[QUOTE=Rubystreak]
WhyNot, you know I love ya, but you probably also know that I think stuff like this is less than helpful when dealing with teenagers:
Kids think they are invincible, underestimate risks and consequences, and will take your slight endorsement of withdrawal or rhythm method and fool themselves into thinking it will work for them. Especially if it’s free, seems easy, and doesn’t require any visits to Planned Parenthood or the pharmacy.
Yes, pulling out is better than nothing. I bet prayer is too. But knowing what I know about teenagers, telling them they can use it as a valid method of birth control is a bad idea and irresponsible. The kid in this situation is already pretty ignorant and is engaging in reckless sexual behavior. Under no circumstances should he think, even for a second, that he and his girlfriend should use withdrawal when there are better, safer methods he can obtain with a little effort. Statistics are almost irrelevant here because it seems unlikely at best that he would actually withdraw every time, would wash off between go 'rounds, stuff like that. Ditto with recommending he use the “rhythm” method-- it’s actually a pretty complicated system, and entails much more than simply counting days from ovulation. It also assumes that this girl is educated enough to figure out accurately when she’s ovulating and that they have the willpower to abstain when necessary.
Any responsible health professional, Planned Parenthood ed worker, health teacher, doctor, etc., would advise religous (sic) condom use, period. It is by far the safest non-medicated birth control method for teens, because there’s also diseases to worry about. If this kid is freaking out this badly at the thought of conception, he needs to use a barrier method if his GF isn’t able to use the Pill or an IUD. I feel very strongly about this. If your religion forbids using condoms, then it probably also forbids pre-marital sex. In for a penny, in for a pound.
[/QUOTE]
Sorry for quoting the entire post, but I couldn’t figure out where to snip it.
I really believe that we should offer the truth to children. It builds trust, and though that may sound naive and corny, I have seen it in action.
In my neigborhood, there was a rumor rampant that this certain high school had found out that 70% of the students are HIV positive. I recognized this as an urban legend, and I told people so. I was surprised to find out lots of parents were encouraging this misinformation, hoping to ‘scare’ kids into abstinence!
Of course this is not a good idea. The children learn better, and then they don’t trust adults about these kinds of things. They say amongst themselves, “All that shit they be tellin’ us is BS anyways! Imma just have my fun!” Seriously. I actually saw that attitude.
Now, I don’t think that **Whynot ** was saying that we should teach teenagers that the withdrawal method, (or the complicated ass rhythm method) is the way to go. From what I read, it looked as if she was just trying to give a true answer to the boy’s question, which was, I think, what is the likelyhood of pregnancy.
And of course your well-put post had good information for any teenager smart enough to take notes.
And of course, I don’t presume to speak for Whynot. Only for my take on her post.