Recently in Parenting Category
Great news from the Guttmacher Institute – the teen abortion rate has declined a whole bunch since 1974.
It’s dropped from 33% in 1974 to 17% in 2004. It took 30 years, but progress is progress, right?
The reason for the drop? Increased use of birth control and the availability of more effective methods. And for the record, the drop started before we had federally funded Abstinence Only programs, so we were already on the right track.
The only bad news in this good news is Black and Hispanic women obtain abortions at a rate 3 to 5 times higher than that of white women. Throw in a good dose of poverty, and the numbers increase.
Historically, these women are poorer and have less access to healthcare than the majority of white women – even white teenagers.
We need to think about what we can do to help young and poor women gain access to birth control. Voting for a candidate who sees the connections between poverty, access to birth control and abortion, is probably a good placed to start.
The thing that is on my mind is Bristol Palin. I can’t get her out of my head. Actually, I can’t get what she represents out of my head. To me, she represents exactly what is wrong with “Abstinence Only” “sex education”.
“Abstinence Only” is touted as the “best” sex education for kids and the problem is that this just is not true. There is no evidence this kind of “education” has lasting impact (1).
Kids who go through these programs have the same age of sexual debut, the same number of partners, and the same condom use rates. (2)
Same, same, same is not best.
Good sex education is about the long run – kids don’t start out having sex, they work up to it. Most kids have sex for the first time at about 16 or 17. This is plenty of time to make sure they are prepared to protect themselves from pregnancy, STDs and HIV.
Don’t get me wrong, I believe kids need and want a strong message of abstinence or postponement from their parents and from our culture. Our values are what are kids need to hear from us, so they can develop their own.
And if kids don't have parents who are able to do this important job, our government should be helping these kids get what they need so they wait to have sex and then do it safely.
But expecting teenagers to abstain from sex until they are married is foolishness. 95% of Americans have sex before they get married (3). That’s pretty much everyone.
So, when I see pregnant Bristol Palin up there with her mom, I think we are looking at our future under a McCain/Palin Presidency, because these two think “Abstinence Only” is the way to go. They think it’s best.
How nice to have it spelled out.
Yesterday, I went to the movies with my big brother, Tom. We went to see Ironman because, well, we both like that stuff and our spouses weren’t interested. I, by the way, will see pretty much any movie ever made…which can be a problem when the film is truly awful.
I was shocked and dismayed to see four or five kids who were probably five and under at this movie! Call me crazy, but I don’t think it’s okay for little kids to see movies about blowing people up, war and killing.
Is it just me?
I know there are parents out there who think it’s completely inappropriate for Milo to know the details of baby-making (and what a condom is – see my last post for that little tale).
But, holy cow! This movie was stuffed with real and implied violence. Stuffed! In my book, this is considerably more inappropriate and damaging to young psyches.
My favorite scene was when the bad guys were rounding up the townspeople with big-ass guns and lots of yelling and they kicked the daylights out of a dad. Then they said they were going to kill him, had him on his knees, gun pointed at his head and Our Hero flew in and saved the day!
Pleasant dreams!
I’m sure this wasn’t scary at all for those little kids. Nope, not one bit. And really, so appropriate for them to see, because, well, it’s just a movie, right? What harm can it do? Four year olds are great at discerning what’s real and what’s imaginary, right?
Ug. I wanted to say something to the guy sitting behind us, but I couldn’t figure out what to say that wouldn’t sound bitchy and mean. I am sure he took his little guy to see that movie because he wanted to see it – his boy will be fine.
A real little Ironman.
See why I didn’t say anything to him?
