Texas Schools Sour On Abstinence-Only Sex Education

Austin-American Statesman:

As federal funding for promoting teen abstinence dries up, a shift is taking place in sex education in some Texas schools -- often driven in part by concern over teen pregnancies.

More government money has been spent on the cause of sexual abstinence in Texas than any other state, but it still has the third-highest teen birth rate in the country and the highest percentage of teen mothers giving birth more than once.

Read the whole story: Austin-American Statesman

Comments

[Paulo1]

09:27 AM on 09/30/2009

Abstinence should be mandatory for all Republicans in Texas.

[lesterbud]

09:22 AM on 09/30/2009

My daughters Volleyball team, from a suburban city, just traveled out to the hill-country of our state. This is an area where there are more churches than gas stations and they say a prayer before the game. After the game, three of their girls came to the sidelines to pick up their kids.

This thought came to me - red-nec ks are planning to take over the world through higher birth rates.

I am scared.

[chedet]

04:33 AM on 09/30/2009

I wonder why the so-called conservative states have such high teenage pregnancy rates?

[lesterbud]

09:35 AM on 09/30/2009

It is certainly not because the average mega-evangelist girl is so hot.

Hmmm...

My money is on the whole christian-male-dominance thing. "If you really loved Jesus you would let me...."

[pons1595]

02:02 AM on 09/30/2009

This is not proof that abstinence is the wrong approach. Statistics lie. Remember...this is Texas folks we're talking about here....Oh, it's true all over the country..my bad, oops, a few lives ruined to test a "holy idea." Why, let's just send them to church every day and night...that might work...yes, no?

[babyboomerorig]

12:42 AM on 09/30/2009

Poof that hormones are stronger than teaching almost anything. But teaching abstinence only makes allllll those hormones more curious than not.

[4 Real]

11:09 PM on 09/29/2009

Let's see...cause and effect. You promote abstinence and teen pregnancy goes up. You promote s ex ed and teen pregnancy goes down. What a concept!

[4 Real]

11:05 PM on 09/29/2009

Well, there's money well spent.

/snark

[BobEvansZombie]

10:27 PM on 09/29/2009

Wow. Could people, in Texas of all places, be...learning?

[Keo]

07:33 PM on 09/29/2009

Another idiotic republican "idea" bites the dust...

[frazeart]

06:53 PM on 09/29/2009

Next thing you know they will be teaching our kids about gravity instead of intelligent falling.

[EconPadawan]

11:11 PM on 09/29/2009

lol

[pons1595]

02:11 AM on 09/30/2009

Now, let' not get sacrilegious here. Gravity is like a theory, you see, can't prove it, just gotta believe, so intelligent falling is still viable. Just climb a church and jump off, you'll see, if you're intelligent enough to fall.

[hulagirrrl]

06:40 PM on 09/29/2009

Maybe all these little teenage mommies should sue the repubs for childsupport, since it was their idea to teach that nonsense.

[Sing Out and Slap Iron]

06:11 PM on 09/29/2009

And what's the plural of abstinence?

What else............ TWINS!

[scottyknows]

05:51 PM on 09/29/2009

Teaching self-control shouldn't be an issue which stirs up so much hate.

[Tommygun264]

07:02 PM on 09/29/2009

Facing the fact that you can't control basic human nature shouldn't be so hard to accept.

[hamchunk]

10:54 PM on 09/29/2009

scottyknows has a very valid point. Controlling our basic human nature is what makes a civil society. If you are allowed to run amuck and act on every base impulse you desire, society falls apart. When we stopped holding individuals responsible for their actions, or letting them feel the consequence of their actions, we encouraged self control to be a diminished facet of maturity.

Will this issue ever be stopped? No. But can you teach self control to those that need it? Certainly, and I encourage you to do so.

[TheHandyman]

09:04 PM on 09/29/2009

Ah, yes, selfcontrol, that's the ticket. That could work if there wasn't this fly in the oinment called biological imperativeswhich is something scientific when the premise for abstinence only is religious based nonsense.

The act of self control can be taught when teaching humans not to kill. It works because there is no biological imperative to kill except as an act of self preservation. However, it is not in the best self interest to not have sex because to do so would cause the species to die out, which sooner or later is going to happen any way so why not enjoy ourselves before it happens. It is not by mere accident that having sex is the most physically and emotionally pleasent and fun thing that humans do outside of a eating banana split on a hot day. If it weren't, we probably wouldn't do it at all, face it, it is really messy! There is nothing inherently wrong with having sex at any age because the act only takes place with one single criteria in mind, reproduction! There are other reasons to keep people of certain ages from engaging in intercourse, like old people, because it is just too mind bogglingly gross. We have the means to circumvent pregnancy so what is the problem, too much fun? Too much pleasure? Rubs some people the wrong way?

You've got it backwards, it is that stirs up so much hate over teaching what is utter nonsense and doesn't work to boot!

[huffy2001]

05:50 PM on 09/29/2009

Texas still a state?

Can't wait to see how all the faithful spin this...surely the fault of all them Northern Libruls impregnating their young uns under the dead of night!

[Milferd]

05:49 PM on 09/29/2009

A main problem in this debate is the sides have different goals. People who support absence only goal is to prevent children from going to hell from having sex out of wedlock. To people with this view pregnancy or STD’s are aids to help scare kids from having sex. Also STD’s and pregnancy are what people who have sex out of wedlock deserve. This is why it near impossible to change absence only supporters minds on this.