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Thursday, 08 November 2007 |
Comprehensive sex education options give students more knowledge for safe sex
Due to an unintended consequence of the Deficit Reduction Act, the cost of birth control methods increased, some as much as doubling or tripling in price.
This increase made birth control products unaffordable for many college-age women, and forced Appalachian State University’s Student Health Services to stop carrying several forms of birth control.
Currently, legislation is in the works to lower the costs of birth control.
The
Appalachian firmly believes birth control should be widely available
for anyone who wants to ensure the prevention of pregnancy, and
encourages Congress to seek legislation to remedy the cost problems.
Furthermore, we also support the Responsible Education About Life
(REAL) Act introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives in May.
This act proposes age-appropriate education in high schools and
encourages the execution of contraceptive education in addition to
abstinence curriculum.
In today’s society, it is unrealistic to disregard information on
sexually transmitted infections and preventing pregnancy in sex
education.
President George W. Bush recently requested $242 million for
abstinence-only funding in his fiscal year 2008 budget, according to
plannedparenthood.org.
Such approaches to sexual education teach teenagers about “chastity
programs” and lead to the censorship of textbooks, eliminating
information about contraceptive options, AIDS and STIs.
Health teachers that instruct these programs are also penalized by the state if they do not abide by these guidelines.
The Appalachian believes it is grossly irresponsible to ignore practical sex information in the curriculum.
According to the Guttmacher Institute, it is estimated only 5 percent
of American children are taught a comprehensive sex education
curriculum.
Even though abstinence-only education dominates sex education programs, it’s main goal is not being met.
In fact, 88 percent of students who pledge virginity through these
programs still engage in premarital sex, according to Planned
Parenthood.
In contrast, comprehensive programs have shown improvement in safer-sex practices.
If Americans want to encourage a sexually responsible, well-informed
youth, changes must be made in the sex education provided and the
access to affordable birth control.
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I hardly think it ok for any American to bash Margaret Sanger, or to insultingly call her a eugenicist (she wasn't). The government sponsored inquiry into eugenics far before Sanger started giving people a choice in their own sexual lives.
And, who are you to make decisions about the sex lives of others--what sort of high horse prohibits you from considering the benefits of comprehensive sex education? Um, hello? People have sex. You, me, Margaret Sanger, the staff of the Appalachian; pretty much everyone. And how is it not better to know how to use a condom, and to have sexually active women have access to cheap and effective birth control, or for people to even know what an STD is?
Abstinence is moronic, just ask 99% of America.