Kansas does it again....

Turner

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...this time, with SexEd. :shake:

Wichita — The Kansas State Board of Education is considering a proposal that would require public schools to teach sexual abstinence until marriage or risk losing their accreditation.

The board listened to two hours of public comment and expert presentations Tuesday, but took no action and plans to rehash the issue again.

Board members appeared confused about whether such a plan would allow school districts to also offer comprehensive sex education that includes information about birth control methods and protection against sexually transmitted diseases for students who may become sexually active.

Board member Kathy Martin, who proposed the sexual abstinence mandate, said some Kansas schools were not upholding societal values.

“We need to be the ones to say, ‘This is the right thing to teach,’” she said.

She said the board already tied accreditation to other subjects such as math and science.

But other board members questioned whether the state board needed to get involved, noting that 75 percent of Kansas school districts offer comprehensive sex education courses that already teach abstinence.

“We as a state board should not be mandating this from a state level,” board member Janet Waugh said, adding that every local school board should have the right to make its own decision according to its own needs.

Board member Carol Rupe suggested the board could make a recommendation to teach abstinence before marriage, but said it was wrong to change state regulations to mandate it. She noted Kansas laws already requires physical education that includes health and human sexuality.

“This is much larger, more fraught with danger,” board member Sue Gamble said, warning it would set a precedent to tie abstinence to accreditation.

The board heard a presentation from Charles Jenny, a Wichita science teacher, in support of the comprehensive sex education programs now used in a majority of Kansas schools.

“My job is not to teach morals or to judge them about their decisions made,” Jenny said. “My job is to teach them about the things out there that can hurt them.”

Board members also listened to Sandy Pickert, executive director of the Abstinence Educators Assn. in Wichita, who urged them to mandate an abstinence-only program for public schools. She told the board that comprehensive sex education programs typically spend just 4 percent of their time on abstinence and are not effective in deterring teen pregnancy or sexually transmitted diseases.

“We have had 20 years of comprehensive sex education to no avail,” Pickert said.

Earlier in the day, the board spent more than an hour listening to comments from the public — most of which were overwhelmingly in support of sex education programs that included not just abstinence, but also information about birth control and other sexuality issues.
Source

I am a parent. I'm quite aware of the possibility that one of my kids is gonna come home and say "Hey, Dad, guess what?" So, yeah, I think abstinence until marriage is a great idea.

I also think Communism is a great idea.

Sadly, neither of them work.
 
So...are they proposing to teach abstinence and only abstinence? Or just make them teach it along with the other stuff it usually gets shoved behind?

Also, have there been successful abstinence-only programs anywhere? And what constitutes successful?
 
When we had sex ed earlier this year they did pretty much did this, saying if we had sex that our lives would be over, STDs, pregnancy, blah blah. And it was against any contact at all. They even discouraged kissing. :shake:

Now of course STDs and pregnancy and such are bad, but telling us our lives our over, that we will end up in clinics and home because of it? Seems extreme.
 
I disagree with your comment about 'abstinence until marriage' not working. When someone actually commits to abstaining until marriage, and works at it, and actually abstains, then it works.

Me, I think abstinence-first is the way to go. I think that the problem is not so much with kids who try to abstain but fail, it is with kids who never intended to and now know squat about birth control. So teaching, "the only foolproof and completely safe method is not having sex, other methods like condoms [insert comprehensive information about condoms here] work but not as well." seems to be the best method. The problem is not that abstinence is taught, or that trying to practice abstinence doesn't work, it is that there is no other information presented.

For what it's worth, I never received a formal sex education class. When I was in 4th grade, the 5th graders in my school did, but then they must have cancelled it or something. Same in junior high and high school. Nevertheless I am aware of birth control.
 
ainwood said:
Yeah - I think that abstinence should be taught in conjunction with normal sex-ed. Complete with having some teenage parents come to the class to scare the kids into how it can adversely affect their lives.

This would be good. With our class it was done much like this:

If you use a condom, you can prevent STDs and pregnancy! And it works almost 90% of the time! Oh, and if you don't have sex at all, you're guaranteed to not be pregnant or get any of those awful diseases or whatever else. Here's a condom and here's how to use it!
 
MjM said:
When we had sex ed earlier this year they did pretty much this, saying if we had sex that our lives would be over, STDs, pregnancy, blah blah. And it was against any contact at all. They even discouraged kissing. :shake:
I am a firm believer that it needs to be truthful - teenagers have a wonderful ability to spot hyperbole. They need to point out the risks and the consequences - telling people that it will happen is a bad mistake, because they will know lots of people for whom it hasn't happened - hence the teachers have zero credibility.

It would be much more effective to teach them risk mitigation, whilst still letting them know the risks, and pointing out that abstinance does eliminate the risk - and its the only thing that does.
 
I think it is rediculous when elders tell children to abstain from sex alltogether when it is perfectly natural innocent behavior,but i do believe that they need education on planned parenting,due to the fact that there are contraceptives education already available.Abstaining from sex,hell,they might as well shelter kids in that state from the influences of the media since it is mostly an advertisement for sex most of the time.
 
CartesianFart said:
I think it is rediculous when elders tell children to abstain from sex alltogether when it is perfectly natural innocent behavior...

:lol:

If it's the only foolproof way to avoid being grandparents much earlier than they expected, why shouldn't they tell children that?
 
ainwood said:
It would be much more effective to teach them risk mitigation, whilst still letting them know the risks, and pointing out that abstinance does eliminate the risk - and its the only thing that does.
Indeed. I wouldn't be so against the policy if it was presented differently. It needs to be fair and balanced, giving equal time to all methods.

I remember learning about SexEd in the 80's. I don't remember abstinence taught, but it was brought up. The effectiveness of each method was brought up as well, I remember condom's having something like a 90% effectiveness. I also remember 1-in-10 seeming to be pretty good odds to a teenager.

Sigh...I hate my state sometimes. First Evolution, now this.
 
Irish Caesar said:
:lol:

If it's the only foolproof way to avoid being grandparents much earlier than they expected, why shouldn't they tell children that?
Man,you are taking my statement out of context.I am saying that sex should not be stress as something forbidden or harmful,but something to be careful of not recieving unwanted and unplanned pregnancies.I was sexualy active in a early age and always wore a condom by the guidance and teaching of my parents.I find this as not only liberal but wise at the same time.
 
The problem here might be that teens become sexually active using condoms, but might find themselves in a situation where birth control is unavailable and decide to risk it anyways, just because they are so used to having sex.
 
This is funny,i find most of the posters sexually repressive as not getting enough of it,so in turn does not want youngsters enjoying the greatest pleasure in life.:p
 
CartesianFart said:
This is funny,i find most of the posters sexually repressive as not getting enough of it,so in turn does not want youngsters enjoying the greatest pleasure in life.:p

Are you referring to me, specifically? I am not sexually repressed in any way, as I have of my own free will chosen abstinence. I am also not saying that schools must teach that sex is wrong. It is not their job to teach morality, and they don't have the proverbial snowball's chance of succeeding anyways if the parents aren't encouraging abstinence. What they need to do is educate teenagers on the best ways to avoid the worst consequences of sexual activity.
 
CartesianFart said:
This is funny,i find most of the posters sexually repressive as not getting enough of it,so in turn does not want youngsters enjoying the greatest pleasure in life.:p

Different people have different ways of having a good time. At this point in my life, I'd prefer not to screw up a good thing by gambling. Whether or not I have sex or get drunk or smoke weed or drive fast or skydive is no business of yours. Whether you do the same is no business of mine.
 
Eran of Arcadia said:
Are you referring to me, specifically?
No,captain obvious.:rolleyes:

Eran of Arcadia said:
I am not sexually repressed in any way, as I have of my own free will chosen abstinence. I am also not saying that schools must teach that sex is wrong. It is not their job to teach morality, and they don't have the proverbial snowball's chance of succeeding anyways if the parents aren't encouraging abstinence. What they need to do is educate teenagers on the best ways to avoid the worst consequences of sexual activity.
Read post #9 in this thread,it is more likely akin to what i've said,so we got somewhat similar opinion on that matter.Execept the fact that i find abstinence insane.I am not really about to live in a ascetic lifestyle,i have no discipline in that,eventhough i admire your willpower.
 
See, I still can't tell whether you mean me or not. As sarcastic as I am, I can't detect it in other people for the life of me.

I do agree with you somewhat on how schools should teach sex ed. I disagree in that I think it is perfectly acceptable for parents to encourage their children to practice abstinence. Not that they are bad and want to deprive them of the pleasure, but that they want them to avoid the consequences of it. And those of a religious nature may believe that there are consequences that are not immediate or observable, but there nevertheless.
 
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