Does anyone else agree that Abstinence-only is a recipe for disaster?

Question

In the State of Texas we now have the highest teenage pregnancy rate in the nation. Since GW Bush was the Governor, we've had several opportunists going around wasting millions of taxpayers dollars trying to teach abstinence-only. They don't even teach s*x ed in public schools anymore. So much for separation of church and state, huh?

Any logical thinking adult would say that telling kids not to have s*x would be like telling Americans not to drive cars or telling Texans not to drive SUV's or big pick-up trucks with the high prices of gas. It's impractical and logistically it's not feasible. Better yet, it's like telling African-Americans not to listen to rap or hiphop or Americans not to watch football.

With all the media industry and all the peer pressure out there, do you really honestly think that's going to work? When you've got the entertainment industry telling teenage girls that they're supposed to look like Britney Spears and sleep with every guy on the block, how do you expect abstinence-only to work? It's a recipe for disaster.

I say we should go back to teaching s*x eds in school and even start handing out birth control. In the State of Texas, kids have to be at least 18 or get permission from their parents to receive birth control. Then you have all these pro-lifers out there trying to outlaw abortion. So now you've got double-trouble.

And then when these teens do get pregnant everyone likes to create some big brouhaha about all these illegitimate children being born and all these single moms living on welfare. They become an easy target for criticism by the conservatives. People then criticize them for living on welfare and not having jobs.

How can you expect them to get jobs if they're not even educated? How do you expect them to get educated when they have to drop out of school to raise their children? How else are they supposed to support their children when the father disappears?

In the State of Texas, it's also illegal to garnishee people's wages. So when you've got all these deadbeat dads who don't want to pay child support, the mother is screwed. So does anyone else agree that abstinence-only is a lost cause?

Answer 1

lol, abstinence is a good thing, teaching s*x ed, is not going to make girls stop having s*x with their bf's. Its a personal choice they make, maybe parent's need to lock down and know where their children are at all times. In Michigan, you can get birth control pills at any age, and all you have to do is drive to Family Planning, Maybe you should try getting your state to change the laws on that.  

Answer 2

It is stupid because it is out of touch with reality and what is going on in society. I live in Massachusetts where abstinence only was rejected. STDs is up in teens. Doctors and nurses don't agree with this abstinence only plan because it just doesn't jive with our culture. Doesn't it make sense for teens to be educated as much as possible so they can at least make an informed decision? Bush is an incompetent moron. He thinks he can change the will of the people. He wants to work against the tide. It doesn't work. You get what you are talking about here and much more. I am so proud that my state rejected it.

edit: However, I believe teen pregnancies have increased here as well. But I think it may relate more to lack of parenting and lack of opportunities as it seems to be hitting the poorer communities like Gloucester.

edit: I was educated in a great school system where we were taught s*x education by a nurse. My friends had s*x in high school but I never did. Why? I was going to college and had bigger dreams and ambitions. I was afraid of my parents' reaction. My friends' parents were more lenient than my parents or so it seemed. The ones that had s*x, college wasn't as big of a deal to them as it was to me. My other friends that didn't have s*x either were also going to college and had plans to "change" the world. We were ambitious and smart. Create more and better opportunities. Reach the poorer kids so they see there is more out there. I think we will see teen pregnancy decline as well as STDs.

edit: I didn't know that about Texas but that explains a lot as I had a friend in college whose dad ran off to Texas. He was a doctor too. I didn't quite understand why my friend had such harsh feelings toward his dad. Aren't there a lot of pro-lifers down there too?  WTF? I think pro-lifers really are anti-women.

Answer 3

I agree with you 100%.  My parents taught me that, and it's like an open invitation to go have s*x.  If you tell a teenager not to do something, they're going to go do it just to spite you.  That's how their brains work.  I was there once.  I did not however get pregnant at 18 or 16 because I knew about birth control and was smart about it.  In the state of Nebraska they do still teach s*x ed and I can't believe that some places don't. I guess that would leave it up to the parents hoping they're open-minded enough to do it.  Doesn't sound like they are though.  What a mess.  I plan on teaching my children about it at home before the schools do so that I'm sure they understand my expectations of them.  I don't openly oppose pre-marital s*x, but I'm not going to raise their child if they're stupid either.  

Answer 4

I think abstinence is tactically wrong because teenagers love love love doing the opposite of what they're told. They think it's cool, they think it makes them powerful, and it's just the classic stage of teenage rebellion.

I agree with the answers above me, but I just wanted to add that.