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Jan. 12, 2005 Sex. It’s all over the news and all over the schools and every where you look, sex sells. Every where we look magazines are filled with images of promiscuity “ young love” In our Nation alone, has surpassed every other “civilized” society in maintaining a higher sexually transmitted disease ratio. What is more frightening is this is not adults but our own children. Children as young as 12 are contracting sexually transmitted diseases, STDs for short. And why are we, as a nation not up in arms against this fact? Because we are embarrassed and we are still afraid to openly discuss sex and its implications in any way shape or form. We have the ability to stop or lessen the effects, but we fail to employ them effectively. To use words such as condom, intercourse etc we whisper them and shut our eyes. We have instead become used to using cute terms that actually skirt the issues, and make light of the situation instead of facing them head on. In the newspaper we read about teenagers delivering babies in school bathrooms at proms, we get appalled and wonder why they didn’t use birth control, it’s is readily available. We often ask why didn’t they know? More often easier to push aside one thing when other causes can take place. We are occupied with stopping smoking, and have instituted under age campaigns for that. We institute drug awareness diet, exercise and keeping healthy, body fitness all are geared for our health and the health of children. Sex is still not an open subject. But the sad truth is we have yet to actually go forth and publicly deal with the high incidence of Teen STDS. What is even more of a conundrum is we back and embrace religious organizations that promote programs. Such as the successful The Silver Ring religious campaign based on waiting until marriage. President Bush and his councils on health have taken the stand that the only effective way to deal with STDS and their by-products is total 100 percent abstinence. 15 Billion plus dollars has been allocated to combat AIDS and STDs’ overseas and some at home. But sadly there is no mention of what percentage of that is used for the US education purposes. Many experts agree that abstinence education may not be effective. In fact many abstinence programs simply say you should wait, or just skirt the issue and then cover condom use. In countries like Africa and. Plus medication India when we see so many children and teens lying on dirt floors dying from AIDS, HIV or being befallen by treatable STDs. We spend billions of dollars to bring programs over there and teach abstinence. And we know for a fact that in countries like Africa (Uganda), the Abstinence programs and messages work. Uganda has greatly reduced number of STDs in these years and that is all due to the ABC program. Abstinence, Be faithful, use Condoms. If these ideas can work in other countries they should be able to do the same here. In many cases no consistent curriculum is ever provided and teachers are poorly trained. First to combat this is the need for more highly trained or certified individuals, That is using or recruiting medical professionals, who do not get embarrassed, flustered or squeamish about terminology and can present the facts straight forward. If we recruit medical personnel or certified health teachers then they can be part of the educational resources and become sole providers for comprehensive true sex education these people are a must. Many currently teaching sex education simply have no idea on how to teach it. Many teachers are simply embarrassed about it. In agreeing with the WHO and other organizations that the abstinence policy is by far the best policy, we must have the comprehensive curriculum. Educating the students about STDs should be relevant and show the consequences in order to be effectual. So many medical students get their first glimpse of complications from Chlamydia after they get into the lab. This same in your face explanation for older students who are at a higher risk should be given that same educational benefit. Talking is ineffectual while hands on and visual are key elements in hitting home. Many students simply think that these” stds” are concepts and that “ rumors” are the truth. The course should be inclusive of all methods of birth control. As we have seen in the prime example of the Ugandan ABC program. And not solely cover the use of condoms as is the current sex education courses in many grade schools and up. Parents as much as the students must be educated as well. This is a large part of the populace that keeps both rumors and the blind eyes turned towards effective sex education. They must be educated that this is not pornography, that so many believe. So the education process must be multitasked. Using education for prevention on both the parent’s level and the student’s levels. The hard part will be trying to convince the parents to attend health lectures. But with the professional attitude as in using medical professionals to teach it in a clinical manner misconceptions will be removed. Another complication of the abstinence idea is that teenagers by design don’t listen. They regurgitate to the teacher what they are supposed to and then do what they want. But that does not negate from the idea that we must drum into them that abstinence is the only method to use to prevent their lives from being wasted and complicated. Using Religion based programs can be a two edged sword. And result in being ineffectual because many concepts offer punishment and ostrizastion and do not offer any alternative or explanation, except for religious concepts. This will work fine for those who have a strong faith background, but they are often not the ones that are experimenting. Informed curriculum based on abstinence and the rewards that are waiting can bring can be an effective tool. If we encourage and show the positives of abstinence as well as the physical detriments of too early sexual relations, (that is reinforce and get it into their heads that they should wait until they are older), that they should not throw their lives into an abyss. We could make a difference as Uganda did. By accomplishing this we would be spending the grant and funding money wisely. We could have an effectual abstinence program then they can see that their own dreams won’t be dreams dashed by weekly testing, daily vials of medications, babies, or loss of fertility or loss of life and burdens on their families and public assistance. Their dreams and hopes will go on. So the question of “Is abstinence the best approach to prevention”? Answer simply, abstinence education is the only approach to effective prevention. ------------ About the author: Julia Sherman is now a BA student at SNL@ DePaul University. Working on a New project of making a mummy for a museum exhibit. Her Factoring Diabetes is available at Booklocker.com, and Dollmaking at Lionsong.com. She live son a 30 acre farm, that is slowly being converted in a Haunted Farm for next years Haloween. Email: jimmysdevoted2@bellsouth.net Tell a friend about this site! ------------ |
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