Abortion

[Rosedamai]

The entire idea of the woman being responsible for what the child genders is ridiculous, because we've got the knowledge now that it is actually the man who determines the gender of the baby, not the woman, because she will always contribute and X chromosome. Men contribute either the X or Y, and thus determine gender through their, shall we say, fastest swimmers? I guess back then, though, it wasn't that odd to accept, though. (Kinda makes me wonder about the homunculi theory, though, because if the man had a complete human in the sperm, then wouldn't he still be responsible for the gender?) And, for the record, Henry was an ass in history. While we're on Henry (and, consequently, beheading), wasn't there another king who beheaded all the wives (a total of 5 or 6, I believe) who gave him female children? You'd think after, oh, I don't know, the third wife gave him a female child that maybe, just MAYBE, that he would've realized that it was something on his end? -__-'

I know, that's why we don't believe it any more.

 

Anyways, sex-selective abortions have been banned around the 1980s or 90s, if my memory serves me correctly, and our country's gender balance have been pretty even for many years. Not so in other places though.

[Princess Artemis]

Tell that to Japan.

Japan's population growth is negative. Demographically, Japan is doomed unless something changes.

[xhunter]

Japan's population growth is negative. Demographically, Japan is doomed unless something changes.

i think that they are trying to get it under control, i think they have the one child law and mostly the families are after a male child and not female. i'm not shore if that is correct though it might be china i'm thinking of.

 

that is a good thing of their gov. because if that was a Democratic gov. they probably would be breeding out of control. same for anywhere and eventually it will happen to the US because of prolonged life. most of america is pampered and sheltered all the peoples lives and there are less deaths than there were long time ago. i just wonder if the US gov. will throw up laws that limit the number of children and things like that when we are faced with that problem. i doubt abortion could help even if every aborting mother got one. abortion just prolongs our comfort zone of population and that will someday over flow unless we have a plague brake out or something.

[Rosedamai]

i think that they are trying to get it under control, i think they have the one child law and mostly the families are after a male child and not female. i'm not shore if that is correct though it might be china i'm thinking of.

 

that is a good thing of their gov. because if that was a Democratic gov. they probably would be breeding out of control. same for anywhere and eventually it will happen to the US because of prolonged life. most of america is pampered and sheltered all the peoples lives and there are less deaths than there were long time ago. i just wonder if the US gov. will throw up laws that limit the number of children and things like that when we are faced with that problem. i doubt abortion could help even if every aborting mother got one. abortion just prolongs our comfort zone of population and that will someday over flow unless we have a plague brake out or something.

That's China you're talking about, not Japan

[Vhale]

*snip* - I personally don't want anything going inside of me and ripping me out (please don't pick at me because I said this. I know this isn't correct, but I'm entitled to my opinions and thoughts)

*snip*

 

Speaking of China etc, I've see

Honestly I think your views are pretty common sense too. I really don't think most people like surgery much less the idea of having an abortion.

Even with something like tattoos, I have this little background voice in my head going (BUT WHY WOULD YOU STICK NEEDLES 1000s and 1000s and 1000 AGH WHY! WHY! WHY! NEEDLES!) much less major surgery =x

 

Speaking of China, I've seen a few papers about how the American abortion debate has been influenced by one another. I've no idea how much fact etc is in them as I haven't lived there and most of my friends from that area are Taiwan, not Chinese.

 

But here's an example. Article

 

[SemipermeableMadness]

An abortion discussion that doesn't have people screaming 'Murder! Baby genecide!'?

A gem of a million.

 

I have taken a friend of mine to PP for her abortion. She never wanted to be a mother, and would have had her tubes tied if the doctors didn't keep stonewalling her . She has an aversion to pregnancy, babies, children, and everything involved. Carrying a pregnancy that she hated and did not want would have been hell for her, and on top of that she had to work to jobs to afford her schooling with no family support, and her job didn't have health benefits, so adoption was also out of the question there.

 

For her it was an uncomfortable experience, but she said it was clean, the doctors talked her through everything and all of her options, and she has never regretted it. This was years ago, and a pro life group on campus found out from a third party and attempted to send her a child's birthday card on the day of her abortion, but it didn't bother her because from her perspective removing the embryo at that state was at the same level of throwing out a used condom. Most of the gory pictures you see are of either later term abortions where something was wrong with the pregnancy and they had to abort to save the mother or loose both, some aren't even of abortions.

 

That was her experience though. As for me, it bothers me that a pro-life group would send that card, it's like, some of them say that all women regret their abortions, then use guilt and everything they have to make sure they do.

 

Personally, I think that if I am not required by law to give my own family a kidney or marrow donations, even after my own death, then why, by law, should I have to allow them to stay in my body against my will? It doesn't make any sense to me.

 

I wish abortions weren't necessary , that everyone had access to birth control and knew how to use it, that people weren't raped, that every child had a good home.. But we don't live in that world, unfortunately.

 

Thanks for reading my wall o text

 

[hazeh]

-snip-

This is exactly everything I feel on the matter. Well said. *applause*

[babybluefire]

Most of the gory pictures you see are of either later term abortions where something was wrong with the pregnancy and they had to abort to save the mother or loose both, some aren't even of abortions.

 

Yes this is undeniably true. Its not even laughable when you see pictures of supposed abortions and see dramatic birth defects, obvious decomposition and then babies that are preterm and the pictures are the only ones the parents ever got of their child. It is the norm now a days to get the baby as cleaned up as possible and even dressed nicely to have post mortality pictures taken so the parents have something to remember their very much wanted child by.

 

 

 

On another note both my children were very small at birth, 5 and 6 pounds. I did everything perfect during my pregnancy's. I ate perfectly, drank water perfectly, exercised perfectly. It is the genetic norm for me not to have huge infants.

[Princess Artemis]

On another note both my children were very small at birth, 5 and 6 pounds. I did everything perfect during my pregnancy's. I ate perfectly, drank water perfectly, exercised perfectly. It is the genetic norm for me not to have huge infants.

My nephews were all in that range. I never heard them referred to as very small...can't recall there being much concern about their size at all, but maybe there was some. Two of them are now clearing six feet; their neonate size clearly wasn't a problem!

 

Not like me, 9lb something something ounces, and my sister, who was just as big and got a shoulder caught on the way out. Nearly died, but she's quite obviously fine now, since she went on to have leetle babies of her own that made my mom jealous : )

[KageSora]

An abortion discussion that doesn't have people screaming 'Murder! Baby genecide!'?

A gem of a million.

Oh, we have a few who feel that way, to be sure. But yeah, I like how it's not mostly people saying that, and that some people who are against it here are also giving good personal reasons and being respectful of those with different opinions~

 

Personally, I think that if I am not required by law to give my own family a kidney or marrow donations, even after my own death, then why, by law, should I have to allow them to stay in my body against my will? It doesn't make any sense to me.

I agree with this so much. They can't make my dead body save a currently living person, so why should they be able to make my living body support a potential person?

 

 

Also:

Most of the gory pictures you see are of either later term abortions where something was wrong with the pregnancy and they had to abort to save the mother or loose both, some aren't even of abortions.

 

Lol, that reminds me of this picture.

Here's a linky~

Edited April 17, 2012 by KageSora

[Painter]

Also:

 

 

Lol, that reminds me of this picture.

Here's a linky~

Oh lawdy. That is gold.

[thenameisgrover]

Lol, that reminds me of this picture.

Here's a linky~

Oh. My. God.

I was just watching harry potter....

Funniest. Thing. Ever.

[SemipermeableMadness]

 

Lol, that reminds me of this picture.

Here's a linky~

Hah, I've seen that floating around, I laugh until I remember that some people use it in posters as a serious fact. Then I pretty much *head-desk*.

 

Yeah, I'm still not fully sure what I would do if I ever found myself considering an abortion. I'm sure it would depend on the circumstances, but I feel better knowing it is an option for me even though I have access to birth control and a good doctor.

 

I have found myself fighting tooth and nail to keep that safety net, for myself, for people like my friend, and for everyone who wants it.

 

 

I also think it is worth mentioning that, in some abusive relationships, one partner will often try to entrap the other by damaging birth control and attempting to get the other pregnant. Sometimes it happens even before other signs of abuse.

Wiki

 

People just straight up disturb me sometimes, just the length some people will go to so they can control one another.

 

I had a classmate tell me that they thought that the pro-life movement was more about controlling women's sexuality then about saving babies. She argued that if people really wanted less abortions, they would support requiring businesses to have maternity leave, safe day care for everyone, reforming the foster care/adoption system, encouraging schools to give out high quality sex ed and resources for pregnant teens, get birth control and maternity covered by health insurance, make companies more friendly to parents.. etc. But that they didn't do that, instead that some of the louder pro life groups crowd women's health centers and pressure the people going inside, they say that women should deal with the pregnancy as a cost of not keeping their legs closed, like a baby is a punishment for having sex, and that they have a lot of -shaming language.

 

I see her point, but personally I think it is more complicated then that. I think they do care about children, but the more vocal groups may see funding birth control as encouraging people to engage in what they see as 'risky' behavior and so on. It can all be a bit of a mess.

[Princess Artemis]

[...] get birth control and maternity covered by health insurance [...]

Eh? Birth control is often covered by insurance, and when it's not, generics are fairly inexpensive. In the US, a generic costs ~$30 for a cycle. Condoms cost a dollar or two depending on the kind, tend to come in boxes of several. It's not that different in price, and considering what it's preventing, most people ought to be able to fit that into their budget if their insurances don't, in fact, pay for it.

[KageSora]

How can someone, anyone, seriously believe that?

Easy! It's shaped kinda like a baby but looks a little wrong as if it's not fully formed correctly yet, and it's kinda bloody-looking. Therefore, IT MUST BE A BABY ABORTED WITH RUSTY KNIVES. Because that's totally how ALL abortions are performed! ' The idiocy of some people makes me want to punch a wall...

[hazeh]

One of my aunts who is my age once told me that abortions were done by the doctors going into the woman's vagina with a pair of scissors and stabbing/cutting up the fetus inside before pulling it out.

Granted, that was years ago when we were like, twelve, but she believed it wholeheartedly and it really disappoints me that people spread misinformation like that. People who do that disgust me.

[Fuzzbucket]

She argued that if people really wanted less abortions, they would support requiring businesses to have maternity leave, safe day care for everyone, reforming the foster care/adoption system, encouraging schools to give out high quality sex ed and resources for pregnant teens, get birth control and maternity covered by health insurance, make companies more friendly to parents.. etc.

ALL the research shows that the BEST way to cut down on unplanned/unwanted pregnancies in the first place is better sex ed. - and at an early age, as in Scandinavia. So why anti-abortionists are often the same people fighting against SPECIFIC, BASIC sex ed. in schools has often puzzled me.

 

You might be amazed at what many bright teenagers believe - even now, with TV and everything - about sex and its consequences. And yes, loads of unwanted pregnancies happen later in life - but if you start OUT armed with proper education - biological and emotional both - the knowledge and associated sensible behaviour carries over into adulthood. You don't usually see UK teenaged boys talking sensibly about why they are NOT indulging in sex at the age of 13, as you can in Scandinavian, Dutch, German and other documentaries (Had to watch a load of these way back when, when I was still at work...)

 

And I well remember having to fight other parents for a good sex ed programme when my two were at school. One parent just sat there and said "Just tell them not to do it." I sat right back at her and asked her to specify WHAT they were not to do. It took 20 minutes for her to mumble "intercourse." Then I had her. "Dictionary definition - social communication between individuals, conversation. See also "sexual intercourse." Look THAT up, and - well, it isn't exactly specific on what it is you aren't to do. "copulation"...

 

So - she would (in effect) say youngsters should stop talking to people, and guess at what else isn't OK. And if they have to go to the library and read all sorts of complicated books so they can try and not do what she wanted them not to do - they will then find out exactly what she didn't want them taught, and more. MUCH more. Giving them all sorts of interesting ideas....

 

ETA - incidentally - mine had all the information from the day they first asked - one at age three, though I was a little nervous at one point when she became VERY specific... I steeled myself for the next question, which was, mercifully, "Oh. Can I have a cookie."

 

But some parents really can't hack it, even when they want to, so schools need to be allowed to do it. And I did get complaints from a few other parents when my two had helpfully set them straight on a few actual facts...

Edited April 18, 2012 by fuzzbucket

[SemipermeableMadness]

Eh?  Birth control is often covered by insurance, and when it's not, generics are fairly inexpensive.  In the US, a generic costs ~$30 for a cycle.  Condoms cost a dollar or two depending on the kind, tend to come in boxes of several.  It's not that different in price, and considering what it's preventing, most people ought to be able to fit that into their budget if their insurances don't, in fact, pay for it.

Well, remember that comdems alone are good protection, but for that protection they have to be used correctly and every time. They also tend to rely on the guy to being willing to use them. Not all guys have an easy time finding brands that fit, and in some cases the guy will refuse to use one. Not to mention abusive situations that is a whole 'nother can of worms.

 

Also, the pill is not a one time expense. $30 is a lot of money to me, I am a student working part time, and $30 is a week's worth of food if I plan it out right. Also remember that is $30 dollars a month, after 12 months that is $360, after three years that is $1,080. The pill also has a lot of cavats. If you are slightly above the weight range you need a higher dose of hormone, if you are sick your body may expel the pill before the hormone gets into your body, you also have to take it at the exact same time (within an hour I think, don't quote me on it xp) or the hormone levels won't stay in equilibrium and you loose some protection. This may not work for people who have hectic life styles or are scatterbrained. It is also a bit of a commitment, because if you miss a dose then you may risk a decrease in protection and have to wait to get back in the cycle; I've read that it depends on the person, so I may be wrong on that. I personally hesitate to get this option because some months I can't afford $30, and I am reluctant to subject myself to the on and off swing of hormones, and the initial side effects are a pain in the butt for me. I have insurance but it does not cover birth control. Also if you watch the headlines (EDIT In the US) birth control for people who work for employers associated with a religion may find that their employers personally reject the idea of birth control. There may have been new developments to this that I"m not aware of, it's finals week and I haven't seen the news lately lol.

 

There are other options like Depo, the shot, I'm not sure of the cost but the shot can be riskier and after a certian number of years doctors advise you to switch, IUDs (The little T things that go in the urerus) and implants (a small tick of hormone in the arm) are a one time cost of anywhere from $500-1,000 (Link) This can cover you for 3-12 years, (The pill at $30 for 12 years is $4,320) so in the long run it is cheaper and more convenient, but the up front cost is a bit steep for many people.

It is interesting to think that the people who can least afford to have a child are also the group that may be least likely to be able to afford hormonal birth control in the long run. The birth control is cheaper, but when you are on shoe string budget, one thing being cheaper then the other when you can't afford either hardly makes the cash magically apear. XP

 

On top of that all the birth control in the world won't help if young people aren't educated on how to use it. For that I agree with Fuzzbucket.

 

@Fuzz: My parents openly discussed everything with me, and the more I get out into 'the world' the more thankful I have been that they were honest with me about those matters. It let me know that I could talk to and discuss anything with them if I choose to. I'm sure your children will feel the same.

Edited April 18, 2012 by SemipermeableMadness

[Takoto]

I support abortion, in almost all cases.

 

Accidents happen, everyone makes mistakes, and most women don't want to bring a baby into the world they believe they can't look after. Those who say "put the baby up for adoption" have to consider that child birth and pregnancy is an incredibly stressful and painful time for women, I've never met a woman who said they're whole time being pregnant was "sunshine and rainbows".

So a woman of my age, 16/17/18, probably would not want to go through child birth whilst they're going through their exams, and one of the most important mental growth stages of their life (late teenage years).

 

Then again, I live in the UK, where abortions have been legal for a long while. We also have free contraction and free morning-after-pills for women under the age of 21 (25 in some areas). So I'm just used to this idea that a woman's body is her own, and no one can restrain that.

[Fuzzbucket]

Well, remember that comdems alone are good protection, but for that protection they have to be used correctly and every time. They also tend to rely on the guy to being willing to use them. Not all guys have an easy time finding brands that fit, and in some cases the guy will refuse to use one. Not to mention abusive situations that is a whole 'nother can of worms.

 

Also, the pill is not a one time expense. $30 is a lot of money to me, I am a student working part time, and $30 is a week's worth of food if I plan it out right. Also remember that is $30 dollars a month, after 12 months that is $360, after three years that is $1,080. The pill also has a lot of caveats. <snip>

 

It is interesting to think that the people who can least afford to have a child are also the group that may be least likely to be able to afford hormonal birth control in the long run. The birth control is cheaper, but when you are on shoe string budget, one thing being cheaper then the other when you can't afford either hardly makes the cash magically apear. XP

 

On top of that all the birth control in the world won't help if young people aren't educated on how to use it. For that I agree with Fuzzbucket.

 

@Fuzz: My parents openly discussed everything with me, and the more I get out into 'the world' the more thankful I have been that they were honest with me about those matters. It let me know that I could talk to and discuss anything with them if I choose to. I'm sure your children will feel the same.

I still rejoice in the day someone informed me that my older daughter had announced happily "Masturbation is perfectly normal. Mommy told me." I have NO recollection of saying that, but I was so proud. They are grown up now, and the one with children has certainly answered all their questions honestly.

 

When I was at boarding school aged 9 (awful, don't let's go there !) I told some friends who believed in the gooseberry bush the Truth.They were horrified and went home to tell their parents about this evil classmate. They were so upset to find out I had told the truth that- they told me the truth about Father Christmas. I still haven't got over that.

 

Yes, BC is expensive. Condoms are OK - but as you say - not all men co-operate - and they are only 99% reliable. And yes, I've seen that some employers in the US won't even pay your insurance if you use it. APPALLING.

 

Abortion is far from ideal - but is still the ONLY option in a LOT of cases - and that number would be far less if b/c and decent sex education were obligatory and free.

[KageSora]

So why anti-abortionists are often the same people fighting against SPECIFIC, BASIC sex ed. in schools has often puzzled me.

Probably because they think you shouldn't be having sex until you're married (in a male-female relationship only, of course) AND you want a child--also sex should occur in the missionary position ONLY, and don't you dare think of putting that penis anywhere but your wife's vagina! That includes your hand, Mr. Horrible Baby Killer! (because all those poor sperm you wasted could have been BABIES! Shame on you!) '

 

Well, at the very least, they want kids to just not do it, failing to realize that if they don't understand that there could be consequences (some fatal!), then they won't see any reason not to explore those natural urges they get... >_>

 

I mean, seriously, proper education leads to them understanding all the things that could go wrong and throw a huge wrench in their life plans. Just being told "DON'T DO IT!", aside from making them almost sure to do it because telling a teen to NOT do something is of course the fastest way to ensure that they DO do it, is gonna make them think that the only thing wrong with doing it is that their parent's don't approve and therefore it's totally fine to go right ahead and do it because no way they could get an STI/STD or get pregnant/impregnate somebody!

 

 

I just don't get how hard that is for these people fighting against good sex-ed to grasp. If they want to be able to control when their kid learns it, then the kids should be required to pass an exam after a certain age to be exempt from taking a school course to prove that the parents actually provided the education and not just "it's bad, don't do it or else".

 

 

 

I don't think my parents ever talked to me about it much, I learned pretty much everything from school (both in class and the hallways) and the 'net. I probably have a way more comprehensive knowledge of it than they could ever guess I have!

 

 

 

Personally, while I don't plan on having kids myself, if I DID end up with kids... I'd make sure to explain it to them, as well as give them resources to find more information. I'd encourage them to refrain from having sex until they were old enough, especially any females since it's not good for them to have a kid until they're physically mature enough, since I wouldn't force an abortion, but nor would I force them to keep it. Educate them, discuss the options, and support them no matter what they chose is the way to go, IMO.

[Fuzzbucket]

Um.

 

Well.

 

I used to work for a doctor.

 

We had an intelligent charming married couple in their thirties on our list.

 

They were having trouble getting pregnant.

 

To cut a long story short (this possibility never OCCURRED to my boss at first.... so he did all sorts of tests...) - well, you cannot actually GET pregnant via the female urethra. This also explains why she found sex painful.

 

Good sex ed is ESSENTIAL. The earlier the better. And as I said - the evidence is that getting it early, with relationship education and teaching basic respect for other people REDUCES sexual activity, NOT the reverse.

 

 

 

 

[SolarCat]

We had sex ed in school, but my mother didn't like the things she was teaching (keep in mind, this is a Catholic school, so it's already the Catholic version of sex ed), so she complained until we were removed from the class. As a result, there are a lot of things that I never learned, and the internet only really helps if you know what to look for.

 

That said, I'll be okay. The thought that terrifies me is what to tell my children if I ever have any, because I believe it's important for them to learn, but nobody ever taught me growing up, so I can't even imagine where to start.

On the plus side, I have plenty of time to figure that out, since I don't have any kids yet, and that's not something they'd learn until they're old enough to actually understand it.

 

What happens if you repress the discussion while the person is learning things from another source, is usually not a good thing. This exact situation actually led to one of my brothers sexually "assaulting" another of my brothers to "figure something out" when they were both in elementary school...

Edited April 18, 2012 by SolarCat

[Princess Artemis]

Well, remember that comdems alone are good protection, but for that protection they have to be used correctly and every time.

Yeah, I know. I brought them up to demonstrate that the birth control expense for men and the expense for women isn't always that different. Unless, of course, one is only going to have sex once in a month or something like that. I am given to understand that sexually active people tend to have sex more often than that if they can. Or if one takes some of the very expensive pills...but for people who would need those and can't afford them, there are less expensive, less medically risky birth control methods.

 

The pill and other hormonal methods aren't the only thing out there.

 

Also, insurances often do pay for women's birth control. Which, apparently, the person you quoted didn't know.

 

They also tend to rely on the guy to being willing to use them. Not all guys have an easy time finding brands that fit, and in some cases the guy will refuse to use one. Not to mention abusive situations that is a whole 'nother can of worms.

 

Yes indeed it is an entirely different can of worms and beside the point I was making, which is a: insurances often do pay for women's birth control and b: if they don't, it's not a huge expense for most people.

 

Also, the pill is not a one time expense. $30 is a lot of money to me, I am a student working part time, and $30 is a week's worth of food if I plan it out right. Also remember that is $30 dollars a month, after 12 months that is $360, after three years that is $1,080.

 

Is $30 to avoid getting pregnant for a recreational activity worth budgeting into your life? People budget the expense of relationships into their lives. That's how it works. The pill and condoms, for a sexually active couple, is part of that expense. Note that this is not an argument for or against anything, simply to say: it's an expense of life. If your insurance doesn't pay for it (which many do), then budget for it. Most people can and will find a way. If not, there are other methods of female birth control that are not medical.

 

 

Yeah.

 

I personally hesitate to get this option because some months I can't afford $30, and I am reluctant to subject myself to the on and off swing of hormones, and the initial side effects are a pain in the butt for me. I have insurance but it does not cover birth control.

 

Might be worth checking into other, less expensive methods for you then.

 

Also if you watch the headlines (EDIT In the US) birth control for people who work for employers associated with a religion may find that their employers personally reject the idea of birth control.

 

What their employers have to say hardly prevents them from doing something for themselves. It would make it more expensive at the outset, but again, $30 a month for someone with a full-time job and benefits isn't that much, and it's certainly something worth putting in an important spot in the budget. I've yet to see anyone argue that employers ought to pay for condoms, and they are an expense related to sexual activity.

 

If such an employer has a problem with birth control for women who have a medical need for it, such as PCOS that doesn't respond to other methods, then that's a very different thing.

 

IUDs (The little T things that go in the urerus) and implants (a small tick of hormone in the arm) are a one time cost of anywhere from $500-1,000 (Link)

 

http://health.costhelper.com/iud.html has different prices. It looks like something worth shopping around for. The more expensive ones likely have hormones.

 

It is interesting to think that the people who can least afford to have a child are also the group that may be least likely to be able to afford hormonal birth control in the long run. The birth control is cheaper, but when you are on shoe string budget, one thing being cheaper then the other when you can't afford either hardly makes the cash magically apear.  XP

 

Yeah, I know. Making birth control cost less would be ideal, and I am fairly certain there are ways to do this. That said, most people can figure out how to afford birth control, and insurance does pay for it sometimes. Educating women that they have other options that aren't medical would help, too. http://www.webmd.com/sex/birth-control/bir...l-other-options has a whole slew of choices, some over the counter, just like condoms.

 

On top of that all the birth control in the world won't help if young people aren't educated on how to use it. For that I agree with Fuzzbucket. 

 

Very very true. Sometimes, the way people talk, I feel like I'm the only American on the planet who was taught how to use birth control in school. But I know this is not the case.

 

I still rejoice in the day someone informed me that my older daughter had announced happily "Masturbation is perfectly normal. Mommy told me." I have NO recollection of saying that, but I was so proud. They are grown up now, and the one with children has certainly answered all their questions honestly.

 

That's cool.

 

My dad, my very very Christian dad, once told my sister and I that masturbation was normal and was a good way to discover what we liked. That was the first and last time I heard him having anything to say to us on the matter, but what a whopper it was : )

 

Take heart, good thread, not every religious person is a stereotype.

[7Deadly$ins]

We had sex ed in school, but my mother didn't like the things she was teaching (keep in mind, this is a Catholic school, so it's already the Catholic version of sex ed), so she complained until we were removed from the class. As a result, there are a lot of things that I never learned, and the internet only really helps if you know what to look for.

 

That said, I'll be okay. The thought that terrifies me is what to tell my children if I ever have any, because I believe it's important for them to learn, but nobody ever taught me growing up, so I can't even imagine where to start.

On the plus side, I have plenty of time to figure that out, since I don't have any kids yet, and that's not something they'd learn until they're old enough to actually understand it.

 

What happens if you repress the discussion while the person is learning things from another source, is usually not a good thing. This exact situation actually led to one of my brothers sexually "assaulting" another of my brothers to "figure something out" when they were both in elementary school...

When I was young (preschool age or so) my mother just started by frequently reiterating that my private areas were PRIVATE (not something to be ashamed of, but MINE) and frequently reminded not to let anyone touch me and to tell her immediately if someone did.

 

For my age range I think that was fine.