Someone asked us:
Dear Planned Parenthood- You guys rock. But why can’t my school teach responsibility instead of teaching abstinence? I just think it’s unrealistic. I mean we learn about STD’s and stuff… but I’d rather they teach us how to be street smart and safe instead of just telling us not to have sex. That doesn’t help me. Thank goodness I got you guys. And thank you so much for all the great advice you give.
No, Anonymous, you rock! Thanks for the Tumblr love. We’ll always be here for you!
We totally agree. By providing misinformation and withholding accurate information that young people need in order to make informed choices, abstinence-only programs deny young people life-saving information. Plus they don’t actually reduce unintended pregnancy and STD rates.
We think all young people deserve medically-accurate, age-appropriate, honest information about sex, sexuality, and safe and healthy relationships that can help them make responsible decisions. We think abstinence is a great option, but we also think young people deserve to know about other ways to protect themselves if and when they choose to have sex.
Because so many students don’t have access to comprehensive sexuality education, and because there’s so much misinformation about sex out there, we encourage teens to talk about this stuff with their parents. October is Let’s Talk Month, and we have a bunch of tools and tips for helping families talk. While talking about sex might seem like a really challenging conversation, it’s actually easier than you think.
-Nathan at Planned Parenthood
