I wonder if the Democratic victory signals a step toward sanity in America's social movements?
The stated position of the Bush Administration is for abstinence only education. they have even issued regulations to prevent information from reaching America's children concerning contraception and STD prevention other than abstinence.
In Western Europe, the opposite is true. Contraceptives are advertised, displayed, dispensed and widely used. Information is ubiquitous. In the school my kids attended in Tennessee, an award winning annual was screechingly condemned when the students balanced an abstinence only page, with a picture of an unmade bed and a condom. Don't tell them and they won't have sex?
Yeah, right...Check this little tidbit...South Carolina is right in the belly button of the Southern bible belt. Bob Jones University and Senator Lindsay Graham are both found there...and so are the two Colleges with the highest rate of student STD infection. (Yes, I can name them, but not now. I have friends with kids attending there) The kids aren't catching that stuff praticing choir.
Now check this:
Pregnancies per 1000 Teenagers...
USA 53
Great Brittain 20
Germany 11
Norway 11
Finland 8
Denmark 7
Sweden 7
The Netherlands 5
Even India and Rwanda have lower numbers that the good old USA.
The rate of teenage sexual activity is roughly equal in the developed nations, so why does the teen pregnancy rate vary so drastically? All of those countries, except one, have government supported contraceptive awareness and distribution programs.
And guess which country has the highest abortion rate?
Here's a good article suggesting things we can do about this problem. Oddly enough, it comes from Georgia.
One thing I know for sure, telling humans to not have sex is no more effective than telling fat people to quit eating. I actually think this is connected to the same mental gymnastic that allows people to actually believe that more guns means a safer society, but that's a rant for tomorrow.
Peace,
Steve
No comments:
Post a Comment