Condoms for sixth graders: Salem, Oregon

[1still_waters]

The Gervais district school board has decided sixth graders need access to condoms.
School district votes to provide condoms to sixth-grade students | www.ajc.com

We've decided we're done fighting for the innocence of children.
Our attitude can be described with this.

Debbie Roberts told the station she had a different view. "I think it’s better to be protected than get pregnant, so I think it’s a really good thing,” she said.

With a collective sense of defeat, "the village" has decided we're given a set of no-win options.
The best no-win option is to give sixth graders condoms.

We've resigned ourselves to this supposed "reality".
We say, "Kids will have sex. All we can do is make the best of a bad situation. We'll give them condoms."

We think this is the way it has to be.

But does it have to be this way?

They say that abstinence doesn't work, as they point to statistics.

They say,"Do you want teen pregnancy and STDs? If not, then give the children condoms."

It may take a generation to fix what it took a generation to break.

STDs, and teen pregnancies are proof we need abstinence education.
Change won't be immediate. There will still be some teen STDs and pregnancies.

Let's push for a higher standard, instead of resigning ourselves to "the fact" it has to be this way.

Failure to have an immediate decline in teen pregnancy and STDs should not prevent us from aiming for a long term goal.

It doesn't have to be this way.

 

[just_monicat]

The Gervais district school board has decided sixth graders need access to condoms.
School district votes to provide condoms to sixth-grade students | www.ajc.com

We've decided we're done fighting for the innocence of children.
Our attitude can be described with this.



With a collective sense of defeat, "the village" has decided we're given a set of no-win options.
The best no-win option is to give sixth graders condoms.

We've resigned ourselves to this supposed "reality".
We say, "Kids will have sex. All we can do is make the best of a bad situation. We'll give them condoms."

We think this is the way it has to be.

But does it have to be this way?

They say that abstinence doesn't work, as they point to statistics.

They say,"Do you want teen pregnancy and STDs? If not, then give the children condoms."

It may take a generation to fix what it took a generation to break.

STDs, and teen pregnancies are proof we need abstinence education.
Change won't be immediate. There will still be some teen STDs and pregnancies.

Let's push for a higher standard, instead of resigning ourselves to "the fact" it has to be this way.

Failure to have an immediate decline in teen pregnancy and STDs should not prevent us from aiming for a long term goal.

It doesn't have to be this way.

i volunteer at a middle school rather geographically close to this school district, and i can say that this attitude of "kids will have sex, oh well" is pretty much treated like a foregone conclusion. it's heartbreaking.

the sad part is, of the girls who are part of my "at risk" group range from ages 11-13, the majority have had sex, and are quite open about this--it's really not a big deal to most of them.

we desperately need more christian influence on a person-to-person level.

 

[Drett]

Talk about giving school children a condom in the West 20 years ago and it would have been stopped due to outrage. 20 years later a slide in morality has slipped to the point where this is now in the public arena being discussed and implemented

We can see the slide in morality in the change in swim wear.

100 years ago women used to get changed in a horse drawn carriage into their swim wear and they would then be taken hidden to the water.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/91/BathingMachineDontBeAfraid.jpg

When the skimpy two piece was invented 50 years later, the inventor called it the bikini because he thought that the reaction would be atomic. It was. He had to hire a stripper to model it because no self respecting model would go anywhere near it.

Now not only the beaches have people with bikinis on them, they are starting to spill into the surrounding shops. The Gold Coast in Australia are famous for women in gold bikinis working around putting money in parking meters.

I dread what fruits the future will bring.

 

[Raine]

The problem isn't that kids are having sex. I don't know much about this age group... But I remember the confusion, low self esteem, desire to fit in, trying to figure out who am I chaos... And society and media is teaching kids that sex is the way to go. It makes you fit in, your worth is defined by sex, and you won't be lonely because of it etc. the real problem is that kids are being raised who don't understand what real respect is and that their identity and fulfillment is found in Christ and not in sex or by falling into pressure.

Even though condoms may decrease the risk of pregnancy it does not address the emotional, mental and relational damage that occurs with having sex before marriage.

 

[secularhermit]

"It doesn't have to be this way." (Corolary)

The winners are those who sell them.

The loser are those who believed it serves to stop their problems.

Loosers are those who sponsored "that way".

 

[secularhermit]

The problem isn't that kids are having sex. I don't know much about this age group... But I remember the confusion, low self esteem, desire to fit in, trying to figure out who am I chaos... And society and media is teaching kids that sex is the way to go. It makes you fit in, your worth is defined by sex, and you won't be lonely because of it etc. the real problem is that kids are being raised who don't understand what real respect is and that their identity and fulfillment is found in Christ and not in sex or by falling into pressure.

Even though condoms may decrease the risk of pregnancy it does not address the emotional, mental and relational damage that occurs with having sex before marriage.

I see this my "own" country.

Condoms promotes sexual detachment, widespread. STDS ignored, as if they only come from "the legs".

Spiritual bond and sexual servitude unconsidered, while "marriage" viewed as a mean to get money or wealth without genuine love or loyalty.

My two sons are running wild and spiritually blind.

 

[p_rehbein]

It is truly sad.................

 

[Exoaria]

You'd think that it's putting the option on the table for kids that would most probably otherwise not have it on their minds. I mean, with the ongoing sexualization that is being displayed (on television etc.) kids are going to be more aware of it regardless and have an open desire to explore it. I suppose it's not really the fact that they're providing condoms that's the problem— this kind of thing is usually an apprehension to something, meaning sixth graders were probably getting pregnant. Is the increase in underage 'safe' sex going to outweigh the few unplanned pregnancies of 13 year olds? Who knows.

 

[biscuit]

The Gervais district school board has decided sixth graders need access to condoms.
School district votes to provide condoms to sixth-grade students | www.ajc.com

We've decided we're done fighting for the innocence of children.
Our attitude can be described with this.



With a collective sense of defeat, "the village" has decided we're given a set of no-win options.
The best no-win option is to give sixth graders condoms.

We've resigned ourselves to this supposed "reality".
We say, "Kids will have sex. All we can do is make the best of a bad situation. We'll give them condoms."

We think this is the way it has to be.

But does it have to be this way?

They say that abstinence doesn't work, as they point to statistics.

They say,"Do you want teen pregnancy and STDs? If not, then give the children condoms."

It may take a generation to fix what it took a generation to break.

STDs, and teen pregnancies are proof we need abstinence education.
Change won't be immediate. There will still be some teen STDs and pregnancies.

Let's push for a higher standard, instead of resigning ourselves to "the fact" it has to be this way.

Failure to have an immediate decline in teen pregnancy and STDs should not prevent us from aiming for a long term goal.

It doesn't have to be this way.

Either we raise our children with Christian values or allow the immoral secular society to dominate.

 

[SonInMe]

Kids are gonna have sex anyways....

kids who parents say this.

When schools make these decisions its because of parent apathy.

Kids act up...drug them.

Johnny plays with a doll...he is a girl.

Sally wants to date at 14.....

Don't blame the schools, blame parents.

 

[Nautilus]

To be fair you can preach abstinence and waiting til marriage at them til you are blue in the face. And you should. But there are always going to be those who choose to turn a deaf a ear to you. So are we to punish these kids by allowing them to wantonly expose themselves to STDs and pregnancies? Providing condoms, while not a good solution in anyway at least provides an unsatisfactory answer for those intent on doing what they want. I mean if they are immature enough to squander the gift of sex God gave them, I certainly don't want them having to deal with children at such a young age with such great immaturity.

 

[jogoldie]

My granddaughter is going into 7th grade........she doesnt even show interest in boys.....my daughter and
her husband have decided not to let them watch any shows on tv which have dating and things of that
nature.......when the programing on disney and so called childrens network are showing dating and such...
they get curious ....you can say we over protect.....maybe.....but they are in age appropriate activities....
they pray and know God.....I say prepare them... but dont go past their age in understanding....
and stop freaking out when they come to you....Fear in the bible means respect not terror....encourage conversation
About feelings and circumstances happening to them....if you start young enough they will seek your council....
and not their peers for advice.....I have done this for my daughters and there is nothing they dont tell me.....
sometimes they tell me more than I want to know.....we cant expect our teachers to raise our children....
The last thing I ever want to hear from my children when they have a problem is...mom is gonna kill us....
your reaction sets the pattern for why they hide things from us...and dont come to us for advice....
Always think before you react....dont chase them away by losing your cool in troubled times...
Use these oportunites to guide ...

 

[SonInMe]

To be fair you can preach abstinence and waiting til marriage at them til you are blue in the face. And you should. But there are always going to be those who choose to turn a deaf a ear to you. So are we to punish these kids by allowing them to wantonly expose themselves to STDs and pregnancies? Providing condoms, while not a good solution in anyway at least provides an unsatisfactory answer for those intent on doing what they want. I mean if they are immature enough to squander the gift of sex God gave them, I certainly don't want them having to deal with children at such a young age with such great immaturity.

The wages of sin are death. You can take some earthly consequences out, like using birth control but sex outside of marriage is still a sin....and will be punished. Premarital sex no matter the age has horrible emotional and spiritual consequences even if you kill all the babies produced or prevent pregnancies with birth control.

To condone sex before marriage is to invite the slippery moral slope, we now are on. Condoms in schools isn;t going to protect kids...its promoting their destruction......

and if a few girls get pregnant, the rest will see their suffering and it will reverberate even more to them how bad those things are.

Life isn't easy and when someone promises you an easy way out, run. Its never going to be good for you.

 

[Billyd]

My friends, I want you to look at the community that you live in. How many single parent households live there? How many families have the mother and father of the children living together in marriage? How many same sex households with children will you find? I can go on and on, but here's the most important question. How many families in your community were in Church with you this morning? The Church has failed miserably in its responsibility to reach two (going on three) generations of young people.

You say "we must promote abstinence". I say "where have you been for the past fifty years?" Our message has been the same, but today there are more unwed teenage mothers every year. How can we teach abstinence to children when the parents are not teaching it? I'll give you an example.

I have one family of seven children who ride the bus to Church every time the doors are open. The mother (who has never been in a church in her life) has a different boy friend every week, and is pregnant today. Every child has a different father. How do you minister to these children? Do you really believe that the three young girls understand an abstinence message? They have two unwed mother (14 and 16) friends that live close by, and they love to "play" with the babies. The unwed mothers live with a single mom. Yes, we teach and promote abstinence. But I sometimes wonder if we are doing enough. Yes, I understand why the school is trying to solve the problem this way. Have you ever had a student ask you how to get treated for an STD, and when you try to contact the parent, they hang up on you? What would you do?

The Church that I attend has a working Community Ministry program, and we have began to reach the families in the community. We are blessed to have a group of young Christian families who are willing to spend time in the community. This is only a small part of what needs to be done. I will issue each of you a challenge. Get out of the pew, and put some legs on your prayers. MINISTER TO THE NEEDS OF YOUR COMMUNITY. If you don't, in three more generations, the Church will be dead.

 

[Ariel82]

I've found most young girls don't "have sex" but are raped at a very young age.

 

[jjtj22]

The onslaught of the media is merciless! Have you seen the programs intended for kids? All the make up and fake hair on the girls . Wholesome programming is almost non existent. My first grader is into Veggie Tales but he comes home and tells me about the girls in his class talking about Miley Cyrus' "Wrecking Ball" video! My sweet son ask me "Does she really get naked!?" And many of the other tings he has told me has me seriously looking into homeschooling.

My daughter is four and at her friend's birthday pool party most of the little girls aged 3-5 are wearing bikinis!

For my husband and myself it feels like trying to stop an avalanche.

 

[faroukfarouk]

The onslaught of the media is merciless! Have you seen the programs intended for kids? All the make up and fake hair on the girls . Wholesome programming is almost non existent. My first grader is into Veggie Tales but he comes home and tells me about the girls in his class talking about Miley Cyrus' "Wrecking Ball" video! My sweet son ask me "Does she really get naked!?" And many of the other tings he has told me has me seriously looking into homeschooling.

My daughter is four and at her friend's birthday pool party most of the little girls aged 3-5 are wearing bikinis!

For my husband and myself it feels like trying to stop an avalanche.

jjtj22:

A lot of Christians do like the idea of homeschooling.

Kind of not relevant to my wife and me in our situation, but a lot of Christian parents do like the idea.

Blessings.

PS: Abstinence is a laudable aim, I agree.

Do you see any role for condoms, though? no need to be too specific, just in general terms.

 

[Nautilus]

The wages of sin are death. You can take some earthly consequences out, like using birth control but sex outside of marriage is still a sin....and will be punished. Premarital sex no matter the age has horrible emotional and spiritual consequences even if you kill all the babies produced or prevent pregnancies with birth control.

To condone sex before marriage is to invite the slippery moral slope, we now are on. Condoms in schools isn;t going to protect kids...its promoting their destruction......

and if a few girls get pregnant, the rest will see their suffering and it will reverberate even more to them how bad those things are.

Life isn't easy and when someone promises you an easy way out, run. Its never going to be good for you.

You clearly arent understanding how rebellious teenagers can be. not to mention it isnt the schools job to teach morality. That falls to the parents or whatever church these teens may or may not attend.

But to say don't give them condoms, theyll learn their lesson is stupid and irresponsible.

And to be fair I had plenty of sex outside of marriage before I became a Christian. Never suffered any negative effects from it. But then I had access to contraceptives and also had common knowledge about STD's and pregnancies.

 

[Tintin]

This is disgusting but not surprising given that the world believes truth is relative, not absolute and defined by a loving but dangerous and holy God.

 

[faroukfarouk]

You clearly arent understanding how rebellious teenagers can be. not to mention it isnt the schools job to teach morality. That falls to the parents or whatever church these teens may or may not attend.

But to say don't give them condoms, theyll learn their lesson is stupid and irresponsible.

And to be fair I had plenty of sex outside of marriage before I became a Christian. Never suffered any negative effects from it. But then I had access to contraceptives and also had common knowledge about STD's and pregnancies.

I'm not saying that there are not negative consequences to such extra-marital activity.

But I think you have identified the dilemma when you point out that it's not churches and families that should leave it to schools to teach morality. I do think that the idea of teachers being in loco parentis is important, and if plenty of Christians on a school's council of reference want the school to show respect for moral restraint, then the school should do so, rather than seeing itself as the shock troops for imposing politicians' ideology.