Public School Condom Distribution, Does This Disturb Us Anymore?

Washington DC and New York City, NY are the only 2 cities in the United States that allow condom distribution directly to students within the public education system. A May 2010 Washington Post blog story on DC's condom practices stated that the primary complaints from students regarding the condom distribution program was that state sponsored condoms were either "not large enough" or that getting them  from grannies and older individuals was problematic.

On one hand we are faced with the fact that young people are having sex and teen  pregnancy and diseases continue to proliferate. On the other hand we know the harmful effects of premarital sexual activity as well as the negative results and psychological effects of sexual experimentation.

It begins for many with disease and the resultant fallout from disease. In DC it is estimated that out of 600,000 residents  3% or 18,000 have HIV or AIDS. I have spoken on the real costs associated with HIV/AIDS in particular in my post "HIV/AIDS & Health Care Reform, What Do We Really Know?"

Here are some further facts:

• In Washington DC 57% of students are sexually active and not taking advantage of school condoms 
• DC Health Dept. distributed 3.2 million condoms in 2009 including 15,000 to students in schools
•  For 2010 about 2.5 million condoms distributed to the general public so far (pace of 4 million by year end) We can expect school distribution to follow suit accordingly. 
• 2009 city cost for condom distribution:  $165,000
• Estimated 2010 cost: $228,000 to $276,000 (depending on brand and size).
• In 2010 teachers will be able to distribute condoms directly to students however a teacher must complete ongoing education and  a "WrapMC" or Master Of Condoms certification. 

According to the article, "The first hurdle, the survey said, was that students did not like asking school nurses for them. The nurses were generally older and the students felt like they were asking their parents for condoms. So, city officials agreed to also allow other teachers or counselors who complete the WrapMC course to distribute them. "It's usually the younger teachers or the cool teacher or the coach," Hader said."

"cool" is the word. Someone who could understand them and to whom they could relate.

Appropriate Place & People?

Do we want our children relating their sexual information to their teacher or "cool" person at school? What happens when the teacher takes advantage of this information? Additionally, does the teacher have any obligation to relate such information back to the parents? Does any of this bother us or have we simply rationalized away the fact that children will have sex, no matter what and we should simply accommodate them? 

Planned Secular Wisdom

Planned Parenthood, who is committed to bringing real sex education into America's schools, says that over 700,000 teens in the US will get pregnant this year and that half of all sexually active people under the age of 25 will contract a STD. They say that young people are less likely to take sexual risks when they have,

"a connection to home, family, and other caring adults in their community, school, or religious institution"

A "connection"...Does this mean an active relationship with or a sense of purpose as a result of? now, before we get too technical, we should remember that these are the same ones who also say that children start learning about sex and receiving sexual messages as soon as they are born:

"And they start getting them as soon as they're born. Children learn how to think and feel about their bodies and their sexual behavior from things we do and say — from the way we hold them, talk to them, dress them, teach them the words for their body parts, give them feedback on their behavior, and behave in their presence."

The same group believes that being sexually "different" is the new sexual norm:

"Preteens and teens often spend a great deal of time wondering if they’re “normal”. We can help them understand that it is "normal" for everyone to be different. In fact, the most important lesson we can share with our kids is just that — being different is normal."

What does this mean? If a child feels sexually attracted to a mannequin, that's certainly different, but is that normal??? What are they saying? 

Additional advice...don't limit your talk only about the negative aspects of sex with your children. Focus on the positive too:

"Try not to just talk with your child about the potential negative aspects of sexuality — like sexually transmitted infections. Talk about the positive aspects — like intimacy, mutual respect, sexual pleasure, and health benefits of sex, too. For example, you can talk about the thrill of falling in love with your partner."

I wonder if those positive aspects should be directed toward sex within the context of marriage or not? Maybe telling children that sex within marriage is "different" will become the new normal??? But I guess that would seem to add a different dimension to the whole conversation and bring more traditional values back into the conversation. Maybe that's why Planned Parenthood strongly suggests that parents avoid values centered conversations as a matter of fact when it comes to discourses on sexuality. They provide the following example:

"Take time to understand your own values, feelings, and beliefs. Find a friend who will listen and help you get clear about what you think and feel. Never pretend that your values are facts — for example, “You can’t trust men when it comes to dating,” is not a fact, it is a value. Your children will understand that, and they will stop listening to your values and stop trusting your information."

Now, the example they provide is on point, but replace that with ideals such as "sex before marriage" or "homosexual sex" or "sex with more than one person". It is then revealed that values based education is of no use to advocates like Planned parenthood. 

Then that brings us right back to the schools. According to Planned Parenthood, no matter what you are saying as a parent...you are not as effective without the school or school based sexual education:

"Sex Education in School

Schools can play an important role in teaching kids about sexuality

— even when parents are doing a good job.

Medically accurate school-based programs allow kids to

• get facts about sexuality
• develop and think about their attitudes and values about sexuality
• learn and practice skills, like how to talk about sexuality with their peers
• get answers to questions that they may not want to ask at home

Parents can play an important role in advocating for effective sexuality education in their children’s schools."

Proverbs 22:6 ~ "Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it."

I wonder do these type of things disturb us anymore? I wonder do we have anyone that will advocate for sexual purity and abstinence. To our knowledge, the only one who has ever became pregnant while practicing monogamy gave birth to the savior of the world and didn't have sex prior to that. Abstinence works 100% of the time without failure. Even if a child doesn't choose it, we owe it to them and to God to tell it and teach it consistently.

Blessed!