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Path: utzoo!linus!decvax!harpo!seismo!rlgvax!cvl!umcp-cs!liz
From: liz@umcp-cs.UUCP
Newsgroups: net.politics
Subject: Re: Birth control and education
Message-ID: <1180@umcp-cs.UUCP>
Date: Wed, 27-Jul-83 16:12:24 EDT
Article-I.D.: umcp-cs.1180
Posted: Wed Jul 27 16:12:24 1983
Date-Received: Thu, 28-Jul-83 15:03:26 EDT
References: <885@ittvax.UUCP>
Organization: Univ. of Maryland, Computer Science Dept.
Lines: 23

I realize that there are a lot of factors involved in teenage
pregnancy and the changing attitudes towards sex in our society
have caused an increase in the number of teenage pregnancies.  I'm
just pointing out that education on birth control is not necessarily
the best solution.  Teenagers may well read this as societal approval
or encouragement of sexual activity.  If we really want to reduce
teenage pregnancies, we better work on it from some other directions.
Now, most of you are not going to accept the idea of discouraging
teenagers from having sex, so what alternatives would you suggest?

I would like to point out that between media emphasis on sex and
peer presure in schools, kids are becoming sexually active earlier
than even they feel comfortable with.  At the Pregnancy Aid Center
where I work, some kids are relieved to hear that a perfectly
acceptable option is to refrain from being sexually active until
they are ready.  Adolescents are not the most mature people in the
world and could use some guidelines.  Anyone want to suggest some?
What kind of guidelines can be presented in the school?

-- 
				-Liz Allen
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