Texas and Sex education textbooks

CNN.com - Battle over Texas sex-ed textbooks - Aug 5, 2004

Texas educators are debating what will be taught in new sexual education textbooks for its high school students. The 15-member Texas Board of Education is considering and will likely approve four books, all of which extol the virtues of abstinence. Three make no mention of contraceptives at all while one makes passing reference to condoms.

Critics are crying foul, saying that a lesson of abstinence alone is dangerous because it could lead to more teen pregnancies and more teens becoming infected with sexually transmitted diseases.

One of the main things I learnt from the AIDS conference is that advocating abstinence only in AIDS education, like the ABC method, cannot be used alone to curve AIDS infection. The ABC program cannot be the main way. Because what happens if kids doesn’t adhere to it? And when they don't, they must have access to condoms to be protected. Ok, maybe handing out condoms like crazy isn't going to solve anything, but they must at least have knowledge about condoms and other ways to protect themselves.

We, adults, can't be afraid that our kids will know and learn about sex, because, most likely, they already have that information, from their peers. Kids are teaching kids about sex. And parents aren't outrage about this? They are outrages that schools, the haven for information and knowledge, are wanting to teach their kids about one of the most important issue in a teen's life. Why not let school's teach them the correct information? The right information. Let kids learn from the schools, as they should.

Kids must have access to sex education that covers STDs and AIDS, and ways to prevent them.

The AIDS conference taught me that HIV/AIDS is real life. You can't hide from it behind abstinence. You just can't because kids aren't going to pay attention to it. Religious and political leaders can't hide behind abstinence either. There has to be a compromise that doesn’t exclude giving kids important, life-saving information.

Inform peer mentors who will tell kids if parents and schools fail. Youth leaders play important part as I learned from watching the AIDS conference.

Try anything, but don't ty to hide the truth from them.