I just read a letter-to-the-editor in The Columbus Dispatch which got my blood boiling some, and I felt the need to respond with a letter of my own. It likely won't get published because it's a tad longer than the paper typically likes it, but in any case, I thought I'd share it with readers. Here it is:
This letter is in response to the June 26th letter-to-the-editor, written by Wendy Kirk, and titled "Our society makes sex too easy for kids."
Ms. Kirk starts her letter by saying, "Why do we as a society fight so hard for our children to have sex?"
I think that's exaggerating matters just a touch. It's not like parents all across the country have formed a group by the name of "We Want Our Kids to Get Laid Soon." So, what evidence is there of this claim?
The writer then followed that with this:
"In some states and schools, kids as young as 9 are required to have the Gardasil vaccine, which is supposed to prevent cancers that usually result only from sex."
I'm glad she brought that up, as a study was just released on June 19th which reported the following:
"Infections with the human papillomavirus tied to cervical cancer fell by more than half in U.S. teen girls after the HPV vaccine was introduced in 2006..."
The writer then went on to say this:
"Additionally, a recent USA Today editorial claimed that allowing girls as young as 15 to acquire 'Plan B' contraceptives without a prescription was a 'victory for science.' So it is acceptable for a 15-year-old girl to be exploited and used, as long as she can prevent pregnancy afterward?"
All this columnist was saying is that the ruling was a victory for science over politics. Science shows that if a woman is raped, she's able to decrease the chance of pregnancy by 89% if she takes the morning-after pill within 24 hours of the rape. That's scientific evidence to showcase that Plan B is effective in such dire circumstances. For a welcome change, doctors' and scientists' data was victorious over political talking points and bumper-sticker slogans.
Ms. Kirk then continued the piece by saying this:
"And there are a variety of opinions about the Boy Scouts' recent decision to allow gay Scouts, although no one seems to question why an organization for boys should be encouraging exploration of sex and sexuality at all."
How did the BSA's (Boy Scouts of America's) decision to allow gay Scouts encourage "exploration of sex and sexuality?" Why does one group's fight for equal rights seem to translate to "extra-benefits" for them or encourage like behavior of others? When women fought for equal rights and attained them, was this encouraging men to explore the possibility of a sex-change operation? When African-Americans fought for equal rights and attained them, was this encouraging Anglo-Americans to lay in the sun to the point of contracting skin cancer? No, of course not. These are all ridiculous arguments. Like women and minorities of the past, homosexuals are simply fighting for equal rights, and slowly but surely, they're reaching that point.
The writer closes with this - "...I still want to know why adults, who should have more wisdom and maturity, are fighting so hard for kids to be able to act this way."
Again, how are wanting to reduce women's cancer risks, wanting to prevent unwanted pregnancies and abortions (possibly through the horrid act of rape), and wanting to provide equal rights for gay Boy Scouts examples of adults "fighting so hard for kids to be able to act this way?" Such adults are "wise" to know that regardless of how well we teach and raise our kids, they're the ones whom will have to make the decisions in the end. Such adults are "wise" to know that our kids will become sexually curious no matter how much we've tried to shield them from it. Such adults are "wise" to want to provide our kids with the best education possible, so they become more apt to making the right decisions, being ultimately prepared for life as adults and more inclined to follow in our footsteps and become "wise" adults as well.
http://www.nbcnews.com/health/hpv-infections-fell-half-teen-girls-after-vaccine-study-shows-6C10378279
http://www.dispatch.com/content/stories/editorials/2013/06/26/1-our-society-makes-sex-too-easy-for-kids.html
This letter is in response to the June 26th letter-to-the-editor, written by Wendy Kirk, and titled "Our society makes sex too easy for kids."
Ms. Kirk starts her letter by saying, "Why do we as a society fight so hard for our children to have sex?"
I think that's exaggerating matters just a touch. It's not like parents all across the country have formed a group by the name of "We Want Our Kids to Get Laid Soon." So, what evidence is there of this claim?
The writer then followed that with this:
"In some states and schools, kids as young as 9 are required to have the Gardasil vaccine, which is supposed to prevent cancers that usually result only from sex."
I'm glad she brought that up, as a study was just released on June 19th which reported the following:
"Infections with the human papillomavirus tied to cervical cancer fell by more than half in U.S. teen girls after the HPV vaccine was introduced in 2006..."
The writer then went on to say this:
"Additionally, a recent USA Today editorial claimed that allowing girls as young as 15 to acquire 'Plan B' contraceptives without a prescription was a 'victory for science.' So it is acceptable for a 15-year-old girl to be exploited and used, as long as she can prevent pregnancy afterward?"
All this columnist was saying is that the ruling was a victory for science over politics. Science shows that if a woman is raped, she's able to decrease the chance of pregnancy by 89% if she takes the morning-after pill within 24 hours of the rape. That's scientific evidence to showcase that Plan B is effective in such dire circumstances. For a welcome change, doctors' and scientists' data was victorious over political talking points and bumper-sticker slogans.
Ms. Kirk then continued the piece by saying this:
"And there are a variety of opinions about the Boy Scouts' recent decision to allow gay Scouts, although no one seems to question why an organization for boys should be encouraging exploration of sex and sexuality at all."
How did the BSA's (Boy Scouts of America's) decision to allow gay Scouts encourage "exploration of sex and sexuality?" Why does one group's fight for equal rights seem to translate to "extra-benefits" for them or encourage like behavior of others? When women fought for equal rights and attained them, was this encouraging men to explore the possibility of a sex-change operation? When African-Americans fought for equal rights and attained them, was this encouraging Anglo-Americans to lay in the sun to the point of contracting skin cancer? No, of course not. These are all ridiculous arguments. Like women and minorities of the past, homosexuals are simply fighting for equal rights, and slowly but surely, they're reaching that point.
The writer closes with this - "...I still want to know why adults, who should have more wisdom and maturity, are fighting so hard for kids to be able to act this way."
Again, how are wanting to reduce women's cancer risks, wanting to prevent unwanted pregnancies and abortions (possibly through the horrid act of rape), and wanting to provide equal rights for gay Boy Scouts examples of adults "fighting so hard for kids to be able to act this way?" Such adults are "wise" to know that regardless of how well we teach and raise our kids, they're the ones whom will have to make the decisions in the end. Such adults are "wise" to know that our kids will become sexually curious no matter how much we've tried to shield them from it. Such adults are "wise" to want to provide our kids with the best education possible, so they become more apt to making the right decisions, being ultimately prepared for life as adults and more inclined to follow in our footsteps and become "wise" adults as well.
http://www.nbcnews.com/health/hpv-infections-fell-half-teen-girls-after-vaccine-study-shows-6C10378279
http://www.dispatch.com/content/stories/editorials/2013/06/26/1-our-society-makes-sex-too-easy-for-kids.html
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