Dear Editor,
The Love March Movement applauds the stance that Reverend Ronald Thwaites has taken against the distribution of condoms in high schools.
As adolescents, we believe that facilitating sexual activity among high school children simply because it is expected to take place is, at best complacent, and reckless, and at worst, incoherent, and morally and legally complicit.
First, distributing condoms on the premise that students will have sex anyway is synonymous with buying more bandages on the premise that students will fight anyway. Extramarital, underage sexual activity, like fighting, is a socially negative behaviour for a school environment.
The response should be to guide students to healthier, safer behaviours such as abstinence, self-control and discipline. It is self-defeating to merely treat the symptoms of the problems.
Second, the dangers of sexual activity, particularly among youth, cannot be fully mitigated with condoms. In terms of protecting physical health, the use of condoms falls short, very short.
They do not protect against certain STDs, such as herpes, syphilis and HPV. They are not 100 per cent effective, with fail rates estimated as high as 11 per cent. Furthermore, there is always the risk that students will not use them properly, or not use them every time they have sex, even though the occasional use of condoms gives them the illusion of safety.
Sexual activity also affects a person psychologically. Sex releases hormones that bond individuals to each other (oxytocin in girls, vasopressin in boys). Therefore, school-aged children who have sex — even with a condom — get powerfully attached to partners, which results in psychological trauma once a change in relationship occurs.
Dopamine (which creates a feeling of euphoria after sex or any thrilling activity) makes these students become addicted to sex. Furthermore, by telling children to simply wear a condom, as opposed to limiting the number of partners they have, will eventually weaken their neurological ability to bond to a sexual partner such as a husband or wife in the future.
Minister Ronald Thwaites, keep up the good work.
The Love March Movement
lovemarch2012jam@gmail.com
Education Minister Ronald Thwaites
Well said, Minister Thwaites
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The Love March Movement applauds the stance that Reverend Ronald Thwaites has taken against the distribution of condoms in high schools.
As adolescents, we believe that facilitating sexual activity among high school children simply because it is expected to take place is, at best complacent, and reckless, and at worst, incoherent, and morally and legally complicit.
First, distributing condoms on the premise that students will have sex anyway is synonymous with buying more bandages on the premise that students will fight anyway. Extramarital, underage sexual activity, like fighting, is a socially negative behaviour for a school environment.
The response should be to guide students to healthier, safer behaviours such as abstinence, self-control and discipline. It is self-defeating to merely treat the symptoms of the problems.
Second, the dangers of sexual activity, particularly among youth, cannot be fully mitigated with condoms. In terms of protecting physical health, the use of condoms falls short, very short.
They do not protect against certain STDs, such as herpes, syphilis and HPV. They are not 100 per cent effective, with fail rates estimated as high as 11 per cent. Furthermore, there is always the risk that students will not use them properly, or not use them every time they have sex, even though the occasional use of condoms gives them the illusion of safety.
Sexual activity also affects a person psychologically. Sex releases hormones that bond individuals to each other (oxytocin in girls, vasopressin in boys). Therefore, school-aged children who have sex — even with a condom — get powerfully attached to partners, which results in psychological trauma once a change in relationship occurs.
Dopamine (which creates a feeling of euphoria after sex or any thrilling activity) makes these students become addicted to sex. Furthermore, by telling children to simply wear a condom, as opposed to limiting the number of partners they have, will eventually weaken their neurological ability to bond to a sexual partner such as a husband or wife in the future.
Minister Ronald Thwaites, keep up the good work.
The Love March Movement
lovemarch2012jam@gmail.com
Education Minister Ronald Thwaites
Well said, Minister Thwaites
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