|
Under the guise of a pluralistic society, liberals
for years have argued that freedom of choice necessitates everything from
a right to abortion to smutty television. Now a group of moms
in Osseo, Minnesota, have used that argument to get their public school
system to offer an abstinence-based sex education curriculum to students.
According to an article in World magazine
parents grew concerned about the singular "safer-sex" nature of the school
system's sex-ed message. Some moms felt that Osseo, a large
suburb of Minneapolis, needed a message of abstinence instead.
At first, attempts to change the normal "use condom"
sex-ed approach into an abstinence-based curriculum ran into problems.
The foes of traditional views on human sexuality had supporters with deep
pockets, namely Planned Parenthood and its ilk.
|
So these moms on a mission decided to create an alternative
lesson plan based on abstinence, rather than trying to replace the "safer
sex" message. Now it was the traditionalists arguing for freedom
of choice, and their message of a more diverse offering for students gained
favor in the eves of the school district. The message from
these involved parents was simple: "Right now, you're only meeting the
needs of students who are sexually active. But 51% of our students
choose to be abstinent. These kids need support, too.
What are you doing to address their needs?"
The school system liked the idea, and agreed to let
parents select either sex-ed track for their own children starting this
fall. Already almost half of Osseo's junior high and a third
of its senior high students have signed up for the abstinence curriculum.
World, 9/11/99
|