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E-mail: editor@dailyemerald.com
Online: www.dailyemerald.com
Monday, January 26,2004
Oregon Daily Emerald
COMMENTARY
Editor in Chief:
Brad Schmidt
Managing Editor
Jan Tobias Montry
Editorial Editor:
Travis Willse
EDITORIAL
Teaching only
abstinence
is insufficient,
irresponsible
"Everybody an' their mamma preaching abstinence, these
Kids ain't checking for absti-shit
So put a condom in their hand and hope it don't bust"
— Coolio, “Too Hot"
Several comments and suggestions that Bush made in his
State of the Union speech last week are likely to stir contro
versy among pundits and laymen alike in the months lead
ing up to the 2004 presidential election.
One such initiative was the notoriously ineffective and
downright moronic idea of abstinence-only sex education
— which, in an age when more and more teenagers are hav
ing sex at earlier ages, would produce frightening and unin
tended results.
Abstinence-only sex education, as opposed to traditional
forms of sex education, portrays abstinence as the only
moral thing to do before marriage and ignores any infor
mation about contraception that could protect against preg
nancy and sexually transmitted diseases.
Abstinence-only instruction is wholly based on die as
sumption that every single teenager receiving the education
will be morally correct enough to respond to the intense
barrage of hormones and confusion that accompanies pu
berty in a way that morality prescribes. Biologically, that is
oft a dim hope.
Conversely, Planned Parenthood defines "comprehensive
sex education" as ^ige- and developmentally appropriate
education that includes a variety of topics related to human
development, relationships, personal skills, sexual behav
ior, sexual health, and society and culture. It teaches that ab
stinence is the best method for avoiding STDs and unin
tended pregnancy, but also provides information about
condoms and contraception."
Comprehensive sex education, while seemingly tedious
as a young person, is scientifically proven to be more effec
tive than abstinence-only forms of education. According to
the National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy, the teen
pregnancy rate in America is actually decreasing while the
rate of contraceptive use among those who are having sex
at young ages is increasing — further evidence that correct
use of contraceptives is working to lower the troubling rates
of teen pregnancy.
Clearly, traditional forms of sex education just make
sense. It is completely unreasonable to assume that all
teenagers will adopt abstinence-only morals in an age
when authority seems like a joke. While abstinence-only
may seem like a good idea, without a working knowl
edge of how to practice safe sex, the teenagers who don't
practice abstinence will be at a high risk for pregnancy
and sexually transmitted diseases. And endangering
teenagers with an entire life ahead of them shouldn't be
the aim of the federal government, especially one headed
by a president who preaches "no child left behind" on a
regular basis.
One way to alleviate the sex education debate in this
country would be for parents to stop complaining about
how schools teach about sex and just do it themselves.
Have honest conversations about sex with your teenagers,
whether you focus on abstinence or the importance of
birth control. Answer their questions. Give them advice.
Be parents.
EDITORIAL POLICY
This editorial represents the opinion of the Emerald
editorial board. Responses can be sent to letters
@dailyemerald.com. Letters to the editor and guest
commentaries are encouraged. Letters are limited
to 250 words and guest commentaries to 550 words.
Authors are limited to one submission per calendar
month. Submission must include phone number and
address for verification. The Emerald reserves the right
to edit for space, grammar and style..
(More real than reality
Eric Layton Illustrator
I don't watch reality television. It sad
dens me a bit, but I'll never be able to an
swer a Trivial Pursuit question about "Sur
vivor," "Fear Factor," "The Bachelor," "Joe
Millionaire," or "My Big Fat Obnoxious Fi
ance." The problem is, something about
these shows makes me uncomfortable.
Perhaps the/re too real — maybe peo
ple really do need to traumatize their rela
tives for money, or maybe having a bunch
of television producers line up a selection
of mates is just a modem improvement on
the age-old business of matchmaking.
It's possible.
It's also possible that they're not real
enough. The hoops these people are asked
to jump through are often silly, frequently
humiliating and — from what I've seen
during bouts of channel surfing — incred
ibly pointless.
Mind you, I myself engage in pointless
activities.
From time to time, I find that sleep and I
are to be only distantly acquainted. Mid
night 1 a.m. and 2 a.m. pass without much
concern, but when 3 a.m. comes (and goes)
without a significant increase in the weight
of my eyelids, I usually decide that action is
required. like any normal person still in the
throes of New Year's Resolution #14 (get
more exercise), I decide that the solution to
my wakefulness lies at the gym.
I usually spend an hour or two hoping
that the threat of going out into the pre-dawn
cold will persuade my circadian rhythms to
beat out a sleepy tune Sometimes it works.
When it doesn't I drag out my tennis shoes,
gather up my car keys and venture out into
the company of 5 a.m. freaks.
Yes, you heard me — freaks. How else
would you characterize people who — in
the middle of winter — decide to leave the
cozy comfort of their sleep-warmed beds
Jessica Cole-Hodgkinson
Huh? What? Really.
in order to exercise?
Once among the freaks, I scope out a
treadmill, hit the start button, and start to
go — nowhere. Can't you just smell the
irony? The woman who protests pointless
television pointlessly expends energy going
nowhere, and not even particularly fast.
But it's not an entirely pointless endeav
or. From where I patiently tick off the laps,
I can watch the goings-on of my compan
ions-in-toil. Reality television has nothing
on these folks.
On my most recent trip, I first watched
Biker Man — a fifty-something fellow, with
a flame tattoo up his calf and graying hair
bound in Willie Nelson braids — deter
minedly climb up his StairMaster. I'd have
found him only mildly interesting but for
the Grandma Woman who took up the ma
chine beside him. She was a 70-something
little old lady with a butt flatter than a legal
writing pad. Nevertheless, there she was,
climbing her stairway to heaven. The con
trast between them was marked, but I was
far more interested in what they had in com
mon. Each wore an identical expression of
disgust discomfort and determination. The
external packaging may have been different
but underneath, I was seeing kindred spirits.
While this unlikely pair was good for a
few laps, my attention was soon caught by
another gym personage — Perfect Man.
Somehow, this fellow managed to look
natty in a tracksuit — perhaps it was the
way his collar turned up, the pristine
whiteness of his socks or maybe just the
identical length of all his shoelaces.
He masterfully mounted one of those new
machines that simulate uphill cross-country
skiing. He put it on the steepest setting and r
then proceeded to slide away at the same
brisk pace for most of an hour. If he sweated,
I didn't see it If his breath became labored, I *
didn't notice Mostly, I puttered along com
pleting my laps knowing that I was in the
presence of a god. I was suitably humbled.
I might have stayed that way had it not
been for the arrival of Beauty Queen
Woman. At just after 5 a.m. this only-recent
ly-old-enough-to-drink female entered the
gym. I noticed her immediately — as did
most of the male population. She was tall,
tan and blonde — which is probably why
the men were looking. I, however, was
caught up in the utter fascination of a scien
tist who has just discovered a new species.
She wasn't wearing workout clothes, she
was wearing an ensemble. Her hair wasn't
ponytailed, it was coifed. More amazingly
— and I swear it's true — her face was
decked out in full maquillage. This girl did
n't just get out of bed at an incredibly early
hour to exercise, she got up even earlier to
primp first. She wasn't just your average
freak — she was a Rick James Super Freak.
Compare that to eating rats, drinking
blood or dating strangers on national tele
vision. Perhaps I don't watch reality televi
sion because reality is far more interesting.
Contact the columnist at
jessicacolehodgkinson@dailyemerald.com.
Her opinions do not necessarily represent
those of the Emerald.
ONLINE POLL
Each week, the Emerald
publishes the results of the
previous week’s poll and the
coming week’s poll question.
Last question: Which of the
eight Democratic candidates’
views most closely match
your own?
Results: Fifty-three votes.
• Wesley Clark: 22.7 percent
or 12 votes.
• Howard Dean: 17.0
percent or 9 votes.
• John Kerry: 17.0 percent or
9 votes.
• Dennis Kucinich: 13.2
percent or 7 votes.
• Al Sharpton: 11.3 percent
or 6 votes.
• John Edwards: 9.4 percent
or 5 votes.
• Joe Lieberman: 9.4
percent or 5 votes
• Dick Gephardt: 0.0 percent
or 0 votes.
This week: What’s your vote
on Measure 30?
Choices: Yes, I don't want
my tuition to go up; Yes, I
value the state services that
are at risk; No, I don't want
to pay more in taxes; No,
The state should be able to
manage the budget as it
stands; .1 didn't vote,..