|
|||
|
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Be prepared to talk. Some parents report that
they don't feel prepared to have conversations with
their children about sex and sexuality; perhaps
because they don't have the "correct" information on
hand, they don't know what words to say, or they are
surprised that their child is even asking the question!
You can feel more prepared to talk with your child in a
relaxed manner by identifying resources that are
available such as websites, books, workshops, and
professionals. Learn more about the sexuality
education being taught in your school system, faith
communities, and youth groups that your child is
exposed to; remember, you can use these as an
information source. In addition, you might want to
have conversations with other parents to get support
and ideas of how to handle experiences the children
are facing in your community.
|
||||
The federal government now spends about $50
million annually on abstinence-only-until-marriage
education programs that do not work, according to a
recent study by Mathematica Policy Research Inc. The
study found that youth in the four evaluated programs
were no more likely than youth not in the programs to
have abstained from sex in the four to six years after
they began participating in the study. Youth in both
groups who reported having had sex also had similar
numbers of sexual partners and had initiated sex at
the same average age. Furthermore, abstinence-only
program participants were less likely to know that
condoms can lower the risk of sexually transmitted
diseases.
This report underlines what Planned Parenthood and
supporters of comprehensive sex education have
known for a long time. Abstinence-only programs do
not work. These programs are dangerously
unrealistic, and leave young people at risk by denying
them information they need to make safe and healthy
decisions. Comprehensive sex education is the only
approach that has been proven to work in delaying the
onset of sexual activity, and reducing risky sexual
behaviors by young people.
It is important to note that there is a profound
difference between abstinence as a message and
abstinence-only interventions. The American public,
both adults and teens, remain deeply committed to
encouraging teens to delay sexual activity and to
providing young people with information about
contraception. The vast majority of the public does not
see abstinence and contraception as an either/or
proposition-they want teens to be informed of both.
In light of these findings, PPLM commends the Deval
Patrick administration for their recent decision to
refuse abstinence-only-until-marriage funding from
the Bush administration.
Governor Deval Patrick's administration has
announced that the Massachusetts Department of
Public Health will no longer apply for federal
abstinence-only-until-marriage funding. This makes
Massachusetts the ninth state to reject the Bush
Administration's funding for these ineffective, harmful
and misleading programs.
For more information, the entire report can be
accessed on the internet at:
http://www.mathematica- mpr.com/publications/PDFs/impactabstinence.pdf |
||
In February, 2007, The National Campaign to Prevent
Teen Pregnancy issued a new research report, With
One Voice 2007, America's Adults and Teens Sound
Off about Teen Pregnancy. Some highlights of the
study support the Four Themes to Remember of
Let's
Be Honest! It's a parent's Right and
Responsibility to
have ongoing conversations with sons and daughters
about sex and sexuality; it's important to share family
Values about these issues; parents need to
validate
their kids' questions and help promote positive
Self-
esteem so that kids can make healthier
decisions;
and, parents need to stay informed through Facts
and
Knowledge. According to the study, teens
continue to
say that parents most influence their decisions about
sex. Parents of teens, however, continue to
underestimate the influence they have over their
children's decisions about sex and overestimate the
influence of friends and the media. Most teens (64%)
say they share their parents' values about sex. Adults
(73%) and teens (56%) also continue to believe that
young people need more information about
abstinence and contraception, rather than either/or.
To download the entire study, click on:
http://www.teenpregnancy.org/resources/data/pdf/WOV
2007_fulltext.pdf
|
||
CARE for Youth is working hard to make
comprehensive health education available to all public
school students in Massachusetts! As a parent, we
NEED your help in this important effort to keep kids
safe and healthy! There are a number of ways you can
get involved:
|
||
Don't forget to visit our website at http://www.plannedparenthood.org/ma/for-parents.htm! Our website is updated regularly with helpful tips for talking, information about workshops, and much more. Don't miss an opportunity to be the primary sexuality educator for your children. Need help? Call our Parent Education Team at (617) 616-1658.
Sincerely,
Parent Education
Planned Parenthood League of MA
email:
[email protected]
phone:
(617) 616-1658
|