HeatherN hopes the new Tennessee law isn’t as disastrous as research suggests it may be.
I will be totally honest and say that I absolutely think that abstinence only education should be done away with completely. I am of the rather cliché opinion that knowledge is power, that the more knowledge people have, the better. More importantly, though, is the fact that multiple studies have shown that abstinence only sex education doesn’t work.
Apparently dismissing this fact, Tennessee not only has an abstinence only program, but also no longer allows teachers to promote or condone “gateway sexual activity.” The bill is extremely vague and doesn’t really define what exactly a “gateway sexual activity” is. That in itself is perhaps the most worrying aspect of this. Vague policy regarding what teachers can and can’t say about sex can have tragic consequences. Here’s hoping the Tennessee law isn’t as disastrous.
Photo of condom on banana courtesy of Shutterstock.
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If abstinence-only really did work, If teaching kids how to be safe encourages recklessness, If there really are such things as gateway activities, then: I propose that schools teach abstinence-only drivers’ education classes as well. Treat wearing a seatbelt like TN treats wearing a condom. When we teach teenagers to wear a seatbelt, we are teaching them that it’s okay to drive carelessly. We are therefore encouraging them to take more risks. When we teach them to drive, we are allowing a gateway activity that leads to drunk driving. If they don’t drive, then they will never drive drunk. Once… Read more »
P.S. You should not drive until you are ready to commit to operating only one specific vehicle for the rest of your life. Safe driving is best in the context of committed mono-vehicularism, which is what God and nature intended.