Majority: fear AIDS, want safe-sex education
 

AP Poll: Despite declining fears, majority of Americans worry about AIDS threat to children
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Fewer people believe the overall threat of AIDS is very serious these days, but a majority of Americans say they worry about the impact of the sexually transmitted disease on the nation's children, an Associated Press poll found.
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Only two in 10 polled said they were concerned they would personally be infected with HIV, but more than half, 51 percent, said they were worried that a son or daughter could be infected.

A majority in the poll, 55 percent, said teaching safe sex should be the focus of efforts to prevent AIDS, rather than promoting abstinence, backed by 40 percent.
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The AP-Ipsos poll of 1,002 adults was taken July 19-21 and has a margin of sampling error of plus or minus 3.5 percentage points.

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/articl...731EDT0480.DTL

I believe that we should be promoting abstinence not safe sex education. Its not enough to say 'they are going to do it anyway so they should be protected'. Can't we come up with other productive activities to occupy their time??

The whole "promoting abstience" things irks me slightly. I mean, school is about teaching life skills to a degree, and safe sex is a life skill people do need to learn.

We teach 13 year olds how to write a cheque - do we expect them to go and get chequing accounts because of it?

I agree that safe sex is important but I do think there should be a discussion on abstinence. And parents/guardians/etc should also have a role in educating our youth about their sexual health. I wouldn't rely on the Chicago Public School system,lol.

But how do you tell kids not to have sex?

Do you damn them all to hell if they have sex before marriage?

Do you scare the living crap out of them with the fear of HIV/AIDS and other STD's?

No matter what you say to them, there will always be kids wo don't listen. They will do what ever they want with no thought of consequences.
I believe kids should hear about abstinence and safer sex practices. Hopefully they will be smart enough and will be careful if they do choose to have sex.

Who said that all kids would listen and do what they are told. That goes against the kid creed. However, I think the first goal should be to show the value abstinence. There are countries were this isn't a problem amongst youth. We could look at what they do and not try to re-invent the wheel.

I'm not trying to reinvent the wheel here.

I personally feel that both options should be taught/discussed in sex education classes.
If kids are well informed about both choices, they will make better decisions.

I'm against sex education classes that nly teach one option.

Freaking them out may work for some. I never really dated until university not because I went to an all girls' school (my school was next to a guys' school, so there was plenty of opporutnity for me to date) but because all those articles about diseases I read in Seventeen and YM scared the heck out of me!

Kids need to be educated on how being a technical virgin is okay.

I agree. I don't think that "abstinence only" is appropriate for public schools -- other than religion, what's the reason for it? Kids should be educated as to the risks of sexual activity so they are able to make an informed decision to have sex or not.

Every safe-sex program that I have ever heard of contained (at the very least) "Abstinence is an option, and one of the only ways you can make sure you are as safe as possible."

I don't think that absitence only education is an option, but explaining all options is best. Why does it have to be about abstincence only and safe sex only?

You're not serious...are you?

For one of my women's health classes in undergrad, we spoke to a adolescent gynecologist...she said the two fastest growing STDs among people under 18 were orally transmitted syphillis and gonorrhea. YUCK. It's in part because people are having oral sex (as an alternative to intercourse) and not using protection. Gag gag gag. Being a technical virgin is okay...if you're being careful--and so many people aren't. :(

When I was in grammar school we did not learn 'abstinence is an option'. It was like they were saying 'we know ya'll are going to do it so here's how to use a condom or how the pill works'. I personally don't agree with that. But I would also never rely completely on a stranger to educate my children.

I agree with you completely. I didn't learn "abstinence only" at home--my parents were too cynical for that one. If I didn't learn it at home, why should I learn it at my public school?

My parents weren't cynical- they just kept their heads buried in the sand and left me to figure it out on my own... not a good option in my opinion (and my dad is a doctor?!?!). At least 2 of the 3 schools I went to had good sex-ed programs in their health classes.
The one that didn't- well... when you have 50 students per grade, 27 of them women and 7 of them are pregnant... you need to yell at the parents as well as the school board and health teacher to talk about contraceptives and abstinence.