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Should public organizations and schools distribute condoms?
Results so far:
| Yes | 60% | 1315 votes | Total: 2174 votes | |
| No | 40% | 859 votes |
Yes
by margaret hillcroft
Created on: October 23, 2008
Times have changed. Like it or not, since the sexual revolution of the 1960's which , with the arrival of the contraceptive pill marked the arrival of a much more liberal and open attitude to matters sexual, we have behaved like a load of school kids in toy shop. Sex has become a source of entertainment, marketing and media fodder in all departments and in all genres. Pandoras box has been opened and there is no way we can get the lid back on.
Had we considered the effect all this sexual permissiveness and openness would have on our children we might have thought twice before exploiting this energy so ruthlessly. We did not and we have spawned a generation of young people who have been thoroughly informed about sexual behaviour in adults since the day they first picked up a newspaper or watched a tv show, even if censorship denied them the explicit details. How can we, in all honesty, now start moralising and judging the sexual behaviour of teenagers?
Sexual energy is the most powerful energy, especially at the time of adolescence and it is right that children will indulge in and experiment with sexual interaction with thier peers. It is right that they are not filled with feelings of guilt or shame about this because these can stay and mar loving relationships in the future. It is important that the adults they rely upon to guide them through this period in their lives are non-judgmental sensible and frank about sexual matters. It is, after all where we all came from and is as natural as breathing. Given that young adolescents are going to have sexual encounters, why not give them access to contraceptives ?
When I look back at friends who were forced by their parents to have abortions, the worry each month that there might have been an "accident" and the shame that todays teenage mothers have to endure at a time when they most need the worlds support, I think it is time that ALL the puritanical shame and guilt attached to sexual activity are eradicated forever. It is NORMAL to have sex, it is NORMAL to have babies. It is how we are made. Contraception is a blessing because it enables us to excercise responsible choice over conception. Why should sexually active teenagers not be encouraged to take advantage of condoms? They often prevent untimely pregnancies and protect from sexually transmitted diseases including AIDS
If we were too open in the past about what some may consider a private business, we cannot turn the clocks back. Our only option is to support our children and help them greet their emerging sexuality and teach them how to use these energies respectfully. A return to Victorian sexual repressiveness would surely be detrimental.
We must also have faith in our children! Yes, they are having sex at a younger age than we did. Yes, they do not equate sex with romance in quite the same way as we did. They do not all want to get married like we did! Yet, in the midst of all the moral caos in which we live there is a growing number of teenagers who are CHOOSING, not from guilt or fear of reprisal, to remain virginal until they are in a committed relationship. This shows that they can develop thier own moral standards just as we did in our time.
To have contraceptives in schools and public places is a really positive move and far better than sneaking off to a public toilet! Sex is not a toilet matter! It is a creative thing! It does not undermine parental authority. Find me a parent who does not have a "no go" area from which they wish to protect their child, like riding on a motorbike, using a computer or drinking alchohol. What the parents can do is ensure their children are given no nosense facts, wise guidance and unconditional acceptance. Parents are not always right and they must recognise their child has to find their own path to adulthood, which will be much easier without the guilt of"illicit" sex or the pressures and commitment of premature parenthood.
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No
by Elizabeth A. Marion
Created on: June 06, 2010
Teens will experiment with sex and the concern over the spread of STDs is not a concern that should be taken lightly. Most would agree with that, but whether schools distributing condoms is appropriate and effective is up for some discussion.
Schools already do what they can to address these issues by providing students with an education on STDs and condom use. Most teens who engage in sex are aware of the dangers of STDs and the importance of using protection. Distributing condoms at school can be effective in getting students to use condoms who would not have done so otherwise, but what are the other effects of this? For one thing, the school is encouraging and helping students engage in illegal activity since underage sex is against the law. Schools can give them condoms to engage in sex, but can't keep them from being charged for breaking the law. So in other words the government is giving the students the means to go against the law, but also holding them accountable for breaking the law.
Passing out condoms at school is also effective in taking away more responsibility from the student. One of the arguments in support of school distributed condoms is that students will feel more comfortable getting a condom from school than getting a condom from a store. Do we really want schools to have that attitude? That students should never have to do anything that makes them uncomfortable? Should we excuse those students from having to give school presentations who are too shy to do so? Should we stop giving tests to those students who say that tests make them uncomfortable? Someone who is too immature to be able to go into a store and purchase a condom is not mature enough for sex. By distributing condoms at school we are sending the message that it is still okay to have sex even if you don't have that level of maturity.
The other aspect of this issue is whether or not it is appropriate for schools to distribute condoms. It is inappropriate for several reasons. First of all it does encourage students to go ahead and have sex. Many parents would not want that message to be sent to their children, but it seems that they no longer have that choice. As usual, the government is sure that they know better than the parents. It is also inappropriate because it is a gross mismanagement of taxpayer money. Taxpayer money should not be used to help schools distribute condoms by going behind the backs of students parents. It also should not be used to pay for the choices of individuals. If someone chooses to have sex and chooses to use a condom, why should taxpayer money pay for that? Why is it acceptable that entitlement programs have gotten so out of hand that people aren't even expected to buy their own condoms?
Our schools teach students about the dangers of STDs, then they treat the students as if they incompetent with condom distribution by assuming that they are not smart enough to have learned anything about STDs. If they know what the risks are they will know the importance of protected sex. And they should bear the responsibility of having the maturity to buy their own condoms. If they want to play like adults, they should be able to handle some of the responsibilities that come with it.
Learn more about this author, Elizabeth A. Marion.
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