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Not real education unless schools teach kids about sex

   Families are again shopping for pencils, notebooks, backpacks and other back to school basics for the start of another school year. While we trust that these tools will contribute to success in the three Rs, many teens will again be denied basic sex education, leaving them vulnerable to unintended pregnancy and sexually transmitted infection.
   For all the great books our kids will read, the math equations solved and the scientific theories tested, it is what happens outside of the classroom that can be dangerous to young people. Students promulgate their own theories about sex in the halls, on the bus and in the locker room. They are eager for honest information. If they don’t get it, they will be susceptible to myths like “chewing spearmint gum can prevent you from getting pregnant.”
   New York’s high teen pregnancy and sexually transmitted infection rates prove that students are not getting the information they need to make good decisions about sex. A bad grade on a homework assignment can be overcome, but there are some life choices which cannot be done over. An unintended pregnancy has serious long-term implications for teens and families. A sexually transmitted infection can impact a person’s entire life. So why aren’t we giving students the education they need to make good life decisions?
   Whether our students will make good grades this year is only half the battle. Will they make healthy choices for themselves? Do they have the skills to handle the social pressures surrounding drugs, alcohol and sex? Do they have the knowledge and confidence to make the right decisions? Are schools and parents partnering to educate and empower our students in these areas — as they do with the three Rs?
   As we usher in a new school year, many parents are having important conversations with their children about the social choices they will face. Unfortunately, not all families have these conversations. Our schools have a direct interest — and a responsibility — to ensure that young people receive basic information about their sexual health. But right now, not all schools have the resources to do this.
   As we strive to ensure that schools meet the academic needs of our students, we must also make sure that teens have the life skills to put these lessons to good use. Good sex educations programs stress that abstinence is the best way to stay safe and healthy, but also provide information about contraception and the prevention of sexually transmitted infections. This is information that most people will need at some point in their lives.
   It is irresponsible for New York to begin yet another school year without providing comprehensive sex education. With nearly 40,000 teen pregnancies annually, New York still has a lot to learn
   JOANN M. SMITH
   Albany
The writer is president and CEO for Family Planning Advocates of New York State.


   Abortion is simply a non-issue with regard to hospital closures, affiliations and mergers. No hospital is required by law to provide abortion, and more than 90 percent of all abortions take place in Planned Parenthood clinics and other medical settings, not hospitals. Hospitals, like physicians, are increasingly expressing their “choice” not to engage in the abortion business. Does Mr. Drisgula wish to deny hospitals their “freedom of choice?”
   Abortion is an unnatural act that stops a beating heart and destroys the life of a developing unborn child. Abortion advocates, like Drisgula, seek one thing — respectability for a procedure everybody knows is unworthy of respect.
   KATHLEEN M. GALLAGHER
   Albany
The writer is director of Pro-Life Activities, New York State Catholic Conference.

  
  
  

Remember when people used to say he/she has the BigC??? No one wanted to talk about it.....now here we are talking about abortion like pregnancy was the BigC...I dont get it.....someone help me here.......

If you dont know/understand how you became PREGNANT--or how you IMPREGNATED someone---consider yourselves dogs at best.....

and look at the statement I just wrote----no pronouns---how PC of me,,,,maybe this is how the issue of pregnancy and how it happens gets all confused....the feminists/gays/planned parenthood talk equality,,,I beg to differ here.....

the WOMAN carries the BABY, has BREASTS with MILK to FEED the BABY..........the MAN left the SPERM......end of story,,,unless it goes back to who paid for dinner.......

Planned Parenthood----what an oxymoron----maybe explain it like being in the 'hood'.......that is enough to scare anyone away......