Burnt Orange Report

A Disgruntled Blogger with a Uterus

By Katie Naranjo

I have been reading studies recently about teen pregnancy in Texas and it has made me so fustrated I needed to share some information with ya'll. So forgive me if this sounds like I am preaching, but as someone who was preached to about sexual conduct I think it is appropriate.

Growing up in East Texas was a rewarding experience. The small town charm and friendly faces of the people you know are fond memories. However, when it came to education about one’s body, growing up in a small town school system was an interesting experience.

I remember our sexual education class we took in the 8th grade; it was scary. It consisted of a man standing in front of several classes describing our “gift” (virginity) and the benefits of having our “gift.” Girls are supposed to hold on to our “gifts” and to bestow them on our husbands. In return our husbands will love and cherish us until death. The girls are told that men are evil, and predatory looking for “gifts” to take and put on their wall of accomplishments. However, when discussing rape, he told us that God has a plan for your “broken gift” so those in the room who were no longer virgins did not have to worry. With God and a rededication to your virginity, those who had been raped could repair their “gift.” While describing this process to 8th grade children, the man did not forget to mention that even thought one could rewrap their gift, they would never be virgins again.

That message—the doctrine of rationing the truth to kids in middle school—has contributed to Texas having the highest teen pregnancy rate in the country. Teaching sex education without giving students medically accurate information they need to prevent pregnancy damages them because it does address methods to handle social pressures regarding sex, teen pregnancy, contraceptives or sexually transmitted diseases.

My graduating class had almost 30 girls who had either had babies or were pregnant by graduation, meaning they did not cross the stage because of their “irresponsible decisions.” Unfortunately for these girls, they were never taught how to prevent pregnancy if they become sexually active. They were only taught abstinence, and then, fortunately, they were provided classes on child care once they became pregnant. However, the state continues to cut funding for children’s insurance (CHIPS), which mothers like those in my graduating class depend on for health care for their children. The state’s irresponsibility to educate the mothers on safe sex practices or to provide childcare has lead to a devastating problem that has run full circle.

There seems to be startling contradictions in the doctrine of Rick Perry’s administration. The voices of teenagers and their children are falling on deaf ears. The Texas government is not taking a realistic approach to sexual education and as a result there are pregnancies that are unwanted occurring at high rates. There has not been a vehicle provided to prevent pregnancy, or a vehicle provided to help the new mothers once they have the child. The young families of Texas are changing in scope, from the young professional at age 28, to the young high school kid at age 17. There needs to be a shift in paradigm and priorities; instead of trying to ineffectively take care of the effect we need to take care of the cause.

Teaching children right from wrong is a parent’s duty, but public polling shows that an overwhelming majority of Texas parents want schools to teach their kids the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the medically accurate, age-appropriate truth when it comes to preventing pregnancy.

With the 2006 elections coming up, I hope that before any candidate who decides to claim God as his partisan reads the Bible before speaking. If ever there are moral imperatives before us to resolve, children without health care, teenage pregnancy, and the contradicting initiatives of the current administration, here they are.

AND YOU SHALL LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, AND WITH ALL YOUR SOUL, AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND, AND WITH ALL YOUR STRENGTH.' The second is this, "YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.' There is no other commandment greater than these. (Jesus’ reply to Pharisees in the Gospels, Mark 12:30-31)