Should We Educate Kids About Adoption In Sex Education?
If abstinence is not the popular curriculum, why not include adoption education?
Whether we like it or not, our children are being taught sex education in their classrooms. It’s the way the world is, and short of pulling our children out of school, there’s not much that can be done to change the fact that it’s being taught.
Although there are many parents (and educators) who have pushed to teach abstinence, that may not always happen. This may be because administrators assume it’s not as effective and want our children to be prepared to protect themselves. So if we’re not going to teach abstinence, how about we go further with the sex education classes and teach about abortion and adoption? So realistically (in that way of thinking), how many of them are going to be fully protected?
And if we’re brave enough to move forward with teaching alternatives to parenting, let’s be fair and real about it. Let’s create curriculum that will not skirt around the emotional and physical side effects of either abortion or placing for adoption. In fact, why not include parenting-as-a-teen as part of the curriculum? Sure, there are some parenting classes available. You’ll see the occasional teenager carrying around a fragile egg, being a surrogate parent and “learning” how taxing parenting is.
But let’s include some statistics. And let’s get people who have experienced adoption, abortion and teen parenting in to talk with the kids. Those who will truly tell it like it is. Let’s include a young mother involved in open adoption; a teenage boy who is working for the greasy spoon restaurant and giving his paycheck to his ex-girlfriend to help support the baby; a middle-aged woman who aborted one or more babies and is now infertile; an adoptee who is in touch with his birth parents; a medical professional who has performed abortions.
Let’s get the full spectrum there, in the classroom, telling our kids the reality of their choices. Maybe if we do, abstinence will become part of the curriculum as well.
