Sunday, June 1, 2008

Conservative meaning of "for truth"

If the right wing puts "for truth" at the end of the name of one of their pressure groups, Warning! They're going to lie to you.

This vidlet from an abstinence-only group, Parents for Truth, pretends to want comprehensive sex ed, but then finds terrible content in a program, and the blond mother and the black teacher agree that they have to do something about it. Trouble is, their characters include a 13-year-old white girl from an affluent family, when the program that has the objectionable content is for 15-year-old black inner city boys. And it's an HIV prevention program, not a general sex ed program.

The abstinence-only video objects to three things:

  • Showering together is a "green light" activity.
  • Having a partner search you for a condom is a suggestion.
  • There's information about bringing a partner to orgasm.
Since the program's materials are for sale and not available for free viewing, I can't be sure what they contain - and they could have information that even I would object to. But I can explain all three of these easily and reasonably.
  • Showering together by itself is unlikely to transmit HIV.
  • The condom hunt is a playful way to overcome objections to use of a condom after the teens have already decided to have sex.
  • The last is probably a way to give alternatives to intercourse, again to teens who have chosen to have sex anyway.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

What's wrong with abstinence for teens?
Inner city, affluent or any demographic?

What are you saying here????
It's not very clear?

lovable liberal said...

Abstinence-only doesn't work. Kids have sex at the same rate, and then more of them risk pregnancy and STDs.

Abstinence is an important part of comprehensive sex ed. No one I know wants kids going to orgies or anything like that. But if you stop with "just say no," you get a lot of big-bellied single girls.

Anonymous said...

When you Say, "No one I know want's kids to go to orgies..." is a responsible comment. To say,
just say "NO" and practice abstinence-only is obviously incorrect. Abstinence is a foundation
and requires more moral structure to build on.

This is done with responsible parents teaching responsible moral values to their teens.

Films, contraceptives, sex ed, are very weak devices in comparison. It takes a parent to raise a teen - not a rubber jolly.

lovable liberal said...

When did you lose your virginity? Did your parents know about it?