When did sexual education and
reproductive rights become such a political issue? Not to get political but I
find it ironic that the same political groups that are against birth control
and teaching safe sex are the same people against welfare and public-assistance
programs. This article is proof that women who drop out (and are not getting
proper education whether it is sexual or otherwise) are having sex and getting
pregnant as teens. Fine and McClelland point out in Sexuality Education and Desire: Still Missing after All These Years,
“[i]n fact, 38 percent of teen women who left school prior to graduation had a
subsequent pregnancy and birth while still a teen…” (p. 302). By making sexual
education a political issue we are allowing students to be ticking time bombs.
Whether adults like it or night young people in high school are going to have
sex. Since that is a reality I think we need to do whatever possible to educate
our students properly. Who knows, with proper education some of these students
might decide to NOT have sex. Many young people just succumb to peer-pressure
and do not necessarily fully know the consequences of having sex.
As teachers we need to try to
support our students better. Reading this made me think of a story that a
friend of mine told me recently. He is currently teaching in Massachusetts and
had a senior boy come up to him a few weeks ago and asked him to buy Plan B. He
had unprotected sex with his girlfriend and was worried that she was pregnant. The
student had the money to buy the pill but was not old enough (or possibly
embarrassed to buy it, I cannot remember). My friend was mildly horrified that
a student was asking him this. I looked at it a different way. If I were teaching
I would hope that my students would be able to trust me and come to me with
things like this. This student was obviously concerned, worried and needed to
talk to someone that he trusted. It’s not like he was asking to borrow $5 for
lunch; this is a serious issue. After all, isn’t this all why we are doing what
we are doing? We want to be able to teach and help students.
Places such as the LCHC give me hope
that programs are going in the right direction. This is a positive place for
students to be. The subject of sex, STDs, and pregnancy are not taboo and
teenagers feel like they have someone who will truly listen to them. We need
more of this in our schools. The Fine and McClelland article does point out on
pg. 324 that are “a number of comprehensive sexuality education courses
available for use in and outside of school settings” and this is relieving to
me. If schools are not going to step up (or are too afraid to step up) and
teach kids about sex in a way that works then hopefully the community can step
up to the challenge. I wouldn’t use a history book from 1950 to teach my
students so why would I preach abstinence-only to my students? Times have
changed and like it or not in order to be successful teachers and give the most
to our students we need to change and adapt as well.
I like your comments on the political nature of the issue. It is very ironic that some political groups continually look at only one piece of the puzzle at a time. It is the nature of politics to put each issue in a sound bite, where you may not be able to argue with any individual point, but as a whole, the picture it creates is very destructive and detrimental.
ReplyDeleteI would love to follow-up on the statistics used in the article. The higher pregnancy rates shown should really be shown in the context of a control group. Knowing why the teens left school prior to graduation could more clearly isolate the true impact in pregnancy rates and control for any spurious correlations.
With respect to the student, I agree, I would hope my students also would be able to trust me. To paraphrase Spiderman, with great power, comes great responsibility. That is a situation, concerning which I would definitely want to sit with a school councilor. There are so many variables involved, most importantly the girl’s point of view. Unlike years ago, at least now, most schools have trained staff to help navigate the scary paths in which this situation could put you (parental notice issues, interfering with the girls, religious issues, being an authority figure “advocating” the pill, ALL sorts of issue). No wonder many are worried to get involved, or just as bad, not getting involved and the consequences that might bring. Thank goodness teachers now also have a place to seek advice!!!!!!
Hi Kim,
ReplyDeleteI can't help but like your passionate response to this article. For me, although I am aware of some (most?) of these issues, I was not aware how deeply populations were affected. The statistics paint, frankly, a rather bleak picture.
Regarding the Plan B pill buying issue, here's another situation where teachers become "caught in the middle," I think. I can remember a number of movies (made for TV?) in which a teacher gave a student a ride to an abortion clinic and then was caught. Enter the administration and a Salem witch trial type of plot. While these films were fiction, many were presented as coming from real life situations.
I'm afraid your opening question indeed has an answer with a long history. Whether we go back to Mary Wolstonecraft's seminal work, Vindication of the Rights of Women penned in 1792 or women marching in the streets of New York in 1919, the struggle has indeed been long, arduous, and unfortunately, always political. Control of reproductive rights IS power. Amazingly, this is as much a power of the individual—a facet of American political thought dear to the very community who advocates the restrictions.
Given the neo-liberal/fundamentalist assault as presented by the article, the LCHC and places like them (as well as other resouces), become invaluable.
Per the article, and real life, these possibilities become matters of life and death—literally.
Kim - I totally agree with your point that many students will make a decision to have sex whether adults "like it or not." Your idea that if students were more properly educated on safe sex practices, they might decide on their own not to take the risk is spot on. By preaching abstinence programs to them, we are not protecting them like we should be -- we are just showing them the one option that will keep them safe from pregnancy. However, we desperately NEED to show them their other options and teach them how to be SAFE if they do choose to go down those paths. You're right, the topic should not be taboo and students should have people to turn to when they have questions or curiosities. Making sex education and reproductive rights into a political issue is a scary, archaic practice that should be left up to the individual, but we absolutely have the responsibility to fully educate students on the outcomes of any of their choices.
ReplyDeleteWe really need to be aware with whats going on with our student. Commonly, schools and educators avoid discussing such topic as sex in order to avoid awkwardness or potential problems with parents/administration. Educating them about sex and issues regarding sex would be more beneficial than harmful. Perhaps if such action would be made then students would make more informed decisions regarding sexual encounters. However, for now we just watch the news and see teachers get into trouble for trying to educate students about such a touchy subject.
ReplyDeleteI agree Kim, though I find it funny too that it depends so greatly on the parents to educate their kids. My dad gave me the "talk" when I was 11. All I remember is that it was one of the most uncomfortable car rides in the history of the world. However, I learned a couple of things. #1 I could talk to my parents about things. #2 He straight up told me that he would get me contraceptives if I needed. #3 make sure that I am mentally ready before I try sex. #4 Having a baby will make life much more difficult for me. My mother had a baby when she was 16 and they taught me a lot about how difficult their lives were as a result. My mother wanted to go to college to be a nurse and she never was able to pursue that. Sometimes explaining personal experience is the only way to make it real for a student.
ReplyDeleteI just have to say real quick that I laughed so damn hard after I wrote this. The security question that it asks us to make sure we are not spam was "Virgin others" Fitting no?
ReplyDeleteI agree Kim. It is always a shame when important issues become political ones, because immediately everything becomes ideological, people take sides, and no consensus or solution is ever reached. It is even worse when ignorant religious people chime in on situations that they are oblivious too, such as homosexuality. Though I doubt teens with raging hormones will ever choose not too have sex (especially boys), it is good that they will at least have sexual knowledge to protect themselves. Your story about your friend's students was touching, because I hope that my students will trust me enough to come to me in a tough situation like that. It is good to know that at least one school teachers are supporting their students!
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