We Should Lean From The Swedes: "every baby should be wanted"

Liberated Christians
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Promoting Intimacy and Other-Centered Sexuality

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We Should Learn From The Swedes: "every baby should be wanted"

U.S. a mystery to Swedes - Different view of abortion and sex education with a far better result. The religious right objecting to Elders as surgeon general is widely discussed in Sweden as an example of what is so weird about America and our immature ideas as discussed in USA Today 8/10/93

The U.S. is one of the most sexually repressed countries in the industrialized world yet we have a teen pregnancy rate that is the highest. 10 times higher than Japan in fact, and growing at 5% a year. American inner-city girls begin displaying their expanding abdomens as a badge of honor as early as age 12, although 80% of teen pregnancies are unintended. Only 50% of the 70-80% of sexually active teens use contraception. Nine of 10 juvenile jail inmates are products of single-parent homes. In some ethnic groups, 80% of babies are born into poverty.

While abortion is the backup answer to unintended pregnancy among the highest socioeconomic groups, it is meeting increased resistance for the poor. The American policy is save the $350 for an abortion so we can pay $35,000 in welfare and child support payments for an unwanted child. The direct medical and indirect social costs of teen pregnancy approach $50 billion per year, the cost of shattered lives is incalculable higher.

HOW DIFFERENT IN SWEDEN! - There motto is "every baby should be wanted," and one or two children family is the norm. Not 5-10 so mother can get more welfare payments!

Sweden's sex education in schools considers the reproductive system just as important as the digestive, respiratory or nervous systems. Sex education starts in kindergarten; it is more formally introduced in third grade. Upon graduation from elementary school Swedish children are completely familiar with the anatomy and physiology of reproduction, family planning, sexually transmitted diseases, contraception, abortion and the importance of responsible parenthood.

Swedish teens are just as sexually active as ours, but pregnancy due to failure of contraception is usually followed by abortion, which is available to all regardless of income. But the incidence of teen-age pregnancy, abortion, STD's and AIDS is far lower than in the U.S.

Congress should recognize that sex education is just as important as sanitation, chlorination, immunization, pasteurization and fluoridation as a public health and quality of life issue. In America we flaunt sex in ads, TV soaps and movies but hypocritically refuse to acknowledge that it even exists. Abstinence is an viable option just as responsible teen age sexuality is an option and in fact probably a better more mature option. We need more caring, intimate, loving, giving to each other sexuality, vs the tease and titillation due such an immature, sexually repressed society.

Even Catholics going against the Churches stand 52% believe sex outside of marriage is NOT morally wrong, 59% support abortion rights, 87% support artificial birth control, 48% homosexuality not wrong (Gallup 8/93, error margin 7%).

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