State's efforts to expand sex education smart

People always bad-mouth SN editorials, but I thought this one wasn’t bad.

Another reach of the government into the private lives of the citizenry. My child’s sex education is my responsibility alone, and it’s infuriating that the government’s solution to teen pregnancy is to bypass personal responsiblity and my rights as a parent.

I also fail to see the intrinsic link between providing health care coverage for contraception and sex education. Oral contraception requires a prescription, which implies that a doctor is prescribing it and a parent fills it. So why does the school need to be involved? Why should something that is a personal issue among a child, a parent, and a doctor involve the school or the government at all?

Lastly, props to the State News on using “advice” from the 2-bit hack known as Dr. Phil. Nothing grants respectability like quoting a nutjob of an insult to the profession of psychiatry.

@Zeke:
“I also fail to see the intrinsic link between providing health care coverage for contraception and sex education.”

Huh? What does the legistlation having to do with requiring prescription drug plans to include contraception have to do with sex education in schools? Where did you make this connection? Just because the words appear in the same editorial?

Bleed green wrote:

“Huh? What does the legistlation having to do with requiring prescription drug plans to include contraception have to do with sex education in schools? Where did you make this connection?”

This is quoted from the article:

“Democratic state lawmakers are introducing legislation that would require health insurance plans that cover prescriptions to also include coverage for contraception. The proposal would aim to require sex education — including but not limited to the teaching of abstinence — as early as middle school and would also make it easier for low-income women to obtain birth control.”

Clear enough for you?

Tim wrote:

“When sex education was taught in my middle school, my parents requested that I be allowed to leave class. I’m sure you can do the same.”

So where do you draw the line? If I push for legislation to have the school teach gun safety, complete with how to use and maintain a firearm, would you be happy with simply having your child excused? Don’t get me wrong here – I received my sex ed in fifth grade, and my parents talked to me about it beforehand. But it was not government-mandated. And THAT is the part that has me concerned.

Parents… wrote:

“Parents do not have the right to do whatever they feel like Zeke. You have a responsibility to society to educate your child about sex properly, thoroughly and correctly. Abstinence is like teaching intelligent design. Just cause you have hang ups or insecurities about sex doesn’t mean your child should be forced into stupidity.”

This is where you are blatantly wrong. I cursory check of the Constituion shows no requirement for parents to teach their children about sex in middle school. In fact, the Constitution specifically protects religious freedom – which allows my Catholic wife the right to teach our children about sex when we feel that it is right. Teaching abstinence has nothing to do with sex ed – you teach abstinence AFTER sex ed! How can you teach not to do something if you don’t explain what that something is?!

Parents… also writes:

“Humans are sexual beings- children have a right to know this, as well as its implications and demands. IF not, you are setting your children up for failure that society is forced to deal with when the consequences happen. Why do you think that STD’s are so high? Many people don’t even know how to put a condom on.”

I don’t disagree that children should be taught about sex, but it should be when I want to do it – not when the government tells me to. You mention STDs – my response is that the reason they are out of control is that parents aren’t doing their jobs. They let kids go out wherever, hang out with whoever, and could give a damn less where their kids are so long as they get their quiet time. My parents watched me like a hawk when I was a teen. I certainly had no time to have sex, much less catch an STD.

Summing up – I have no problem with teaching my kids about sex when I feel they are ready. I know them far better than their teachers and government know them, and I resent anyone telling me otherwise. When you start allowing the government to mandate what your children learn and when, you start losing the ability to mold them around your ideals and morals.

Uh, yeah, I read that too, Zeke.
Nowhere does it say “birth control will be given out during sex ed. in middle school” or anything like that. Birth control will be more accessible to lower-income women…that’s it. This is in addition to making sex ed more comprehensive, but it doesn’t mean a government program of doling out birth control pills.

You can keep your kids ignorant as long as you want. You can opt out of whatever you don’t want your kids to participate in. I prefer to have the option to offer my kids the most learning opportunities possible, especially when it’s something as important as sexual education.

“When you start allowing the government to mandate what your children learn and when, you start losing the ability to mold them around your ideals and morals.”

We already do that with mandated curricula that society has deemed necessary to be productive members of society (for example a fundamental knowledge of math).

Sex education is no different. It provides facts (statistics regarding STDs, pregnancy, and information for how to best protect oneself).

It is fine and good for parents that wish to teach math (or any other necessary topic..) to their children but for those children whose parents are unable or unwilling to provide the proper education for thier children, the schools provide that knowledge.

If a student has already learned to add and subtract from the parents, they will not be harmed by learning to add and subtract(and perhaps gain additional information, like the trick of “borrowing”)from an knowledgable educator.

When I had sex ed, my parents wanted to know exactly what i was learning, were involved and then we had additional discussions about what i had learned in school at home where their morals and views were discussed ad nauseum.

Let’s give these kids who don’t have strong parental influences a chance to save themselves and others.

Also,

Maybe there wouldn’t be so much discrimination against the LGBT community and female sexuality if we actually attempted to teach our children about sex, rather than cede to superstitious religious beliefs.

eric- Abstinence is part of sex education. I suppose in the heat of the moment with a naked body in front of them abstinence comes zooming to the front of kids minds and they stop everythinig instantly. In contrast, they totally forget about safe sex when faced with a naked body. At least if you teach them safe sex that information is in their head along with abstinence. Maybe one of the two will give them pause before they go ahead with unprotected sex.

My son started recieveing sex ed from me when he was very young, (in small steps of course), he started recieving school based sex education in the fifth grade, as I did some years ago. He’s now thirteen and we contiune the discussion. Parents do have the ability to not have their child attend the classes given in school. What amazes me are some of the friends that I have that didn’t start talking to their children at a very young age, now when the subject comes up between us they always give a nervous laugh and ask me if I would like to talk to their kids. I’m very proud of the maturity in which my son exibits, we now talk about these things without embarassment. He knows full well that I would love nothing more than for him to wait until marriage, (I know the reality of that), but if it does happen prior to that I want him to be fully prepared to do it safely, and if not, he’s well aware of ALL the consequences that may occur. Knowing that some kids are having sex at such an early age I wasn’t willing to wait until it was to late. I also didn’t want him to fall victim to some creep because he didn’t carry the strength of knowledge.
Also, Just to make it clear, starting very young and simple, he never had a peepee, weewee, or any other silly name some parents tend to give to their child because of their own embaressment, he has a penis and girls have a vagina, simple as that. I have friends that tell their girls that a bra is a “body holder”. Good God people, you can start by calling it what it is.
You don’t want your children taught in the schools, take them out of the class but I don’t want to have to keep writting that check every April 15th to support the next generation of welfare babies born to the children that don’t have a parent/parents willing to do the right thing.

tee hee,
How mature. Best wishes to your children in the future. It’s nice to know in advance that I’ll be paying for one or more of your grandchildren.

Quite possibly unconstitutional, if a parent objects. The Court strikes attempts to interfere with the raising of one’s children, it is a fundamental right under substantive due process.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pierce_v._Society_of_Sisters

Defeat another Hussien, elect John McCain!

side note: sex education is good. schools should honestly focus very much on the how easily std’s are spread. i dont think a lot of youth understand.

please, keep using that hussien line everywhere you can. it makes your side look SO much better and more intelligent! when people go to the voting booth in november, they’re going to remember that chant and think “if it doesn’t fit, you must acquit!”