Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.2 9/5/84; site psuvax1.UUCP Path: utzoo!linus!philabs!cmcl2!seismo!rochester!cmu-cs-pt!cadre!psuvax1!berman From: berman@psuvax1.UUCP (Piotr Berman) Newsgroups: net.politics,net.religion Subject: Re: Planned Parenthood Message-ID: <1805@psuvax1.UUCP> Date: Thu, 19-Sep-85 15:31:44 EDT Article-I.D.: psuvax1.1805 Posted: Thu Sep 19 15:31:44 1985 Date-Received: Sun, 22-Sep-85 14:02:18 EDT References: <1710@pyuxd.UUCP> <1620@umcp-cs.UUCP> Organization: Pennsylvania State Univ. Lines: 40 Xref: linus net.politics:10363 net.religion:7280 > In article <1710@pyuxd.UUCP> rlr@pyuxd.UUCP (Rich Rosen) writes: > > > I think dispensing data about making sex safe and describing > >alternatives to people IS the very purpose of an information center on sex, > >and I for one am glad they do it. > > I am generally opposed to premarital sex (and in particular, to teenage > sex), but I find myself in support of wide availability of birth control and > information. Too many people are going to have sex anyway, and, taking the > lesser of two evils, I'd rather see them using birth control than having > kids at 15. The main problem with most current programs (and here I think > I'm more concerned with sex education than last ditch sorts of things) is > that, in their zeal to avoid offending the extreme liberals, they refuse to > approach the moral issues at all, thus tending to imply that there aren't > any, and that it is OK to do what you please. Well, maybe it is OK, but I'd > at least like to see them say "Yes, there are moral questions about such and > such, but it is not our place to talk about them." A teenage girl who has > had one abortion already and is about to have another really needs to be > confronted with the moral issues involved, even if no answers are given. > > Charley Wingate As I see it, there is a reasonable compromise. Moral issues concerning abortion are disputed, sex education program could acknowledge their presence, however. More importantly, there are real dangers, both physical and emotional dangers in casual approach to sex, plus in engaging in sex before the age of emotional maturity. I myself received sex education of this sort (in the last grade however, when almost everybody was 18-19, this was a funny side of the program). Even "extreme liberals" do not equate hedonism with happiness. Since the implicit message coming from the mass media (especially advertisments) suggest otherwise (e.g. the presenting the joys of having an intercourse prelude while wearing Calvin jeans), possibly the school could try to counter this influence. This would accomodate non-religious parents. Others, still not happy, should remember that their children do not live in a vacuum. In the absence of responsibly given information, children will learn from Forum section of Penthouse and soap operas. Piotr Berman Brought to you by Super Global Mega Corp .com