Do you believe this?

[Closet Desire]

I've never started a thread before so you can imagine that I must be pretty motivated. I read this news article on the Lit story board...

http://www.jsonline.com/news/metro/jan01/condom15011401a.asp

...about a mother being charged for giving her 13 year old son condoms. He admitted having sex with his 15 year old girlfriend so his mother talked to him about sex and provided him with condom to prevent pregnancy and disease. Now she's facing a $10,000 fine and 15 years in prison?

In my opinion, this is insane. A substantial number of kids are having sex at this age and, as we all know here, once you've "done it" you don't ever want to stop! It's foolish to deny protection to kids who are having sex. It could even be a death sentence and at the least really screw up a young person's life if a baby comes along.

We gave both our boys condoms when they were sixteen...legal age of consent here...and would have given them earlier if we knew the kids were having sex. Fortunately, we started talking candidly with our kids about sex at age 13 and, in return, they have been candid with us about their relationships. It's no wonder the US has one of the highest incidents of adolescent VD and pregnancy in the industrialized world. The Netherlands, which has the lowest, preaches the "double dutch" method which is protection for both partners AND makes it available without fanfare.

You might think that encourages promiscuity at a younger age? Guess again. The age of first intercourse is the highest in the Europe and the frequency the lowest.

By contrast, the highest teen pregnancy rate in the industrialized world is in a small, religion controlled town in a southern US state where the Planned Parenthood office has been terrorized and finally forced out of town and where kids can't get condoms, advice, or anything unless it comes from the church. Something to really be proud of don't you think?

Opinions? (yeah...I'm fuming, but I won't flame you if you have a differing view.)

 

[Juspar Emvan]

What he said

With a vengance

*walks away muttering to self* stupid, stupid, so fucking stupid

 

[BrainyBeauty]

Not bad for your 'debut' thread!

Totally agree with you two. This is ridiculous, outrageous and beyond reason.

What? The police and prosecutors have nothing better to do? No crimes more serious to prosecute?

I half expected to read "Off with her head" at the end of that article.

 

[Cheyenne]

This actually came up at lunch the other day. A perfect example of me making the mistake of assuming things that are normal "here" are normal in the real world.

A co-worker asked if we'd seen the article about the mom who gave her 13 year old son condoms and the police showed up. My first question, which I said out loud, was "why did the police show up?" I was waiting for the punch line, the rest of the story. It never crossed my mind that giving him the condoms was a problem because the son was below the legal age for sex. The two lawyers in the car with me were silent for a second before they pointed out why the cops showed up. All I could say at the time was "oh". But I think I had them thinking.

 

[Closet Desire]

A little...

...subversion eh? Overthrow by guile? hee hee

 

[brazenblaze]

Oh my Gawd! How fucking stupid?

We give them out to kids every day, along with the spermicidal film for the girls, should I be expecting a raid? *looking over shoulder*

 

[CelestialBody]

 

[Weird Harold]

The really disturbing thing about this case to me, is that she's actually being charged with failing to prevent a minor from being sexually abused! -- By a girl 2 years older than he and also a minor.

It did not say specifically, but the implication is that the girlfriend is not being charged with abuse, just the mother -- for not "preventing" two teenagers from having sex. Like that would be possible. Yeah, Right!

 

[livin_simple]

I tend to support conservative issues, but....

in a society that teaches sexual permissiveness through sexual education in school and our popular entertainment, it is foolish to punish those who seek to protect from the harmful effects of sex - STD's and pregnancy being the most prominent.

And what sort of punishment is being meted out after the fact to all the underage pregnant high school and jr high school girls?

 

[Jake2001]

This reminds me of a true story that took place in our household. We have always been very open and encouraged discussions about sex just like any other issue. Kids being kids are always going to challenge you though.

One day my 17-year-old son and a couple of his friends were with my wife when she stopped at the drug store. They decided to wait in the car while she ran into the store. She asked my son if he needed anything. [I can picture the grin on his face as he glanced at his friends] He replied, "yeah mom, get me some condoms." She replied without missing a beat, "what size?"