A Sign of the Times?

There has been a lot of talk about personal responsibility for the last 8 years - and now we have a sign of it's outcome - a higher teen birth rate than last 15 years! Why does this bother me? Teens are prepared to be parents - heck, few us adults are truly prepared! Furthermore, in our society it is the young woman who pays for her birthing a child, and the baby's father walks free in most cases, only laughing with "adult" males about sowing his wild oats!

It has been about that same 8 years that the emphasis has been on abstinence only, forgetting that only the studies done by ab-only groups show any success at all. During that time, I and others have fought for a comprehensive approach to teens and sexuality - including education, contraception and urging our youth to wait - to no avail with the current administration and their religiously right-wing allies who have pushed more and more for ab-only programs as the only approach to take - stating that education actually encourages sexual activity though studies show otherwise, stating that contraception increases a desire to become active - ignoring the thousands of young girls in our country raped by male members of their households or families that have no choice in the matter, and creating the "re-virgining" myth that if a sexually active girl is inactive for so long, she becomes a virgin all over.

It's so twisted, is it any wonder the kids do or say what is expected in both the church or group pushing ab-only and in the back seat of a car or a bedroom of a home without active concerned parents? I've even known parents who said, "The kid's going to do it anyway, so I just have them do it here so I know what's going on." Now there's a healthy attitude! NOT!!!

Come on, people, it's time we place more trust in our children and teach them what they need to know to face an ever-more complex world. After all, if we let them do it all by trial and error, will we have any room to complain when they pack us off into homes that allow them to shirk responsibility just as we have? Think about it, then go talk honestly and bluntly with your children about the whole gamut of sexual information - or find someone who will do it because you are too embarrassed to talk to your beloved child. Parents, grow up, and act your role!

Peace!