There’s a point where abstinence-only sex education becomes not just ineffectual and wasteful, but actually funny. And that point is in a Tennessee bill that will require teachers to preach abstinence and warn young’uns about “gateway sexual activity” like hand-holding, cuddling, and hugging. You know, the real slutty stuff. Keep reading »
Kids these days! They just aren’t getting pregnant like they used to. The birth rate for young women ages 15 to 19 fell to its lowest ever recorded in 2010, according to new data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. States with the lowest teen birth rates are in the Northeast with Massachusetts, Connecticut, Vermont and New Hampshire, while the highest are concentrated in the South/Southwest: Texas, Mississippi, Arkansas, Oklahoma and New Mexico.
It might seem like great news that teen births have been declining over two decades. But the United States still has the highest rate of teen pregnancy in the industrialized world. It’s no surprise that the states “16 & Pregnant” casting agents drool over have the strictest abortion laws and also think abstinence-only sex ed actually works. [NY Times, NY Times (2)]
Most think of us see unplanned pregnancy rates as a serious thing, but others think it’s a laughing matter. The National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy has ab unorthodox approach to teaching guys sex education: humor. While women ages 18 to 29 receive a lot of messages regarding safer sex practices, the organization believes men in the same group remain widely ignored. Their solution? Create PSAs that appeal to men by making them laugh.
In America, sex education is whatever the religious right says it is. But in Switzerland kids ages four to 10 get their sex education with a wooden penis and a fabric vagina which teachers use to “show that contacting body parts can be pleasurable.” Another part of the teacher’s guide instructs kids to learn about pleasure while they rub themselves with warm sand bags while listening to soft music. Keep reading »
Stop the presses, people! Teenagers are on the Internet … reading about sex … and how to do it safely. SCANDAL, right? It is in Massachusetts. MariaTalks.com is a race-, gender- and sexual-orientation-inclusive sex ed website for teens created by the not-for-profit AIDS Action Committee with a grant from the Massachusetts Department of Public Health. The site provides fact-based information about emergency contraception, birth control, STDs and sexual coercion. In short, it covers all the ground you’d hope a 16- or 17-year-old (or 14- or 15-year-old) would read before getting sexually active. But, oh yes, some politicians have a problem with the website. Keep reading »
“We’re at least talking about [masturbation] much more. [In 1994] everybody was acting like this was a word they’d never heard. Everybody does it, but nobody admits to it. If everybody in Congress who’d ever masturbated in their life would turn green, then we would have a green Congress.”
— Former Surgeon General Joycelyn Elders, 77, who was the first African-American to hold the position during the Clinton administration. In 1994, Elders said masturbation was a part of human sexuality and perhaps should be taught in sex ed classes as a way to keep youngsters from having, you know, sex. Everyone’s head exploded and Elders was forced to resign. I recommend you read the full interview with Joycelyn Elders’ feisty commentary about the status of sexual health in America at The Root, because this woman is a spitfire! [The Root] Keep reading »
Forget about comprehensive sex ed. The best way to keep girls off “16 & Pregnant” is with pro-abstinence panties and T-shirts bearing slogans like “Zip It,” “Not Tonight” and “Dream On” sold on a site called What Would Your Mother Do?. According to WWYMD:
We created a line of underwear to use as conversation starters to help reinforce family morals as they relate to relationships and dating. One part Victorian, three parts frisky, these adorable undies put new meaning to saying it loud and proud.”
At last someone has realized that the first thing teen boys do after taking off a girl’s pants is read the slogan on her underwear. [What Would Your Mother Do? via Ms. Magazine] Keep reading »
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