Actually, maybe we SHOULD discuss it (perhaps not in this thread). I'm a firm believer that discussing things helps to get to the root of things (Yeah, how's that abstinence-only education working out for you, Tennessee? Still have one of the highest-teen pregnancy rates and one of the worst states for rape victims? Clearly it's fantastic). Race/Ethnicity/Class is something we constantly think we're past and so we sweep it under the rug without actually talking about why we feel the way we feel.
Off subject- sorry everyone
Well since you brought up Tennessee and I was born and raised there, and you brought up teen pregnancy and that was me to at 16 I have to disagree.
Just because Tennessee may have a high teenage pregnancy rate and just because studies show that abstinence only sex education is not effective I still disagree. No class could of saved me and many others I know. I not only knew about abstinence but I knew about birth control and other forms of contraceptive. I would really like to know the number of kids under abstinence only sex education that got pregnant but because of the education system did not know other ways to prevent it. My guess is it is slim to none! If you are old enough to lay down with the dogs then your old enough to educate yourself. There is plenty of educational tools especially in this day and time.
It was my choice not to use them and I got pregnant. I always knew it could happen but I never thought it would happen to me. I think the reason kids are having babies is because the parents. I'm not saying parent are at fault here and parents are to blame because everyone is different.
Maybe just maybe it starts when they are younger...
I was doing it because I did not care about myself.
I did not care because no one ever made me feel like I was worth anything. I had low self esteem because people use to talk about me .... Of all the things in the world the only thing people could say about me was "oh you have a lazy eye, who are you looking at because I can't tell"..
No one could say I was fat, no one could say I was ugly, no one could say I was poor. However people picked and picked and picked on me because I had a lazy eye that I had surgery on that never got fixed. So because of these people I felt even more like nothing.
I had almost no supervision and came and went as I pleased.
I hung out with guys who made me feel a heck of a lot better then anyone else made me feel even if it was only lies.
So we can also bury the blame on a lot of things. Wether it be parents, relationships, bullies, but instead let's place the blame on TN because they promote abstinence only. I don't think so.
FYI no I'm not blaming anyone for my actions and I definitely don't condone it but I wouldn't trade my beautiful daughter for anything!
