Comments on: I Have Nothing Against Abstinence Education

By: Jim McKee

Jim McKee — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 15:25:05 +0000

Maybe the web site doesn’t give enough info. I’ve listened to Dr. Bill Bennett speak about the program (his wife, Elayne, is the person who runs the organization), and it is incredibly positive.

I respectfully disagree with your last statement; however, this is your web site, and so I will defer to you.

By: MalSnay

MalSnay — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 18:15:11 +0000

Jim — I’m sorry, but looking over their website, I don’t see how you can say that. I think it’s all well and fine to encourage teens to resist peer pressure and to wait to have sex, until marriage, or until they’re an adult. But I think it’s absolutely foolish not to educate teens on how to have sex safely. If you read the article linked to above, lots of teens are being encourage to abstain, but they’re having sex anyway, and they don’t know how to protect themselves when they do. Abstinence-only sex education is a DANGER.

By: Jim McKee

Jim McKee — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 17:54:56 +0000

http://www.bestfriendsfoundation.org/

Has gotten HUGE results.

By: Sean

Sean — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 05:17:58 +0000

Abstinence education pisses me off, first church and state are separate. Second fact and opinion are separate. You want kids to be taught the facts, not just opinions. Abstinence is an opinion, it would be like a teacher teaching about how Clinton or Bush were horrible presidents. Meanwhile, they don’t tell them the facts on what each one did and what each one failed to do. Telling kids don’t have sex, sex can give you diseases. Well, without a proper education kids won’t know oral and anal sex can also give transmit diseases as well as vaginal, since most kids do not consider that sex. It is sad that the education system is doing this to kids.

By: jain

jain — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 23:42:25 +0000

People did have sex before marriage, and they did get pregnant. The difference then was that it was considered shameful and stupid. Smart people and “nice” people waited for true love. And contraception.

By: yellojkt

yellojkt — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 19:54:46 +0000

Al Franken for one of his books solicited personal tales of abstinence from conservative figures. The silence was deafening. They can’t even pretend to practice what they preach.

By: Alice

Alice — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 18:51:26 +0000

i’m glad you explained yourself, because i read the title and was all “UM, I HAVE SOMETHING AGAINST IT!! …oh.”

also, per Jim’s comment – I’m not so sure. i think it’s like how celebrities “these days” are more promiscuous. not true: history has shown that men in power have ALWAYS had affairs (JFK, anyone??) but that it was just easier to cover up, less media prying, people respected power and wouldn’t tattle, etc. i bet before the 60s, people just didn’t TALK about premarital sex as much. and/or sent a lot of women to “live with relatives” or “go to boarding school” for 9 months at a time until they could come back and keep on being virginal.

By: Jim McKee

Jim McKee — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 17:45:30 +0000

Actually, I’m pretty sure that WAS the social norm, although I would maybe put the line of demarcation a little earlier in the 60′s. I know, it seems hard for someone of your age to believe.

People were better able (or willing?) to control themselves back then.

By: Jules

Jules — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 14:37:56 +0000

Excellent work. Very well put. Couldn’t agree more.