Let's Talk About Sex

I just finished watching the TLC special, "Let's Talk About Sex."  It compares the way America deals with sexuality and the way European countries deal with it.  It confirms something that I already knew, what with my background in family planning and all.  European countries take a realistic approach to dealing with sexuality and thus have MUCH better outcomes when it comes to teen pregnancy and STD rates.  In America, we seem to be afraid to discuss the issue at all, and when we do, we treat sex as though it's a dirty, scary thing to be avoided at all costs when you're a teen. As a result, we have skyrocketing teen pregnancy and STD rates. 

We American parents cover our eyes and plug our ears and just assume that our kids are not having sex.  We also assume that our kids aren't thinking about sex unless someone suggests it to them.  In Europe, they talk to their kids openly about sex from a young age, because they know that sexuality is a natural part of life that ALL teenagers are already thinking about. 

Basically, they use science and common sense to prevent bad outcomes for teens, and we use fear and religion.  And based on the statistics, it's quite obvious which approach is the more useful one.