, the better, so I am not against abstinence. But since that is the only form of education here, there is no information available to us about the physical OR emotional damage it can do. And even if the teens are informed about the emotional trauma, it won't mean much to them.
@cannoncl Why only boys? Having sex with a minor is a crime for girls, too. And, know your state laws, they are different for EVERY state. A 15 year old boy having sex with a 15 year old girl can be defended in court as they are not more than 3 years apart in age. Teaching children how to be RESPONSIBLE no matter their actions is always the best recourse.
@najiwench According to Guttmacher, Texas has the 6th highest teen pregnancy rate. That's 5 states that, per capita, have more teen pregnancies than Texas. I think a more relative statistic would be to see how many of those pregnancies occurred despite the use of contraception.
@littleraeofsun 6th highest out of 50 states really isn't something to brag about. That means that there are 44 states that have a lower teen pregnancy rate per capita. Looking at general contraceptive failure rates (depending on the type of contraceptive, and if they are used properly, which reflects back on education) compared to the pregnancy rates, you can get a fairly good idea of contraceptive use among teens. Guttmacher has great information, as does the CDC and The National Campaign.
@najiwench I was actually referring more to how contraceptive use relates to pregnancy rates. No one ever seems to want to report those numbers.
Like I responded to evilmuffin, the problem isn't just teaching people about sex, the risks, the rules, and the contraceptive. People explain the rules of Credit Cards as well, and think that equips people to own one, yet the average credit card debt per household is $16,007. I would venture a similar scenario could be said about contraceptives.
@littleraeofsun Um, what? I'm not following your line of reasoning. I think it is pretty well documented that states that include sex education have lower teen pregnancy rates than states that teach abstinence only education. The fact is that SOME (notice I did not say "all" but it's a nice strawman) teens WILL have sex. Giving them as much education before they make the decision is the best we can do for them. Educate them on the risks, how to be safe, and how to make the best decisions.
@najiwench If you reread my comment, you will notice I said "how contraceptive use relates to pregnancy rates" and not sex education.
I'm not against educating teens about sex. It's the part where you provide them with condoms and birth control and then nod and wink as if you're really still advising them to avoid having sex. The combination of the two, which so many people see as necessary, is what bothers me. Generally what I see is the education part getting a lower priority of the two.
@littleraeofsun I have honestly never seen anyone do the "provide them with condoms and birth control and then nod and wink" that you speak of. Honestly, I believe that is yet another strawman used in the whole sex education debate. The sex education classes I was in spent a LOT of time talking about STI's and their effects, which, honestly, was a greater deterrent than the risk of pregnancy. Perhaps the problem lies more in the people teaching it than the teaching it in general?
@najiwench That's probably very accurate. The experiences I have had with education that doesn't involve distributing contraceptive has been very good. However, my experiences with meetings and classes that do distribute really neglect the option of just not having sex, so perhaps you are right about how the process is conducted in general.
@littleraeofsun Wow..can I just say how refreshing it is to have a discussion without the emotional responses? LOL...We can agree that there is definitely some lacking in the education process in general, and I DEFINITELY believe parents need to be more proactive so it doesn't fall on schools and other organizations to educate the kids, but the education has to be there. Thank you for the discussion!
We do not have a classroom that we can sit a bunch of teens and pre-teens in to discuss the STI's. but, as a matter of fact, we do discuss STI's at our meetings and do our best to educate the people that come to our education workshop events. It was Saint Patrick's day when we handed out the condoms, everyone was drunk and probably in need of one anyway.
Trust me, you cannot judge our methods until you have seen them. All of them.
wow, name calling that is one way to open comminucation. I understand that teens are having sex, but now I am asking you. Does planned parenthood inform all about the legal issues. Yes, I have been to meetings and taken my daughters to planned parenthood to help them make an educated decision about sex. I am not an idiot, I just would like for all the consequences to be taught.
cannoncl 2 years ago
Why doesn't planned parenthood inform teenagers that underage sex is illegal. The boy will pay a heavy price and could go to prison for having sex with a teenage girl. THIS IS SEXUAL ASSAULT OF A CHILD. Start teaching the boys what could happen to them as well.
cannoncl 2 years ago
So how often do you come to Planned Parenthood meetings? How do you know for a FACT that we do not share that information with teens? Something tells me you've never been to any of the meetings or listened to any of the information we share.
Even so, no matter what the law says, teen will, without a doubt, have sex. it is simple human nature. So they need to know about protection and the risks they face by entering the world of sex. including the legal risks. Idiot.
evilmuffin 2 years ago
@evilmuffin Not every teen has sex. Pushing that concept certainly doesn't help either.
I feel that a major failure is not educating kids on the emotional consequences of having sex.
littleraeofsun 1 year ago
@littleraeofsun Well I don't know where you're from, but here there is no education at all about sex except that abstinence is the way to go.
Do not get me wrong, I think that the longer you wait for sex, the better, so I am not against abstinence. But since that is the only form of education here, there is no information available to us about the physical OR emotional damage it can do. And even if the teens are informed about the emotional trauma, it won't mean much to them.
evilmuffin 1 year ago
@cannoncl Why only boys? Having sex with a minor is a crime for girls, too. And, know your state laws, they are different for EVERY state. A 15 year old boy having sex with a 15 year old girl can be defended in court as they are not more than 3 years apart in age. Teaching children how to be RESPONSIBLE no matter their actions is always the best recourse.
najiwench 1 year ago
Ironically, Texas has the second highest population in the US, so having the third-highest pregnancy rate means we're doing something right.
Also, the best way to avoid pregnancy IS abstinence. That wasn't taught in school, that was taught at home.
littleraeofsun 2 years ago
@littleraeofsun It depends on how the percentages are acquired. Are they a base percentage or are they a per capita percentage?
TX teen population: 1,735,995
CA teen population: 2,721,081
TX teen pregnancies: 73,270 (rate: 88)
CA teen pregnancies: 96,490 (rate: 75)
Look it up for yourself.
najiwench 1 year ago
@najiwench According to Guttmacher, Texas has the 6th highest teen pregnancy rate. That's 5 states that, per capita, have more teen pregnancies than Texas. I think a more relative statistic would be to see how many of those pregnancies occurred despite the use of contraception.
littleraeofsun 1 year ago
@littleraeofsun 6th highest out of 50 states really isn't something to brag about. That means that there are 44 states that have a lower teen pregnancy rate per capita. Looking at general contraceptive failure rates (depending on the type of contraceptive, and if they are used properly, which reflects back on education) compared to the pregnancy rates, you can get a fairly good idea of contraceptive use among teens. Guttmacher has great information, as does the CDC and The National Campaign.
najiwench 1 year ago
@najiwench I was actually referring more to how contraceptive use relates to pregnancy rates. No one ever seems to want to report those numbers.
Like I responded to evilmuffin, the problem isn't just teaching people about sex, the risks, the rules, and the contraceptive. People explain the rules of Credit Cards as well, and think that equips people to own one, yet the average credit card debt per household is $16,007. I would venture a similar scenario could be said about contraceptives.
littleraeofsun 1 year ago
@littleraeofsun Um, what? I'm not following your line of reasoning. I think it is pretty well documented that states that include sex education have lower teen pregnancy rates than states that teach abstinence only education. The fact is that SOME (notice I did not say "all" but it's a nice strawman) teens WILL have sex. Giving them as much education before they make the decision is the best we can do for them. Educate them on the risks, how to be safe, and how to make the best decisions.
najiwench 1 year ago
@najiwench If you reread my comment, you will notice I said "how contraceptive use relates to pregnancy rates" and not sex education.
I'm not against educating teens about sex. It's the part where you provide them with condoms and birth control and then nod and wink as if you're really still advising them to avoid having sex. The combination of the two, which so many people see as necessary, is what bothers me. Generally what I see is the education part getting a lower priority of the two.
littleraeofsun 1 year ago
@littleraeofsun I have honestly never seen anyone do the "provide them with condoms and birth control and then nod and wink" that you speak of. Honestly, I believe that is yet another strawman used in the whole sex education debate. The sex education classes I was in spent a LOT of time talking about STI's and their effects, which, honestly, was a greater deterrent than the risk of pregnancy. Perhaps the problem lies more in the people teaching it than the teaching it in general?
najiwench 1 year ago
@najiwench That's probably very accurate. The experiences I have had with education that doesn't involve distributing contraceptive has been very good. However, my experiences with meetings and classes that do distribute really neglect the option of just not having sex, so perhaps you are right about how the process is conducted in general.
littleraeofsun 1 year ago
@littleraeofsun Wow..can I just say how refreshing it is to have a discussion without the emotional responses? LOL...We can agree that there is definitely some lacking in the education process in general, and I DEFINITELY believe parents need to be more proactive so it doesn't fall on schools and other organizations to educate the kids, but the education has to be there. Thank you for the discussion!
najiwench 1 year ago
@littleraeofsun There has to be something, at least.
We do not have a classroom that we can sit a bunch of teens and pre-teens in to discuss the STI's. but, as a matter of fact, we do discuss STI's at our meetings and do our best to educate the people that come to our education workshop events. It was Saint Patrick's day when we handed out the condoms, everyone was drunk and probably in need of one anyway.
Trust me, you cannot judge our methods until you have seen them. All of them.
evilmuffin 1 year ago
HALLO!
Gordonfreeman11097 2 years ago