Sex Education and the Political Media

In class the past week or two, we have been discussing sex education in schools and the influence of politics on the matter.  As we all know, the media is a huge source of information for many Americans and the political media, especially, has an impact in the way people vote and, therefore, what amendments, laws, politicians, etc. are voted for.  The links below are from two news sources (Fox News and CBS) each of which tend to lean one way, politically, over the the other. 

CBS News - Sex Education Lacking
Fox News - Proposed Sex-Ed Program Shocking and Outraging Parents

So what are your opinions, ladies?
- How far do you think the media goes in influencing public opinion about sex ed?
- What about negative media images about sex (pornography, objectification of women, defining masculinity for men)?  How should these be worked in the discussion of sex in schools?
- Special classes for teachers who will teach sex ed?
- If you were to teach a sex ed class, how would you go about doing it?
- Are there boundaries?
- etc.

Feel free to elaborate or answer in what ever way you please :)

::Maura B.

A Sexy Post About Sex Education & Its Funding

In an article that relates to this week's topic of sex education, we learn that President Obama has passed legislation that will fund abstance-only education with $50 million each year, for the next five years.

During the discussion in class on Wednesday, the women sitting in my row and I were told to converse over the differences between subjects brought up in class in red and blue states. The conclusions we drew were that either way a pregnancy can easily result in shame and ostracization no matter which way the state leant politically. In some ways getting pregnant in a conservative state was easier because if you did what was expected of a parent (keep the child, get married) over time the stigma would pass, but in liberal states, which are more likely to have access to contraceptives and comprehensive sex education, it would be frowned upon because the pregnancy could be viewed as a blatant disregard of the resources provided by the community.

However, in this same bill there is also funding for alternative sex educational programming that will total $75 million + $25 million, so for me (a woman who does not believe that abstinence-only education works) there is some hope. But, the real problem lies with the fact that the government programs instituted to help teens, usually creates packs of ignorant teenagers who have hormones pulsing through their veins who also do not have access birth control contraceptives.
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What are your views on this subject?
In school, what type of sex education did you receive?
If sex education was not a course you could take, was there a given reason?
Do you think the new health care reform funding will do good things for sex education? Bad things?
Any other comments and opinions would be appreciated!


-Claire L.

You choose...

This week we've talked about the three choices that women/teens have when they become pregnant: Parenting, Abortion, and adoption. All of which are not easy decisions to make, but they are the only options that a pregnent teen has. In recent studies (...well...2006 recent) approximately 59% of pregnancies among 15–19-year-olds ended in birth (parenting), and 27% in abortion. That means that 27 out of 100 teen pregnancies usually end in an abortion....This brings me to my main point....

Abortion is a really sensitive subject in present day society. A lot of women/ teens are against abortion for religious/ moral reasons (or just in hopes of keeping the baby's father around), but some actually think that abortion is the best option for themselves. when it comes to teen pregnancy, choosing abortion could be a very difficult decision to make; not only because it terminates the pregnancy, but it also requires parental consent for minors. Telling your parents that you are pregnant can be a difficult task by itself, but telling your parents that you wish to terminate your pregnancy is even more mind boggling. According to an article, "Laws restricting teenagers access to abortion"  ( http://www.aclu.org/reproductive-freedom/laws-restricting-teenagers-access-abortion) the government requiring parental consent for an abortion prevents alot of teens from actually going through with it. Do you think that parental consent is neccessary for a pregnant teen to have an abortion? if so, why do you think that a teen needs parental consent for an abortion, but they do not need parental consent to give their child up for adoption? Do you think that the number of teenage abortions would increase if parental consent was not required? Tell me thoughts about the article...how do you feel about the topic as a whole?...

Simone McGary

Very Different Representations...

After watching quite a few episodes of 16 and Pregnant this semester watching The Business of Being Born was a very interesting juxtaposition of representations of pregnancy and birth. In The Business of Being Born we are presented with women whom are empowered by their bodies and in control of the process of birthing that they experience. In 16 and Pregnant, we are shown a quite different image of women who are shown to be disconnected with their bodies and not given a large amount of choice surrounding the multitude of changes taking place in their very own bodies. I think it is very important for us to think critically of the representations we are being given, to look past what we are seeing on these shows and think of how they are being constructed socially as well as the control the producers and film-makers have in constructing the images we are seeing.

On top of the material we have been watching, the material we are reading this week can also be seen in a lens of social construction, many of the articles in fact are directly addressing this issue, such as the article dissecting the gendered implications in society's construction and women's experience of childbirth.

 In addition to all of this I would like us to consider the implications to the new Bravo television show coming out this April Pregnant in Heels, which is a new reality show about rich expectant mothers in New York City. I want to know what you all think of this representation of pregnancy in conversation with all of the other representations we have seen or read about thus far in class. What does adding this representation mean to our understanding of how pregnancy is represented in pop culture in the US? How do class, race, age and gender play into all of the representations shaping them in different ways? Basically what do you all think??

- Emilia

Adoption and Teen Pregnancy

For this week of 16 and Pregnant, we had the opportunity to witness a teen mom, Lori, go through the adoption process.  Lori was adopted, making her situation quite unique. In the episode, Lori struggles with the decision to either keep her baby or give the child up for an adoption. Part of Lori's difficulty in making a decision comes from the lack of support on her parent's end. However, Lori's desire for a biological family connection plays into her desire to keep her child, but on the other hand, her rocky and unstable relationship with her ex-boyfriend, Corey,  also forces her to consider adoption. It appears that the lack of support from her parents played the biggest role in her decision to give up her child. Lori was featured in an article in People magazine five months after giving up her son. In the article, Lori admits to "reluctantly agreeing to the adoption" and "being forced into this [the adoption]".  Lori eventually admits that her parents had "her best interest in mind" and she now realizes she "was living in a fantasy world".  The article also includes some commentary from Lori's parents.  Lori's mother admits she knew Lori wasn't ready for motherhood and that she and her husband were willing to serve  as grandparents and not actual parenting in the unborn child's life.  Lori's parents were quite financially stable (Her father's an anesthesiologist and her mother is a nurse.) yet less financially stable families have been shown on the show who were much more supportive of their teen daughters keeping their babies.  What do you think contributes to a a more financially stable family being against teen parenting versus a less financially stable family being supportive of teen parenting? 

A  second People article introduced Ashley Wilkens, a seventeen year old teen mom who, like Lori, chose to give her child up for an adoption. Ashley had zero support from her teen father, prompting her to really consider and go along with the adoption process. Unlike Lori's parents, Ashley's mother was quite supportive of her teen parenting her child and in fact, she was quite upset with Ashley's decision to give up her son. Her mother shared "It had a devastating effect on our family...I would have raised that baby". Her reaction and the reaction of Lori's parents  are strikingly different.  Why do you think some parents, like Ashley's, take the decision of their children to give up their children (In an attempt to give their children "better" lives) so deeply and personally?  Caitlyn and Tyler, parents who also chose adoption, faced some harsh reactions from their own parents in giving up their baby girl, Carly, as well. 
-Ashley Boyd

Rebel Without A Cause?

This week, we were required to view Jenelle's episode of 16 & Pregnant, season 2. In her MTV premiere we are introduced to a beach loving daughter of a single mom, who is having the baby of her (unreliable) long-distance boyfriend of three years.

Today, a quick Google of Jenelle Evans brings up a controversial result. In October of 2010, she was caught with cannabis and charged with possession in addition to two other offenses. Ever since, she has been in the public eye.

She has also graced the cover of OK! magazine because her "out of control" antics. 

I placed quotations around out of control because the point of my blog post is to ask the question, where has the line been drawn? Where do we, as viewers, believe we have the right to judge Jenelle for what she chooses to do? Do we justify delving into Jenelle's personal life by saying we are just looking out for her family, her child?

Now, I am not here to defend her actions, but considering everything a teenager has to deal with in addition to giving birth to a child that she was so not ready to prepare for to the point of signing over custody to her mother, Barbara...what would you do? Is this form of rebellion expected, justified, or completely irresponsible? (Or, do you have other questions that you want to answer?)

I want opinions!


-Claire L.

To be?... or not to be? That is the question!

This week's focus was on the issue of teenage fathers. As we learned from the Guest speaker, Mrs. Begg (or previous experiences) many teenage fathers have the option whether or not they should be a good father. Most teenage fathers barely know/ understand what it takes to actually be a "good father". Thanks to modern day society a lot of fathers look at parenting as an option rather than a priority or responsibility. Not saying that this is the case with every teenage father, but because of the way society is shaped teenage fathers seem to carry on less responsibility than the teenage mother. The mother is viewed as the primary care provider, while the father is viewed as the secondary. The mother is the nurturer, while the father is the "bread winner".

Just from watching episodes of 16 and pregnant, one can see that it takes a lot more than just money to raise a child (although finances are very important aspects of raising children). According to a recent study, cited in an article featured in Time magazine (http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1074862-2,00.html), many teenage fathers are trying to become more involved in their child's life. The issue is that many of the teenage fathers are still confused of what it actually takes to be a "good father". Society has brainwashed many of these young fathers to believe that in order to become a good father they must financially provide for their child (as if that is the only responsibility that they have when it comes to raising a child).   

What do you think it takes to be considered a "good father"? Do you think that society's expectations of fatherhood will prevent young fathers from being good Dads? let me know what you guys think.

Simone McGary

Maternal Health in Developing Countries

"Your body is a wrapped lollipop.  When you have sex with a man, he unwraps your lollipop and sucks on it.  It may feel great at the time, but, unfortunately, when he's done with you, all you have left for your next partner is a poorly wrapped, saliva-fouled sucker."

The above quote is from a speaker at the George W. Bush AIDS campaign in Western Africa.  In an attempt to eliminate AIDS from the region the Bush administration launched a "Don't be a sucker! Save Sex for Marriage!" campaign.  The idea of the campaign was that AIDS had been a result of "promiscuity" on the part of African women.  However, as one African woman, who had worked as a prostitute and then married said, "I got AIDS later, from my husband.  In the brothel, I always used condoms. But when I married I didn't use them.  A woman with a husband is in much more danger than a girl in a brothel."

What are your thoughts? Please feel free to add anything.  I got my information above from the book Half the Sky by Nicholas Kristoff and Sheryl WuDunn.

::Maura

Gender Roles and Their Effect on Sexual Health, Pregnancy and Parenting

Much of the content we read for this week as well as the episodes we watched showcase gender as an important influencing factor with regard to sexual health, pregnancy and parenting. From watching Markai's or Felicia's episodes we can visually see the gender roles at play, allowing Alex to play a minimal part in Felicia's pregnancy and birth (even leaving the hospital shortly after Felicia gave birth to their beautiful daughter Genesis) and the attempt to put the financial burden solely on James even though he is unemployed throughout all of the episode. We see over and over again women dealing with most if not the whole burden of pregnancy and parenting. Another example being Susan Carter's situation in the chapter from Kaplan's book Not Our Kind of Girl that we read this week, with Susan's boyfriend Joney being completely nonexistent in both of his children's lives. 

Additionally we see the effects of gender explicitly on sexual health and becoming pregnant in Varga's article "How Gender Roles Influence Sexual and Reproductive Health among South African Adolescents". I found this article especially striking because I do not see the situation in the United States as being all that different. I see sexual encounters and dating with the same gendered expectations and with the exception of women's access to the pill, the most widely used types of birth control are generally up to the men to use. 

Interestingly enough after reflecting on that common theme I found an article titled "Engaging Men As Partners in Reproductive Health". According to this article, "Gender influences women's and men's health in fundamental ways, and traditional ideas about gender can place both women's and men's health at risk". Because of this fact the Engender Health organization is seeking to implement sexual health education programs that keep this premise at the fore front of their teaching. They observed a huge chunk missing out of current sex education programs and are seeking to right that wrong. In my opinion this framework allows for real progress to be made in how adolescents negotiate sexually with each other, which very well could lead to better sexual health decision making and better dating practices in general.

I also found this image while looking for something visual to put up and well I feel like I've already rambled enough but how about this for gender roles effecting our notion of pregnancy. Since especially teen men are thought of as nonexistent from their pregnant female partners this image seems just very interesting. Not to mention the idea of teen pregnancy as "disturbing".

Emilia M.

Why don't some of the "higher risk" females become teen moms?

Click and read me please C:

Mini Summary

The article linked in this post dives into a few pertinent issues related to our FAVORITE topic….TEEN PREGNANCY!  The writer examines the “cost” of teen pregnancy, being education in this case. According to the article, statistics indicate “only 40% of teen moms…finish high school” and only “23 percent earn a GED”.  Less teen moms attend institutions of high education. Due to less education, thus decreasing the chances of a teen mom obtaining jobs with good benefits and a reasonable income, teen moms will often pass their own hardships to their children. Thus some teen moms create a cycle of early pregnancy and poverty for future generations.  The article indicated daughters of teen moms are “three times’ more likely to become teen moms.

     This article did strike a personal chord with me. My mother became a teen mom when she gave birth to me at 16. She did drop out of high school, but she did get a GED [matching up with some of the statistics in this article]. However, she did go to college and obtained a four year degree. Unlike my mom, I did not become a teen mom. According to the article and statistically speaking, I was three times more likely to become a teen mom, but I didn't!

     Obviously many teen pregnancies are occurring for a number of factors including a lack of or an incorrect use of contraceptives. However, I would like to explore what factors may contribute to females who statistically are at a higher risk for becoming teen moms, avoiding that expectation or NOT becoming teen moms. What are your thoughts?  

Ashley B. 

practice link

daisy

Linking things

16 and pregnant logo:

Should Mizzou get a real tiger?

Reasons Mizzou should get a real tiger:
1. Setting a tiger loose on campus will make people hurry to class and not dilly dally.
2. A tiger would offer good protection against other wild animals such as lions, bears and jayhawks.
3. A tiger would grrr-eat!

What do you guys think?