Huh?
Posted by Administrator on March 13, 2008
We are not inclined to criticize the Charleston Gazette very often. After all, they are kind enough to publish several of the op-ed’s we have submitted. Besides, like them or hate them, they are the largest newspaper in West Virginia.But, in light of the Family Voice post yesterday, we found today’s editorial interesting.
What was interesting to me was not that the Gazette has now managed to squeeze the words “fundamentalist” and “puritanical” into at least 4 editorials over the past 2 weeks. What was interesting was this conclusory line:
In addition to abstinence lectures, youths need practical, commonsense, matter-of-fact instruction about birth control and disease prevention.
Much could be made of this line, I suppose. First, the obvious irony is that IF we as parents managed to instruct our youths to abstain until marriage, both the teen pregnancy rate and percentage of sexually transmitted diseases would plummet. This, of course, would also require that parents, rather than professional educators and government social workers, assume the lion’s share of the sex education of their children.
Second, if we as a society would treat the act of sex as something to be treasured, rather something to be shared as casually as a handshake, perhaps we would see a growing reluctance in teens toward premarital sex.
But, I rather like that the author of that op-ed chose the word “commonsense” to describe the type of instruction needed to lower teen pregnancy and the spread of STD’s. Perhaps a simple syllogism will illustrate just how commonsense abstinence is for both of those issues.
STD’s are contracted by having sex with more than one partner. Abstinence means having no sex until doing so only with one’s spouse. Therefore, if one practices abstinence, one cannot contract an STD.
Teen pregnancy results from teens having sex. Abstinence means having no sex until doing so only with one’s spouse. Therefore, those teens who abstain will not have a teen pregnancy.
What could be more commonsense about that?
