Who Needs Education? (Besides, well, everybody...)
Purity Myth- Part Deux
Ok. I love this book (“The Purity Myth” by Jessica Valenti), but this second part (Chapters 6-9) was hard to read. I read chapters 6 & 7 before going to sleep. That was probably not a great choice, as the rape stories basically haunted my dreams. Anyway…
Chapter 6- “Legislating Sexuality” opens with a quote from a former (thank god) senator. The quote is atrocious and infuriating. It is a strong hint of what is to come in the next few chapters. When asked “what kind of woman should be ‘allowed’ to have an abortion”, former South Dakota Senator, Bill Napoli said the following:
“A real-life description to me would be a rape victim, brutally raped, savaged. The girl was a virgin. She was religious. She planned on saving her virginity until she was married. She was brutalized and raped, sodomized as bad as you can possibly make it, and is impregnated” (121).
I do not even know where to begin with this statement. It is wrong on so many levels. When people like THIS are in charge of OUR RIGHTS as women- no- as PEOPLE, we are in BIG trouble.
They are not all like this though. Thankfully, our current president, stands WITH women, not against them. Here is a statement from President Obama, on the anniversary of Roe v Wade, from whitehouse.gov.
On the 36th anniversary of Roe v. Wade, we are reminded that this decision not only protects women's health and reproductive freedom, but stands for a broader principle: that government should not intrude on our most private family matters. I remain committed to protecting a woman's right to choose.
While this is a sensitive and often divisive issue, no matter what our views, we are united in our determination to prevent unintended pregnancies, reduce the need for abortion, and support women and families in the choices they make. To accomplish these goals, we must work to find common ground to expand access to affordable contraception, accurate health information, and preventative services.
On this anniversary, we must also recommit ourselves more broadly to ensuring that our daughters have the same rights and opportunities as our sons: the chance to attain a world-class education; to have fulfilling careers in any industry; to be treated fairly and paid equally for their work; and to have no limits on their dreams. That is what I want for women everywhere.
THE WHITE HOUSE, January 22, 2009.
Having leaders who believe women deserve to be treated as human beings equal to men will help us (women) to sustain and increase our rights. Teaching “accurate health information” helps everyone. People who do not wish to procreate will do so at a much lower rate if everyone is educated properly on abstinence AND safe sex. Health care costs will go down because people would get fewer STIs and have fewer pregnancies and abortions. Population issues would be decreased around the world, if women were taught about, and given access to, affordable/free contraception.
Here are some “fun” facts: You can buy condoms in bulk for around $0.10 each. If you have sex once EVERY day of the year, that would cost $36.50/year. If you get just one STI in a year, it will cost you more than the cost of a year’s worth of condoms. Even something simply cured with an antibiotic would cost more, between the cost of the Dr’s visit/co-pay and the cost of your prescription. (Not to mention the mental/emotional cost.) Something serious, like HIV, costs an estimated $200,000 to treat in a lifetime. If you have sex every day for 80 years, and use a condom every time, your cost for condoms would only be $2920. If everyone were taught how & why to have safe sex every time, the world would be a better place. Period.
What about the cost of pregnancies? An abortion costs hundreds of dollars. Raising a child costs a fortune. The cost of pregnancy, infant checkups, etc is ridiculous. The costs of raising a child (housing, clothes, food, medical care) is more than, well, HIV. An unplanned pregnancy, no matter how you look at it, is always more expensive than safe sex.
And for those who do not have safe sex, or have safe sex that went awry, there should be an available, accessible option other than pregnancy or an abortion. Plan B should be available to EVERYONE. I don’t care their age. As a matter of fact, the younger they are, the more reason to allow access to Plan B. Valenti discusses how important it is that we (and especially lawmakers) trust young women to make their own decisions about their bodies. “Trusting young women means letting them make decisions about their bodies and their future, whether they’re about access to emergency contraception, abortion, or even having children” (199-200). Her footnote to the same statement bears repeating: “If they’re too young to decide to prevent or end a pregnancy, how are they not too young to have a child?” (200). Exactly.
Obviously, girls, young women and older women (and boys, young men and older men), need to be fully and clearly educated on the facts regarding sex, their bodies, and their options. If they are not fully educated, they cannot make informed decisions. The solution to many of the problems we face today lies in education, including sex education. Maybe the best way to make the world better is to plan for the future, by working with teens and children RIGHT now and making sure they know the facts.
~Amanda W.
Ok. I love this book (“The Purity Myth” by Jessica Valenti), but this second part (Chapters 6-9) was hard to read. I read chapters 6 & 7 before going to sleep. That was probably not a great choice, as the rape stories basically haunted my dreams. Anyway…
Chapter 6- “Legislating Sexuality” opens with a quote from a former (thank god) senator. The quote is atrocious and infuriating. It is a strong hint of what is to come in the next few chapters. When asked “what kind of woman should be ‘allowed’ to have an abortion”, former South Dakota Senator, Bill Napoli said the following:
“A real-life description to me would be a rape victim, brutally raped, savaged. The girl was a virgin. She was religious. She planned on saving her virginity until she was married. She was brutalized and raped, sodomized as bad as you can possibly make it, and is impregnated” (121).
I do not even know where to begin with this statement. It is wrong on so many levels. When people like THIS are in charge of OUR RIGHTS as women- no- as PEOPLE, we are in BIG trouble.
They are not all like this though. Thankfully, our current president, stands WITH women, not against them. Here is a statement from President Obama, on the anniversary of Roe v Wade, from whitehouse.gov.
On the 36th anniversary of Roe v. Wade, we are reminded that this decision not only protects women's health and reproductive freedom, but stands for a broader principle: that government should not intrude on our most private family matters. I remain committed to protecting a woman's right to choose.
While this is a sensitive and often divisive issue, no matter what our views, we are united in our determination to prevent unintended pregnancies, reduce the need for abortion, and support women and families in the choices they make. To accomplish these goals, we must work to find common ground to expand access to affordable contraception, accurate health information, and preventative services.
On this anniversary, we must also recommit ourselves more broadly to ensuring that our daughters have the same rights and opportunities as our sons: the chance to attain a world-class education; to have fulfilling careers in any industry; to be treated fairly and paid equally for their work; and to have no limits on their dreams. That is what I want for women everywhere.
THE WHITE HOUSE, January 22, 2009.
Having leaders who believe women deserve to be treated as human beings equal to men will help us (women) to sustain and increase our rights. Teaching “accurate health information” helps everyone. People who do not wish to procreate will do so at a much lower rate if everyone is educated properly on abstinence AND safe sex. Health care costs will go down because people would get fewer STIs and have fewer pregnancies and abortions. Population issues would be decreased around the world, if women were taught about, and given access to, affordable/free contraception.
Here are some “fun” facts: You can buy condoms in bulk for around $0.10 each. If you have sex once EVERY day of the year, that would cost $36.50/year. If you get just one STI in a year, it will cost you more than the cost of a year’s worth of condoms. Even something simply cured with an antibiotic would cost more, between the cost of the Dr’s visit/co-pay and the cost of your prescription. (Not to mention the mental/emotional cost.) Something serious, like HIV, costs an estimated $200,000 to treat in a lifetime. If you have sex every day for 80 years, and use a condom every time, your cost for condoms would only be $2920. If everyone were taught how & why to have safe sex every time, the world would be a better place. Period.
What about the cost of pregnancies? An abortion costs hundreds of dollars. Raising a child costs a fortune. The cost of pregnancy, infant checkups, etc is ridiculous. The costs of raising a child (housing, clothes, food, medical care) is more than, well, HIV. An unplanned pregnancy, no matter how you look at it, is always more expensive than safe sex.
And for those who do not have safe sex, or have safe sex that went awry, there should be an available, accessible option other than pregnancy or an abortion. Plan B should be available to EVERYONE. I don’t care their age. As a matter of fact, the younger they are, the more reason to allow access to Plan B. Valenti discusses how important it is that we (and especially lawmakers) trust young women to make their own decisions about their bodies. “Trusting young women means letting them make decisions about their bodies and their future, whether they’re about access to emergency contraception, abortion, or even having children” (199-200). Her footnote to the same statement bears repeating: “If they’re too young to decide to prevent or end a pregnancy, how are they not too young to have a child?” (200). Exactly.
Obviously, girls, young women and older women (and boys, young men and older men), need to be fully and clearly educated on the facts regarding sex, their bodies, and their options. If they are not fully educated, they cannot make informed decisions. The solution to many of the problems we face today lies in education, including sex education. Maybe the best way to make the world better is to plan for the future, by working with teens and children RIGHT now and making sure they know the facts.
~Amanda W.
Comments
I loved your fun facts about condoms and prices. It is crazy to read that and compare the miniscule price of condoms to a lifetime of pain and suffering alone.
I agree with you that we need to inform young adults about their bodies. The best way to fight unwanted pregnancies and STDs is hands down education. We need to educate them on how to have safe sex because it is a choice they make on their own. Teaching young people only abstinence is not realistic and does them no good. We need to prepare them for the decisions they will make it life whether we deem it wrong or right.
I agree the solution lies within education. But I think honest in that education is very important. Educators need to get on the same level with young people and talk too them not at them. While society doesn't trust young people, young people don't trust society.