Sex Education // Current

Abstinence only programs might work? WTF

It reminds me of the saying "might be pregnant". Either you are or you aren't. What is this maybe crap?

Abstinence only programs are a left over from the Bush Regime. Billions of dollars of aid to countries, states and counties were tied to their adherence to this policy of Abstinence Only education. Many studies have been undertaken to see if it truly is effective. The abstinence only policy was modeled after Nancy Reagan's war on drugs policy "Just say NO!"

However the truth in terms of data is more telling. According to this recent study, they concluded that Abstinence Only education programs "MIGHT" work or "CAN" work. But in my opinion the study is flawed. What they didn't take into consideration is what I would call the "FIB" or "LIE" factor. Why would a teenager admit to having premarital sex if premarital sex is taboo and could lead to sanctions and punishments if parents or elders in their church find out? How could they ensure the accuracy of the data collected in the surveys? Short answer is "They Can't!"

The article says..."Only about a third of sixth- and seventh-graders who completed an abstinence-focused program started having sex within the next two years, researchers found. Nearly half of the students who attended other classes, including ones that combined information about abstinence and contraception, became sexually active." "I think we've written off abstinence-only education without looking closely at the nature of the evidence," said John B. Jemmott III, a professor at the University of Pennsylvania who led the federally funded study. "Our study shows this could be one approach that could be used."

The Obama administration has reduced funding to Abstinence based programs by over $170 Million dollars.

But I can tell you, because I volunteer for a youth education program in Eugene, Oregon, that Abstinence Only education programs here were an absolute failure. Teen pregnancy and Sexually Transmitted diseases actually increased. But in schools were comprehensive sex education was offered, including demonstration on how to use condoms and other protection devices, the rates went down. The effect was so pronounced that the State of Oregon adopted the comprehensive approach for the whole State.

This remains a controversial subject because proponents of Abstinence based education programs claim that teaching kids about condoms and safe sex actually gives them a license to go out and do it. But the supporters of Comprehensive education programs have a lot of data to back up their position, whereas the Abstinence based programs don't.It reminds me of the saying "might be pregnant". Either you are or you... more

jubal
added this
8 days ago
|
55 comments

Gender Queer in the Midwest

What is it like to grow up gay, lesbian, bisexual, or transgender in America's... more

babypotato
added this
25 days ago
|
0 comments

Chlamydia, Gonorrhea, Syphilis are blooming in USA

Latest stats are showing double digit increase in STD for last year in USA. It affects... more

condomelite1
added this
3 months ago
|
31 comments

Sex Ed Breaks Up With Abstinence

It's been a mainstay of sex ed for more than a decade. Now, as the Obama... more

knews121
added this
3 months ago
|
4 comments

Texas schools move away from abstinence-only education

Texas currently has the third-highest teen birth rate in the country and “the... more

Future_America
added this
4 months ago
|
1 comment

U.N. Guide for Sex Ed Generates Conservative Opposition

"A set of proposed international sex education guidelines aimed at reducing H.I.V. infections among young people has provoked criticism from conservative groups that say the program would be too explicit for young children and promote access to legal abortion as a right.

The guidelines, scheduled to be released by Unesco in a new draft next week, would be distributed to education ministries, school systems and teachers around the world to help guide teachers in what to teach young people about their bodies, sex, relationships and sexually transmitted diseases. They would address four different age groups.

“In the absence of a vaccine for AIDS, education is the only vaccine we have,” said Mark Richmond, Unesco’s global coordinator for H.I.V. and AIDS and the director of the division that coordinates educational priorities. “Only 40 percent of young people aged 15 to 24 have accurate knowledge” of how the disease is transmitted, he said, even though that age group “accounts for 45 percent of all new cases.”

A draft issued in June has been attacked by conservative and religious groups, mainly in the United States, for recommending discussions of homosexuality, describing sexual abstinence as “only one of a range of choices available to young people” to prevent disease and unwanted pregnancy, and suggesting a discussion of masturbation with children as young as 5.

“If you ever have a situation where kids need to be taught earlier than their adolescence, this is not the way to do it,” said Colin Mason of the Population Research Institute, an anti-abortion organization based in Virginia. “It’s very graphic and encourages practices like masturbation, which conservative Christians and others feel are wrong.”

The diversity of views around the world on these issues renders any universal approach “culturally insensitive,” Mr. Mason said. “We think it’s a kind of one-size-fits-all approach that’s damaging to cultures, religions and to children,” he said.

“The main effort is to try to empower young people with knowledge that could actually save their lives,” said Mr. Richmond, the Unesco H.I.V./AIDS coordinator. “We want to give them the opportunity for more informed choices than currently exist.”

But for some conservative and religious groups, the guidelines are too detailed and too uniform in their recommendations across different cultures, and they remove responsibility from parents.

Conservative groups have also criticized the draft guidelines for discussions of condom use, sexually transmitted diseases and the assertion that “legal abortion performed under sterile conditions by medically trained personnel is safe.” The guidelines suggest discussing “access to safe abortion and post-abortion care” and the “use and misuse of emergency contraception” with those ages 12 to 15. The guidelines recommend that “the right to and access to safe abortion” should also be discussed.""A set of proposed international sex education guidelines aimed at reducing... more

DeliaTheArtist
added this
5 months ago
|
12 comments

International Sex Ed Guide Generates Opposition

PARIS — A set of proposed international sex education guidelines aimed at... more

unimatrix0
added this
5 months ago
|
4 comments

Should parents be able to pull their kids out of sex ed?

Personally I think not, it's something they all need to know about... what are... more

horseeyes
added this
6 months ago
|
170 comments

Sex Education not welcome here

Here in the United States, poll after poll shows that both teenagers and parents want... more

dariustwin
added this
6 months ago
|
2 comments

Sex Ed: The Series – The Future of Television Development?

Last night I was invited to a screening of a pilot for a television series as part of the Independent Television Festival, and it might just be a peek into the future of television development. Directors and feature films have been going down this road for years, and you’ve seen the results. Festivals like Sundance and SXSW swell with independent films, studios get into bidding wars for the hot movies, directors get plucked from the indie freshwater stream and dunked into the saline-rich waters of the studio ocean, and the wheels of film-industry keep on turning.

But what about television? It’s an expensive landscape to develop in, but Sex Ed: The Series was created solely as a spec pilot, and creators Tamela D’Amico (director/producer) and Ernie Vecchione (writer) shot it in 11 days using Panasonic HD cameras, and put together a fairly impressive cast that includes Joanna Cassidy of Blade Runner and Six Feet Under fame. During the question and answer session, it was very clear that they were looking for a cable network to step in and buy the series, and they were eager to put it through the development process. It was a bit rough around the edges, but you could easily see it turning into a series on Showtime or Starz.

The premise is fairly straightforward: it’s set in a sex education class at a small college somewhere in Anytown, USA, and there’s a multicultural gaggle of students that weighs heavy on the Caucasian side, with a few token students of other ethnicities tossed in to try and balance the mix. In the first class, ballsy Professor Trevase (Cassidy) tells the students “If you don’t like me, get out!” … and everyone leaves except for the main cast. Their first assignment: partner up and sculpt each other’s genitals. Predictably, everyone has a different reaction to this, and things play out accordingly. There’s a nugget of a possible overarching storyline at the end of the episode when Cassidy reveals to dreamy blonde student Dean (Matt Barr) that she has brain cancer, and she swears him to secrecy. Future assignments listed in the press notes include: threesomes, penis envy, breakups, and more.

Is this a harbinger of things to come? Television development isn’t any more expensive than shooting a feature film, and in some cases it might be significantly cheaper. Last night’s pilot wasn’t quite a full hour, and if you’re working on a half-hour sitcom, you could cut that in half. Plus, it has to look attractive for a network. It’s a like a live-action storyboard for a pitch session, making it that much easier to say yes or no. Will it change the fact of television development? That remains to be seen. But given the turbulent ebb and flow of independent movies, it makes sense that creative types might try their hand at putting a series together on spec.

We’ll see if Sex Ed: The Series gets picked up anywhere, and budding writers might want to check out the full script for the pilot, which was posted online.

--

I'm excited because this was shot by a friend, DP Christy Fiers! Gonna try to catch the encore screening tonight @ Sunset Laemmle in LALast night I was invited to a screening of a pilot for a television series as part of... more

vistapoint
added this
6 months ago
|
4 comments

The Bush Era Baby Boom

What kind of lessons can we learn here? During the Bush era, when abstinence education... more

atomiclegion
added this
7 months ago
|
12 comments

100 Free College Courses To Develop Your Artistic Eye

There’s a lot of thought and technique that goes into a work of art. Whether... more

sunnyspeaks
added this
7 months ago
|
0 comments

Government survey says US teens need better Sex Ed

So, now even the CDC agrees that abstinence only sex ed programs haven't been... more

dariustwin
added this
7 months ago
|
28 comments

Teacher Goes "ALL OUT" for Sex Ed

A Sacramento teacher attempting to give her class some memories for the summer... more

eldamon
added this
7 months ago
|
37 comments

Bang: MTV Portugal’s (N)Safe(FW) Sex Ads | GOOD

These MTV-sponsored safe sex ads from Portugal are certainly incendiary, but do they... more

ras_menelik
added this
8 months ago
|
2 comments

Emory University | Atlanta, GA | Study Links Gay Marriage Bans to Rise in HIV Rate

This is a great study. It reminds me a little bit of Freakonomics.

SxVodk8
added this
8 months ago
|
1 comment

Condom Cards allow boys as young as 12 to discreetly obtain contraception

Boys as young as 12 in certain areas of the country are being handed Condom Cards upon... more

emmaboswood
added this
8 months ago
|
0 comments

What Straight Men Can Learn From Gay Porn

I really like this little article. I agree with most of it (surprise, I'm gay!)... more

SxVodk8
added this
9 months ago
|
1 comment

Sex Ed...On your Cellphone

Here's one of the Tech Report. The Adolescent Pregnancy Prevention Campaign of... more

St_Alia_10191
added this
9 months ago
|
5 comments

Sex education to be compulsory for 5 year olds

The government has announced plans to make sex education compulsory for 5 - 11 year... more

graemesmith
added this
10 months ago
|
4 comments

TAGS

tagged w/ Sex Education

Abstinence only programs might work? WTF

Gender Queer in the Midwest

Chlamydia, Gonorrhea, Syphilis are blooming in USA

Sex Ed Breaks Up With Abstinence

Texas schools move away from abstinence-only education

U.N. Guide for Sex Ed Generates Conservative Opposition

International Sex Ed Guide Generates Opposition

Should parents be able to pull their kids out of sex ed?

Sex Education not welcome here

Sex Ed: The Series – The Future of Television Development?

The Bush Era Baby Boom

100 Free College Courses To Develop Your Artistic Eye

Government survey says US teens need better Sex Ed

Teacher Goes "ALL OUT" for Sex Ed

Bang: MTV Portugal’s (N)Safe(FW) Sex Ads | GOOD

Emory University | Atlanta, GA | Study Links Gay Marriage Bans to Rise in HIV Rate

Condom Cards allow boys as young as 12 to discreetly obtain contraception

What Straight Men Can Learn From Gay Porn

Sex Ed...On your Cellphone

Sex education to be compulsory for 5 year olds

current videos

Top 5 "I Love You's" in the Movies

Taboo: Forbidden Television

The Super Bowl Sucks!

Top 5 Grammy Moments

Sexiest R&B Jams

Douchey-Doo! Pool Party Mystery

about current

watch current

the people are talking

the basics

take us with you

tools

stay in touch

© 2010 Current TV, LLC
All Rights Reserved