Dr Phil - abstinence or sex education?

I didn't see Dr Phil today, but if you do any research on sex education vs abstinence and the levels of teen sex/pregnancy in both cases you will find that the abstinence message does not work as effectively.

That's why in NZ schools sexuality education is now being taught as one of the main focuses of health education: respect for yourself, and your relationships (sexual or otherwise) with others. Sexuality education is not about the best forms of contraception etc (although that comes into it), it is about maing the right informed choices for yourself and those you love, and understanding the impacts of those decisions. The abstinence message is just ridiculous as there are always going to be people that have sex, therefore they need to be informed for when they do make the decision to have sex.

You will never stop kids having sex - but shouldn't we do the best we can to make sure they do it responsibly. I said a while back about in Europe (Switzerland?) they are very open about teen sex and have the lowest teen pregnancy rate in the developed world.

While we would all like our children to remain children forever it is unfortunately not going to happen in this desensitized world so we need to do the best thing which is inform kids. Informing kids does not lead to a greater level of child/teen sex.

Anyway, can you tell I've studied sexuality education lol?

I always harp on about family planning and this is going to be no exception. ha.

It drives me bonkers that sex education isn't part of the curriculum and schools don't often get the advice of family planning for their 'sexuality education' teaching.

The way they (family planning) approach it is from a sexuality point of view - they teach about the physical, emotional, and moral side of things in what they are now calling 'abstinence plus' (very clever way of branding ). They teach condom negotiation and tie it into esteem. They encourage acceptance of diversity and educate about 'sexuality' in all its forms. It ain't just the birds and the bees etc.

I'm all for educating Hannah about what goes on... but I would really like her to learn all that goes with it and I'm not sure I'm equipped to pass on all of it being that I model so badly myself (self esteem etc). But I'll do my best to get her to love and respect herself and others so that she can make the best choices.

And here's where I launch into my own story... it just interests me that I started so young (TOO YOUNG!) but it wasn't the early sex that was the bad part... I tried it and thought it was overrated and made my boyfriend wait aaaaaaages until I was ready the next time. The worrying sexual stuff came when I was older (end of high school) where I went through a bit of a self esteem crisis and had issues of trying to get guys interested in me through sex. Didn't work. But just goes to show that it ain't really just about the sex, ya know?

I haven't read the whole thread but I do think that teaching young ones that they do have the option to say no to sex. Sure yes condoms are good and I don't know if schools do teach that you can say no and I do believe that they should.

Im not going to say that people shouldn't have sex outside of marriage cause i sure as heck didn't wait till I was married (although I did end up marrying him).

I hope that when my daughter is older i can teach her that she doesn't' have to "give her self" to the first guy she is with but only time will tell.

i went to wellington girls and my years health teacher didint really teach us sex education she went all shy when she did so she stopd and we had her through out collage, and now most of my year has had more then one baby and we are only 19. i think that it is inportant to teach educatioon to teenagerrs when they start collage coz even some of my class makes where alread having sex at 13 and younger, and a lot of them have a strange idea that having a baby is fun and loving i think they should teach teenagers that babys arnt like that. (alot of people i know are just having sex to get pregnant!!!) sorry dont really know what im talking about didint really read the thread prob

Some girls at my school had babies so they could get a council flat

They should give out those real life doll things to all teenagers as part of sex ed. Or instead of work experience they should all do parent experience like the baby borrowers.

cuppatea wrote: Or instead of work experience they should all do parent experience like the baby borrowers.

I agree -- right down to the simulated pregnancy!! That put half the baby borrowers off straight away