pamp@bcsaic.UUCP (pam pincha) (09/11/85)
In article <11440@rochester.UUCP> ray@rochester.UUCP (Ray Frank) writes: >> In article <30381@lanl.ARPA> sas@lanl.ARPA writes: >> > Abortion is not the problem, it is the symptom of a problem. >> > >> > A lot of discussion has occured recently about moral issues >> >surrounding sex. Unfortunately this is an important issue in the >> >abortion debate. What attitudes about sex, if globally held, might >> >yeild a society without abortion? >> ----------------------------------------------------------------------- >> If one looks at the societies where abortion is significantly >> lower than here, the one fact that stands out is not the >> depression of sex or sexual attitudes --BUT AN INFORMED SEXUAL >> ATTITUDE. Meaning there is a wealth of information available >> and a emphasis on the responsibilities it entails. There is also >> birth control methods available to anyone requesting it. >> In short sex is not hidden, nor is its responsibilities taken >> lightly. Our society in the US still has a lot to learn along >> those lines. P.M.Pincha -------------------------------------------------------------------------- >You started your posting mentioning the moral issues surrounding sex, and then >avoided the subject like the plague. I didn't say anything about the moral issues other than include an earlier posting to which I was replying. I was pointing out some existing attitudes in other countries. >It is certainly typical to avoid the issue >of sexuality and promiscuity, after all, bottom line, isn't sexuality the >reason for abortions, VD, etc? Does it hurt to much to discuss the reasons >why our society feels it must have as much sex as possible with many partners? >America has gone sex crazy in the past 15 years...... >Kids know more about sexuality today then ever (see below) >before. You say that countries with more information about sex has fewer >abortions, would you please expound on this. Do those countries also have >similar abortion laws as the US? In general, more liberal laws. > I'll give you a counter point concerning some >'enlightened' countries. In Denmark and Sweden, they have the highest >teen suicide rate in the world. These particular countries happen to be >very sexually liberated. In all the studies concerning teenage suicide, I've rarely heard that sexuality was the major contributer. One does not imply the other. In fact it is more likely the push to suceed in school, and just general stress, that seems to be more of the factor. (Another note, these countries have the highest suicide rates anyway...part of it maybe more towards the long, dark, dreary winters for it has been shown that the lack of sunlight promotes high depression rates. Check on studies of Eskimos,Swedes, Alaska and remote Canada. Having lived in such places, i know first hand it's a problem.) > In this country since the middle 60's, the teen >suicide rate has tripled. I've read where some authorities on the phenomena of >teen suicide have in part connected it with the phenomena of the sexual revolut-ion. This may or may not be true, all the evidence is not in yet. But if it >is true, how will we then deal with sexuality? More information? The recent info I've found is that this may be more a result of the stress and anxieties teens have today. Large on the list is nuclear war, peer pressure, and school. One might blame the "have-it-right-now" attitude that our society has been putting acrossed. Another factor you have neglected is the the Veitnam war. This was a high stress factor during the middle 60's especially for teens. The rate seems to have dropped after the war. It has been getting a lot worse in the last few years as the threat of nuclear war goes up. In short, what I am saying is that THERE ARE MANY FACTORS CONTRIBUTING TO TEENAGE SUICIDE !!!!!! The "sexual revolution" isn't the major factor! > People do >have sex, they do fall in some sort of love with each other and want full >physical gratification, but it seems more prevelent today, that the word >'love' is so overly used as a means to an end that it has been relegated to >the level of a cliche. Slam bam thank ya mame, isn't 'love' wonderful uh, uh, >what did you say your name was again? Somehow I cannot believe that a lot >of people don't walk away from these spontaneous 'love' encounters feeling >like a sack of shit, you know, kind of used and worthless. Like the lyrics to >the song says: "Is that all there is?" Of course that is not ALL there is. And granted, advertising isn't helping things but if you look around you ,you will find that what you stated above is not necessarily how the world is operating. Actually there is a definite trend towards a more MATURE approach to sex and relationships (and love).(Notice: you have to look past the advertising haze first.) To get back to the problem area, teenage sex, the premise that these dears know more about sex than ever is regretably FALSE! That's just the problem. What they know and what they think they know is the problem. A lot of them still think you can't get pregnant the first time you have sex!(Sigh. Will that old myth never die?) Even advertising just confuses the issue. Information AND a teaching of a responsible approach to one's own actions is what I was pointing out. Note: I AM NOT saying every one should jump into bed with each other. (Such a silly idea!) What I am saying is that there should be enough information (valid information) available to make the choice -- not trying to hide,or censor it all. There seems to be too much of the "Let's go back to the old days, when white was white, and everyone knew what was right!" Sorry. That won't work. It was never that way. Just like the myth that there was no illicite sex in the old days. MORE ROTTEN SITUATIONS ARE PERPETUATED BY THE IGNORANT THAN BY THOSE WITH KNOWLEDGE. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ P.M.Pincha-Wagener