#abstinence only education

[mrsjdavis]

YOU NEED TO KNOW HOW THE HUMAN BODY WORKS! AND HOW YOUR BODY WORKS! Ignorance does NOT lead to virtue!

I will never not be amazed by people saying that teaching abstinence does nothing to reduce unwanted pregnancy and abortion.

It absolutely does. It is intrinsically linked to the logic that you should not sleep with anyone you would be horrified to have a child with. All women should understand that she can get pregnant even when on birth control.

Not teaching abstinence is a big part of why people think there is such thing as safe sex. (Spoiler warning: that isn't a real thing.) And the idea of safe sex is why women engage in risky and reckless sexual behavior.

Also, you literally cannot get pregnant if you are not having sex. It has a 100% success rate.

[grumpy-potat]

Up on my medium page a look at Americas History of Sex Education and the Abstinence Only Program

As a parent, and the current state of reproductive health, I think knowing how some of this has come about as helpful in raising my kid.

Abstinence only education is not good policy, as it leaves kids, both boys and girls, with limited resources and limits their ability to make healthy decisions when they grow up.

But this education goes beyond just teaching kids to abstain, it has deep ties to the parent choice movement as well as how we shape what a “family” looks like to younger generations.

[southernsolarpunk]

Something embarrassing but important from when I was in middle school I just remembered was that we were taught abstinence-only sex education, and the teacher who taught us told us we could get pregnant from oral sex. She said sperm could travel through organ walls and get to the uterus from the stomach. Like she told us that, dead serious, and I believed it for y e a r s because an authority figure said it.

For a little extra info at the time I lived in the middle of fucking nowhere in a deeply red county in North Carolina. I remember that when people talk about how stupid southerners are and I just want people to know that that is by design. We are taught misinformation and most people don’t unlearn it because once the graduate high school (if they end up finishing, I know many people who didn’t) they’re immediately thrown into the job market, often working hard, physically demanding jobs that don’t allow much downtime. and most people don’t exactly enjoy using the little bit of free time they have for education. This is of course, because the American school system makes learning difficult and not enjoyable, so people end up with an aversion towards education due to the association with American schools.

I don’t know if this is a complete thought that makes sense but I hope it does.

[hubridbunny]

Why does no one ever seem to have a child the normal way. Why’s it always gotta be some shit like “I stole your dna and combined it with mine in a lab”

[justinspoliticalcorner]

Greg Owen at LGBTQ Nation:

The Florida Department of Education (FLDOE) has ordered local school districts to submit their sex education plans to the state for approval. The FLDOE has also said the classes must promote abstinence and cannot include discussion of contraception or pictures of reproductive health organs. The sex-ed takeover removes local discretion when it comes to district sex education classes and materials.

For some time, Florida law has mandated that sex-ed lessons emphasize the “benefits of sexual abstinence as the expected standard and the consequences of teenage pregnancy” for grades 6 through 12. But now the state has removed any local control of additional information school districts can provide their students. A memo written by Broward County administrators obtained by The Orlando Sentinel summarized the district’s verbal interactions with state officials regarding their takeover of sex ed in the state. The state provided no written instructions provided for districts.

“Pictures of external sexual/reproductive anatomy should not be included in any grade level,” the memo recorded state officials as saying. “Contraceptives are not part of any health or science standard” but could be mentioned as a “health resource,” though “pictures, activities, or demonstrations that illustrate their use should not be included in instruction in any grade level,” it said. “Different types of sex (i.e., anal, oral, and vaginal) cannot be part of instruction in any grade level,” state officials added, according to the Broward memo. Orange County schools previously started their lessons in 5th grade with one class devoted to the physical changes of puberty. High schoolers had discussions about contraception and sexually transmitted diseases. Now the state must approve any additional curriculum and they’ll either deny the additions or ignore them, forcing local districts to cancel sex-ed classes altogether until the state addresses their plans.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) wages war on accurate sex education in schools, as any sex ed class in Sunshine State schools must mention abstinence and cannot include discussion of contraception or pictures of reproductive health organs.

[thesmokinpossum]

So I am once again rereading the Godfather and I already knew that Fredo is a horny little gremlin (affectionate) but I hadn't realized that he managed to catch 4 STIs and impregnate 15 women in about 3 years, dude really got to Vegas and immediately decided to become the textbook definition of community dick

[el3ctraaa]

I had to write about this for a class which reminded me that I had never posted about it here BUT in my extremely religious public highschool in the Midwest our sex ed consisted of used toothbrushes being thrown at us with the message being that if you have sex before marriage, no one will want you, just as no one wants a used toothbrush.

[lightyakami]

ok hi i keep posting random things about the need for harm reduction SO let me also share my #1 eating disorder harm reduction tip. this is also applicable to anyone who struggles with eating a healthy amount, regardless of why.

hydration is really, really important. however: if you are are not eating as much as is typically recommended and/or you are purging (including via lax or exercise) you have to replenish ELECTROLYTES in addition to water. normally your body sort of naturally balances water vs. electrolytes via your food intake, but if your food intake is lower than typical there’s a decent chance you’re not getting enough. you also lose a significant amount via purging. it’s really dangerous to not get enough electrolytes — you can have seizures or heart problems — and it’ll also make you feel like absolute shit.

you can get electrolytes via certain foods (bananas are great) and most sports drinks; you can also buy them to add directly to your water (pedialyte is a well-known brand.) your life is your life — do what you need to do but please also take care of yourself as much as possible.

[justinspoliticalcorner]

Carter Sherman at The Guardian:

Awash in soft, peach-colored light, the infant yawns, sticks her thumb in her mouth and flutters her eyes at the camera. As the camera pulls away from her, an umbilical cord and the fleshy tunnel surrounding the infant comes into focus. This isn’t a newborn baby: it’s a fetus in a disembodied womb. “This is Olivia,” a British female voice narrates. “Though she has yet to greet the outside world, she has already completed an amazing journey.” Say hello to “Meet Baby Olivia”, an animated video made by an American anti-abortion group that purports to depict humans’ embryonic and fetal development in an alleged effort to convert young people to the anti-abortion cause. The video – or something very close to it – will be required viewing for public school students in two states, with several more potentially on the way.

Last year, North Dakota became the first state in the nation to pass a law mandating that schools screen “Meet Baby Olivia” or a similar video. This year, Tennessee enacted its own “Meet Baby Olivia” law, requiring that “Meet Baby Olivia” or something like it be shown as part of schools’ sex education curriculum. So far in 2024, legislators in at least 10 other states have introduced bills that would require schools to show students “Meet Baby Olivia” or, in language that appears repeatedly throughout the bills, a similar “high-quality, computer-generated rendering or animation” that shows “every stage of human development inside the uterus, noting significant markers in cell growth and organ development for every significant marker of pregnancy until birth”. Including Tennessee’s legislation, bills in at least five of the states cite “Meet Baby Olivia” by name.

Classrooms are a burgeoning front in the post-Roe v Wade abortion wars, as conservative activists have increasingly intertwined their attacks on abortion with their distaste for sex ed that discusses alternatives to premarital abstinence. But medical professionals have accused the anti-abortion group behind “Meet Baby Olivia” of spreading propaganda and even misinformation in order to convert young people to their cause.

Seven of the 12 states where the bills have been introduced or passed ban almost all abortions. So far this year, state legislatures have considered at least 135 sex-ed bills – a record number, according to a CNN analysis. Sixty per cent of them would restrict sex ed in some way. Live Action has denied accusations that any sentence of “Meet Baby Olivia” is inaccurate. “‘Baby Olivia’ isn’t about abortion. It never says the word ‘abortion’,” said Noah Brandt, Live Action’s vice-president of communications. “‘Baby Olivia’ is an important place for states like Tennessee and North Dakota to turn to next, to continue to do work to educate on both biology and life, because they’ve already protected life so now it’s about teaching people when life begins and to respect that.”

A quiet success story

The emergence of the “Meet Baby Olivia” legislation comes at a precarious time for the anti-abortion movement. Since the overturning of Roe, support for abortion rights has mounted even in conservative states. Some Republicans have tried to downplay their opposition to the procedure or even supported efforts to protect it, in a sharp departure from decades of marching in lock step with the anti-abortion movement. But as the anti-abortion movement flounders, the “Meet Baby Olivia” bills are a quiet success story. Abortion opponents overturned Roe by spending years pushing for state-level abortion restrictions; if a restriction was successful in one state, lawmakers in other states would copy-paste its language and introduce their own versions. This strategy gnawed away access to abortion. In the “Meet Baby Olivia” bills, observers see a similar strategy at play – and evidence of mission creep.

“Anti-abortion, anti-sexual and [anti]-reproductive health movements have been focusing on other areas and expanding their scope in terms of what is relevant to them and what they’re working on,” said Kimya Forouzan, principal policy associate of state issues at the Guttmacher Institute, which supports abortion rights. Although Guttmacher tracks restrictions on sexual and reproductive health, Forouzan said that she had never before seen legislation quite like the “Meet Baby Olivia” bills.

[...] In at least two states, West Virginia and Iowa, “Meet Baby Olivia” bills passed one legislative chamber, but both state legislatures have now shuttered for the year. Most of the legislatures that introduced “Meet Baby Olivia” bills have either ended their 2024 sessions or are set to do so in the next few weeks. Compared to the rest of the country, the states that have introduced “Meet Baby Olivia” bills this year – which also include Georgia, Hawaii, Kentucky, Michigan, Missouri, Pennsylvania, and South Carolina – have less comprehensive sex-ed policies, according to Siecus: Sex Ed for Social Change, a decades-old organization that issues best practice guidelines for comprehensive sex ed. (None of the states garnered more than a C grade in the Siecus ranking system.) Most states do not require public school sex ed to be medically accurate, culturally appropriate or unbiased, according to Guttmacher. Only four states say that sex ed cannot promote religion.

The Guardian reports on the disturbing trend of red states pushing new bills that require the showing of the propagandistic "Baby Olivia" video by anti-abortion extremist group Live Action in classrooms as part of the right-wing war on sex ed in schools.

[goldrushrunning]

you can tell anti abortionsist are actually just anti sex or theyd be pushing for comprehensive sex ed and better access to contraceptives so people wouldnt get to the point of an unwanted pregnancy in the first place

[rttlesnk]

lmaoooo shout out to the time i was sat in sex-ed and my teacher was talking about how abstinence-only education is harmful and how we can prevent getting STDs and I couldn't for the life of me figure out why abstinence-only wouldn't work bc not having sex is rlly rlly easy, like, just dont have sex? anyway turns out not everybody is ace, and they actually want sex and had sexual urges, meanwhile i was out here thinking that people chose to do it bc it soubded fun

[the-cimmerians]

Today, ProPublica reports on yet another big change that stands to solve a decades-long problem we first learned about back in 2016, closing a huge loophole that allowed states to divert federal antipoverty funds to governors’ pet projects, like promoting abstinence, holding “heathy marriage” classes that did nothing to prevent out-of-wedlock births, funding anti-abortion “clinics” to lie about abortion “risks,” sending middle-class kids to private colleges, and other schemes only tangentially related to helping poor kids. It’s the same loophole that Mississippi officials tried to drive a truck through to divert welfare funds to former sportsball man Brett Favre’s alma mater, for a volleyball palace. [ ]

The agency has proposed new rules — open for public comment until December 1 — aimed at nudging states to actually use TANF funds to give cash to needy parents, not fill budget holes or punish poor people.

One change will put an end to the scheme Utah used to substitute LDS church funds for welfare, by prohibiting states

from counting charitable giving by private organizations, such as churches and food banks, as “state” spending on welfare, a practice that has allowed legislatures to budget less for programs for low-income families while still claiming to meet federal minimums.

Another new rule will put the kibosh on using TANF to fund child protective services or foster care programs, which are not what TANF is supposed to be for, damn it.

And then there’s the simple matter of making sure that funds for needy families go to needy families, not to pet projects that have little to do with poverty:

The reforms would also redefine the term “needy” to refer only to families with incomes at or below 200% of the federal poverty line. Currently, some states spend TANF money on programs like college scholarships — or volleyball stadiums — that benefit more affluent people.

[drdemonprince]

I grew up with abstinence-only sex education, and it did a real number on me. But I’ve shaken off enough of my old cultural programming to realize that the transmission of bacteria and viruses is a thing that sometimes just happens when animals come together, no matter how stringently we might try to prevent it.

I have gotten urinary tract infections when a stray microbe found its way into my urethra after sex. Lube and bodily fluids have disturbed my vagina’s pH and caused a yeast infection many times. So has wearing a bathing suit for too long without drying it, yet another “risk” worth the pleasures of swimming along the sea wall.

Once or twice I’ve had an outbreak of cold sores, just like 80% of humans. If I’m like most people, I probably caught oral herpes when I was very young, sharing a sippy cup or rolling around at a sleepover.

None of this makes me disgusting, irresponsible, evil, or dangerous to others. It just makes me a living creature that exists in close contact with other creatures. I believe I have a responsibility to get tested regularly, to alert people who have been close to me when I get sick, and to use preventative measures like condoms, PreP, vaccines, toys, and masks to prevent the spread of infections as best I can. But I never imagine I can lead a life without risk — or that such a life would even be desirable.

There is no such thing as completely “safe” sex. A friend of mine can’t use condoms because they give her bacterial vaginosis. She chooses instead to fuck raw and take PreP and get anything else she catches treated. A guy I know who masks and tests religiously caught COVID while fisting someone (with a gloved hand!) at an air-filtered party. HPV is so prevalent that most sexual wellness clinics don’t bother testing for it, and can’t do much for a patient if they do have it. Our bodies are teeming at all times with various endemic viruses and microbes that we will never have the power to purge.

Then there are the possible costs of not having sex — vaginal atrophy, pelvic floor weakening, reduced access to endorphins, loneliness, touch starvation, the despair of harboring dreams that one never dares try. I can’t decide for anyone else which dangers loom the largest, but for me a gonorrhea shot is a fair trade for the hours of leg-cramping, bed-staining, hypno-kinky sex that led to it. There’s no guarantee that the next time I have sex it will be anywhere near as much fun, but the potential keeps me throwing the dice.

I hear quite frequently from sexually inexperienced Autistic people who crave an intimate connection, but desperately wish to remain responsible and “safe.” They want there to be a set of iron-tight rules they can follow that will guarantee they remain a virtuous person who never hurts anyone’s feelings, and never catches any sexually transmitted infection.

I understand why they want someone to impose order onto an unpredictable, terrifying world. But I can’t give that certainty to them, nor can anyone. All I can suggest is that they be honest with themselves about what they want, inform themselves of the costs and benefits to pursuing their desires, and then venture forward — proudly welcoming the correct risks into their life, rather than trying to avoid any risks at all.

Life is nothing but a negotiation of risk. If a person has gender dysphoria and they want to combat it, they must risk a transition they could one day regret. If an abolitionist wants to take a stand against the police state, they must plan for the possibility of arrest or political repression. When we open our hearts to love, we expose ourselves to grief — our partners will keep changing and growing, sometimes away from us. Each step that we take forward in life closes off potential paths. There is no avoiding this.

Instead of chasing after the false promise of “safety,” trying to remain completely insulated from harm and challenge forever, we must get better at admitting risk into our lives.

I wrote about all about the messy business of risk mitigation, and how the pursuit of perfect safety is used to justify isolation, theft of bodily autonomy, and political repression. It's free to read (or have narrated to you by the app!) at drdevonprice.substack.com

[hermajestyimher]

A lot of "femininity" coaches like to tell women that taking a man's appearance in dating is a "masculine" trait they shouldn't engage in. I believe that couldn't be further from the truth, there are a lot of biological advantages to selecting a mate that is fit and attractive for the future of a woman's children, family, and overall life satisfaction. Many women who choose to settle for looks often end up resenting their partners down the line and being unfaithful and/or abstinent with them. Nobody was put on this earth to have to endure s3x with someone they are not attracted to. It sounds like torture to me.

The truth of the manner is that if you are a woman who puts a lot of emphasis in your looks, education, career, and personal development the calibre of your dating pool increases, even if your prospects decrease as well. You may have fewer options, but the options are much better.

A high-achieving woman should only date their equal in every aspect. She should never settle out of loneliness or desperation, because she has enough self-fulfillment that a relationship is not the centre of her reality, and she's successful enough that she can give herself the life of her dreams without relying on anybody else to give it to her in exchange for unpleasant acts. This gives her leverage and independence to date who she wants, not who she needs. A relationship where both parties show up as their best selves and want to please each other in every area is one that is poised to succeed.

Perhaps settling for someone out of convenience may work for the common folk, but if you know that you want more for your life and have a more elevated mindset, you should never treat your choice for partner as a gamble. Always make sure they tick your non-negotiables so down the line you won't regret giving your time and being tied to someone that doesn't make you truly happy. Trust that God can and will bring the partner of your dreams to you.

[justinspoliticalcorner]

Judd Legum at Popular Information:

A new middle school sex education curriculum in Orange County, Florida, obtained by Popular Information, eliminates previous lessons on the reproductive system, contraception, and consent. What remains is a discussion of the benefits of abstinence and a cursory review of various sexually transmitted diseases. Orange County's new curriculum, provided to Popular Information by the Florida Freedom to Read Project, was recently approved by the Florida Department of Education. That approval was required as part of a law, HB 1069, signed by Florida Governor Ron DeSantis (R) in May 2023. The law requires schools to “teach abstinence from sexual activity outside of marriage as the expected standard for all school-age students.”

The new Orange County 8th grade sex education curriculum, for example, emphasizes that abstinence is the only 100% effective method to prevent sexually transmitted diseases or pregnancy. The same information was included in Orange County's previous 8th grade sex education curriculum, taught in prior years, and submitted to the Florida Department of Education for the 2023-24 school year, but never approved. A very large amount of material has been removed from the sex education curriculum. The 8th grade sex education curriculum submitted last year but not approved is 230 pages. The new, approved version is 36 pages. (You can review both documents in full at the end of this story.)

Eliminating this information was not required by the new law. Rather, the law requires the Department of Education to approve sex education materials as "appropriate for the grade and age of the student." According to the Orlando Sentinel, Department of Education officials told educators in Broward County, Florida, that “[p]ictures of external sexual/reproductive anatomy” should not be included in “any grade level.” Officials in Orange County appear to have received similar instructions. A Florida Department of Education spokesperson defended the new restrictions, telling the AP, “A state government should not be emphasizing or encouraging sexual activity among children or minors and is therefore right to emphasize abstinence.” The old 8th grade sex education curriculum in Orange County, while promoting abstinence, acknowledged that some students are sexually active. It provided information on how to prevent unintended pregnancy and protect against STDs if students engaged in sexual activity. This information has been deleted from the new curriculum.

What is Sex Education without sex like? A new Florida sex ed curriculum with Moms For Liberty’s imprints all over it.

[the-blessed-heretic]

To all Christians (especially Catholics) who are anti-abortion, I beg of you to step away from this extremely narrow viewpoint and look at the bigger picture. What you thought that you were doing for the greater good in God's name, you are only further enabling more suffering, not lessen it, and giving the reigns to corrupt politicians in government who wants complete control over pregnant people's bodily autonomy.

Not for the sake of the unborn, but to prey upon their voter base's ignorance as a stepping stone to gain more political power, including YOU. That is literally what all this boils down to. It has never been about saving babies, much less give a damn about their livelihood.

Do not coax or force someone to carry their pregnancy to term to the extent that you'd be willing to turn a blind eye on dire situations such as (but not limited to):

a child/teen who got pregnant from rape

being mentally and physically unfit to endure the pregnancy and its dangerous side effects

a partner who impregnated them as a means to trap them in an abusive relationship, etc.

There are individuals who actually want to have a baby but need abortion to stay legal so it can be utilized as a safety net for cases such as miscarriages, ectopic pregnancy, fetal deformity, or other conditions indicating that it will not survive outside the womb. When given the safe medical procedure, the individual may have a chance to try again if they want to.

Of course, there are many complicated issues surrounding this topic that goes far deeper than whatever flimsy out-of-context verses from Scripture being fed to you by the clergy who likely did not bother to research properly or reach out in good faith to people who had abortions.

For all of our future's sake, I say we should worry less about God's judgement and focus more on helping our neighbors who are being negatively affected in this post Roe v. Wade era.

It is not the unborn that needed your prayers, but the lives of living, breathing humans being the ones in danger because of some downright cruel decisions made into law. To become their enemy rather than their ally during this time of fear and uncertainty, is to announce to the whole world that you have no compassion in your heart.