Teen births up for first time in 15 years

[DownWithTheLeft]

http://www.cnn.com/2007/HEALTH/12/05/teen.births.ap/index.html

Likely attributable to "abstinence only" sex education.

This is troubling.  It's time for the federal government to fund comprehensive sex education for young people that includes an emphasis on contraceptives to prevent pregnancy.

It's just common sense.

It's yet another policy of the religious right that is failing our country.

The only people failing the country are the hippie left that encourage ghettos and unprotected sex among young people.  The answer is traditional families and stable home life, something schools cannot provide.

[DownWithTheLeft]

The only people failing the country are the hippie left that encourage ghettos and unprotected sex among young people.  The answer is traditional families and stable home life, something schools cannot provide.

The only people encouraging unprotected sex among young people are those who want abstinence-only sex education rather than properly educating people on safe sex.  They might not know that that's what they're doing, but it sure as heck is the effect.

The problem still lies with lack of family values and morals, how much would you be willing to be the vast majority of pregnant teens are minorities, poor or inner city people or belong to single parent homes.

[DownWithTheLeft]

The idea that education has anything to do with this is absurd, do you really think anyone actually pays attention in health class?  If they do, they you really think kids take it to heart?  It starts with instilling moral values and safe-sex principles at home

[DownWithTheLeft]

The idea that education has anything to do with this is absurd, do you really think anyone actually pays attention in health class?  If they do, they you really think kids take it to heart?  It starts with instilling moral values and safe-sex principles at home

I learned what a condom was on the school bus when I was about 6.  I found out what sex was at an even earlier age, again, on the bus.

I think many children have learned about such things in a similar manner.  But I learned about STDs and the dangers of spreading them at school.

Perhaps you were taught by your parents, DWTL... your parents were smart.  But what can we do about this?  Force parents into teaching their kids about the dangers of unprotected sex?  The best society can do is educate people at school.

My point still remains that it is absurd to think that kids are going to pay attention to what they learn in class.  One, anything taught is certainly not new to the child at the time they start teaching it, and second the inner city schools were it is most likely most important, there is no way kids are going to pay attention if they even bother to show up

[DownWithTheLeft]

So, were parents in the '90s simply better than parents in the '80s and today?

The fact that were many more parents to take care of children yes.  Its not necessarily the parents are getting worse, the amount of time they have to do parenting is getting smaller.

[DownWithTheLeft]

The idea that education has anything to do with this is absurd, do you really think anyone actually pays attention in health class?  If they do, they you really think kids take it to heart?  It starts with instilling moral values and safe-sex principles at home

By your logic, why even have school at all if kids don't pay attention and don't learn anything? You may as well send them off to work.

Not at all, if kids don't get something in a math class they are going to pay attention because their grade depends on it.  Kids aren't going to watch a video about sex or take notes on it if they already understand it.

[DownWithTheLeft]

The idea that education has anything to do with this is absurd, do you really think anyone actually pays attention in health class?  If they do, they you really think kids take it to heart?  It starts with instilling moral values and safe-sex principles at home

By your logic, why even have school at all if kids don't pay attention and don't learn anything? You may as well send them off to work.

Not at all, if kids don't get something in a math class they are going to pay attention because their grade depends on it.  Kids aren't going to watch a video about sex or take notes on it if they already understand it.

I would agree that kids need to be tested on safe-sex practices (on paper of course ) Of course, the kids who know aren't going to pay attention, but the point is for the kids who don't know.

I doubt those kids are hardly the kids that are going to go around having rampant unprotected sex