February 2009 Archives
Great news from the Guttmacher Institute this week – it seems that publicly funded planning clinics have a positive impact on our entire community, preventing nearly 2 million unplanned pregnancies and almost 1 million abortions each year.
Wow. Them’s big numbers.
And since we are all freaking out about the economy these days, how about a little good news? By avoiding unintended pregnancy and the associated medical costs, including prenatal, birth and postpartum care, family planning saves taxpayers $4 for every $1 spent on family planning.
Now, can you imagine the result of all family planning was publicly funded? If every woman and girl received free or very low cost birth control and other family planning services?
We’d have the same teen pregnancy rate as the Netherlands – 12 out of 1000 girls. Ours is 75 out of 1000 girls.
You can read the report yourself right here.
Have you noticed how everything is sexy these days? The iPhone, those teenage girls, Bratz dolls, my new boots and, perversely, the eight year old on the playground in her tiny miniskirt and boots.
Sexy is everywhere and it’s one of those things your kids should know about – what it means, that is.
“Sexy” has to do with sexual attraction – making yourself look good in a way that will attract a sexual partner. For me, this is the core of the concept.
Is this something you want your kids trying on? Being “sexy”? Are they ready to attract sexual partners? What kinds of clothing are they wearing? Does your eight year old girl look like a teenager?
What do you think our boys are thinking about these sexy little girls they are faced with everyday? Probably nothing, if they aren’t bumping up against puberty, but what if they are? Do you want that cute 5th grade boy thinking naughty thoughts about your sweet little girl? I didn’t think so.
This is a cultural problem, inappropriate sexiness and it’s hard to avoid. Perhaps if we talk to our kids about what this is, what it means and what our values are around it, our kids will make different decisions about what clothes the “love” or TV shows they insist on watching.
Maybe not.
