After my Effectiveness of Sex Education post, I remembered a little factoid that I read in Consumer Reports some years ago. So I went and tracked it down.
Here's a little health quiz.
What is the failure rate for condoms during typical use (pregnancy rate per 100 users per year)?
a) 1 out of 100
b) 2 out of 100
c) 5 out of 100
d) 15 out of 100
Here's a hint from Consumer Reports:
The online fact sheet on condoms by the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, at http://www.cdc.gov/ , used to begin with this statement: “Condoms are effective in preventing HIV and other STDs.” The fact sheet was removed from the site in 2002 and was later replaced with one that states, “The surest way to avoid transmission of sexually transmitted diseases is to abstain from sexual intercourse ...” or be in a long-term monogamous relationship with someone whom you know is not infected.
Drum roll please..........
According to Consumer Reports, in 1 years time, 15 out of 100 couples will conceive while practicing "safe sex" under typical circumstance. That means more than 1 out of 7, for those who don't like percentages. With perfect use of a condom, 2 out of 100 couples will still conceive.
I don't know any adolescents who do anything perfectly all the time. So, if adult couples have a 15% failure rate, what do you think it will be for teens?
I would be curious to know what is being taught in sex education classes. Do they teach students the actual risks? I bet most parents don't know what is being taught or don't know enough to recognize if what is being taught is entirely true.
As a homeschool parent, I have very little control over what goes on at my neighborhood school. I had a friend who called all the schools in our area asking what books they used and for course content. She was told that they couldn't give out that information, since she didn't have a child at that school. Personally, I think they were just stalling. I don't think they had the information to give out, even if they wanted to.
I have no idea how to transform such a broken system.
Related Tags: sex education, condoms
6 comments:
Unfortunately, destroy it so something else has to be done. Yea, I am such a rebel;). But it isn't working and we have resposibility to our children to do better. The other option, have a great daycare in your kid's high school. The one I went to did, is it any wonder I am homeschooling;)?
>Unfortunately, destroy it so something else has to be done.
We don't have to destroy it, it will self-destruct all by itself.
What I can't understand is why the schools are so focused on teaching condom use but not abstinance. Last I checked, that method of birth control/STD prevention worked 100% of the time.
Jen
www.youngparentsmagazine.com
There is a very eye-opening chapter about American public school sex ed programs, the teachers union's stance on sex ed as well, in the book written by Rebecca Hagelin. I blogged about her book and a free online essay that can be read about the book, here:
http://thethinkingmother.blogspot.com/2006/05/brilliant-essay-taking-back-our-homes.html
I graduated from high school 20 years ago and am just shocked at how things have changed in these last 20 years, according to this book.
The book focuses on condoms and their failure rate for HIV, HPV, and pregnancy.
I just read the chapter today and it is funny that you are blogging of this today, right when it is on my mind.
At this point I am SO GLAD that my children won't be in public school sex ed classes. If they ever end up in public school I will have them OPT OUT of the classes which is something that the school must comply with even if they don't advertise that it is allowed.
I should have made one sentence clearer. The whole book by Hagelin is not about sex ed in schools, just one chapter is about sex ed. A big point in that one chaper is that to just teach "ok to have sex but use a condom" is not good enough as it still exposes them to STDs and also pregnancy let alone to problems related to teens having sex before they are mature enough. Hagelin is pro-abstinence programs.
Sounds like a good book. I look forward to reading it.
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