Hi X,It was great talking with you again this morning. Thanks for taking the time to answer some of my questions regarding Y's teen health text. I have spent quite a few hours reviewing the STD lesson that you sent me and I have come to the conclusion that I can't in good conscience contribute to Y's health text with the currently mandated abstinence-only approach.
You mentioned in our conversation that the primary adopters of your texts are in states like Texas, Mississippi and Alabama and that your health texts present an abstinence-only approach because that's what the gatekeepers in those states demand. I can't help but point out that according to the Guttmacher Institute's " U.S. Teenage Pregnancy Statistics National and State Trends and Trends by Race and Ethnicity" and the National Center for Health Statistics, pregnancy rates are highest in precisely those states and I simply can't play a role in propagating what I believe to be an unbalanced approach to critical teen health issues.
To encourage teens to "make responsible choices" and "get the facts" (as indicated by the headings on pages 2 and 3 of the provided text), and then to specifically present only a limited selection of choices and only the facts that support a narrow philosophical approach is, I believe, a disservice to today's youth and I don't believe it will allow them to make the fully educated choices the text ostensibly urges them to make.
I do thank you for contacting me and I appreciate the opportunity to review your materials. I'd be happy to send the text back to you and can do that in the next few days.
Warm regards,
Carol
No comments:
Post a Comment