'Good girl cards' to provide alternative to sexually explicit handouts
Dozens of teenagers who have taken vows of virginity will descend on the Strip tonight, passing out "good girl cards" in an effort to teach Sin City tourists and locals about abstinence.
The cards feature photos of six girls on the front with information about sexually transmitted diseases and marriage on the back. The teens will hand out the cards in an effort to rival the ubiquitous pornographic pamphlets that are thrust at tourists as they walk the Strip.
The teenagers are from diverse parts of the world and are part of the International Abstinence Conference being held in Las Vegas this week. Conference organizers say they chose to hold the annual convention in Las Vegas because the city has a large potential school-age audience.
"Las Vegas is home to many children and has the sixth-largest school district in the nation," said Kristin Scuderi, media director for The Abstinence Clearinghouse, the group sponsoring the convention. "Our mission is to promote sexual purity until marriage."
The "good girl cards" were designed solely for the Las Vegas conference. There are no "good boy cards" because most of the pornographic materials handed out on the Strip feature women, not men, Scuderi said.
"On the front of the card there are pictures of normal girls who have chosen to live an abstinent lifestyle," she said. "Some are secondary virgins who have chosen to change their lifestyle. Maybe we should have incorporated boys into the cards as well, but these are really to rival the Strip porn."
Program manager for Planned Parenthood of Southern Nevada, Laura Deitsch, didn't want to comment specifically on the nature of the "good girl cards" but said it's important to emphasize that teenage boys and girls alike need to be taught abstinence and comprehensive sex education. She said the onus is not only on young women to take responsibility for their actions.
"We encourage all teens to take responsibility, and we give them the tools to do that," Deitsch said.
Scuderi said her organization promotes abstinence equally for girls and boys.
The back of the "good girl cards" contains information regarding condoms and sexually transmitted diseases. The cards read, "There is no scientific evidence that condoms prevent the transmission of most sexually transmitted diseases, including chlamydia, syphilis, chancroid, trichomoniasis, genital herpes and HPV." HPV is human papillomavirus.
Chief of staff at Sunrise Hospital and Medical Center, Dr. Tony Alamo, called the information on the cards "completely and utterly false." He said latex condoms provide protection from all of the diseases mentioned in the card, as well as HIV.
"It's really a shame that this group is using misinformation to propagate their propaganda," Alamo said. "They are spreading false information, and that's dangerous."
The Abstinence Clearinghouse is a nonprofit organization based in South Dakota. Its mission is to promote abstinence until marriage and encourage abstinence-only education for schoolchildren.
"We don't promote contraception in any way," Scuderi said. "We feel that's giving a mixed message to kids."
Deitsch said teaching teens about contraception and providing medically accurate information does not encourage teenagers to have sex.
"When teens are given honest, age-appropriate information, they will make more responsible choices," she said. "Abstinence-only education is dishonest and harmful."
Nevada teenager and vice chairwoman of the Governor's Youth Advisory Council, Morgan Bryant, agrees. The 18-year-old graduate of Cheyenne High School said teenagers need to hear about abstinence and contraception.
"Not every student is going to say, 'Ooh, I want to be abstinent,' " she said. "You need to give them both sides of the story if you expect them to make an informed decision. Handing out a condom isn't telling somebody to go have sex."
Abstinence-only supporters say they teach teenagers that condoms and other forms of contraception are not guaranteed to protect against pregnancies and sexually transmitted diseases. Supporters also encourage abstinence educators to discuss the emotional, social and health ramifications of engaging in sexual activities at a young age.
A new study released at the convention indicates that girls who begin having sex in their early teens are more likely to have rocky marriages and be poor and depressed as adults than girls who delay sexual activity.
The Heritage Foundation study of more than 10,000 women found that girls who began having sex at age 13 or 14 were less likely to be in stable marriages in their 30s than girls who waited until after their teenage years to have sex.
In addition, the study found that 27 percent of mothers who started having sex at age 13 or 14 are now living in poverty as opposed to nearly 12 percent of those who first had sex in their early 20s.
The Heritage Foundation says it promotes conservative public policies based on the principles of free enterprise, limited government, individual freedom and traditional American values.
More than 700 participants from around the world have gathered at the JW Marriott hotel-casino to attend the three-day convention.
http://www.reviewjournal.com/lvrj_home/2003/Jun-27-Fri-2003/news/21616510.html
Dozens of teenagers who have taken vows of virginity will descend on the Strip tonight, passing out "good girl cards" in an effort to teach Sin City tourists and locals about abstinence.
The cards feature photos of six girls on the front with information about sexually transmitted diseases and marriage on the back. The teens will hand out the cards in an effort to rival the ubiquitous pornographic pamphlets that are thrust at tourists as they walk the Strip.
The teenagers are from diverse parts of the world and are part of the International Abstinence Conference being held in Las Vegas this week. Conference organizers say they chose to hold the annual convention in Las Vegas because the city has a large potential school-age audience.
"Las Vegas is home to many children and has the sixth-largest school district in the nation," said Kristin Scuderi, media director for The Abstinence Clearinghouse, the group sponsoring the convention. "Our mission is to promote sexual purity until marriage."
The "good girl cards" were designed solely for the Las Vegas conference. There are no "good boy cards" because most of the pornographic materials handed out on the Strip feature women, not men, Scuderi said.
"On the front of the card there are pictures of normal girls who have chosen to live an abstinent lifestyle," she said. "Some are secondary virgins who have chosen to change their lifestyle. Maybe we should have incorporated boys into the cards as well, but these are really to rival the Strip porn."
Program manager for Planned Parenthood of Southern Nevada, Laura Deitsch, didn't want to comment specifically on the nature of the "good girl cards" but said it's important to emphasize that teenage boys and girls alike need to be taught abstinence and comprehensive sex education. She said the onus is not only on young women to take responsibility for their actions.
"We encourage all teens to take responsibility, and we give them the tools to do that," Deitsch said.
Scuderi said her organization promotes abstinence equally for girls and boys.
The back of the "good girl cards" contains information regarding condoms and sexually transmitted diseases. The cards read, "There is no scientific evidence that condoms prevent the transmission of most sexually transmitted diseases, including chlamydia, syphilis, chancroid, trichomoniasis, genital herpes and HPV." HPV is human papillomavirus.
Chief of staff at Sunrise Hospital and Medical Center, Dr. Tony Alamo, called the information on the cards "completely and utterly false." He said latex condoms provide protection from all of the diseases mentioned in the card, as well as HIV.
"It's really a shame that this group is using misinformation to propagate their propaganda," Alamo said. "They are spreading false information, and that's dangerous."
The Abstinence Clearinghouse is a nonprofit organization based in South Dakota. Its mission is to promote abstinence until marriage and encourage abstinence-only education for schoolchildren.
"We don't promote contraception in any way," Scuderi said. "We feel that's giving a mixed message to kids."
Deitsch said teaching teens about contraception and providing medically accurate information does not encourage teenagers to have sex.
"When teens are given honest, age-appropriate information, they will make more responsible choices," she said. "Abstinence-only education is dishonest and harmful."
Nevada teenager and vice chairwoman of the Governor's Youth Advisory Council, Morgan Bryant, agrees. The 18-year-old graduate of Cheyenne High School said teenagers need to hear about abstinence and contraception.
"Not every student is going to say, 'Ooh, I want to be abstinent,' " she said. "You need to give them both sides of the story if you expect them to make an informed decision. Handing out a condom isn't telling somebody to go have sex."
Abstinence-only supporters say they teach teenagers that condoms and other forms of contraception are not guaranteed to protect against pregnancies and sexually transmitted diseases. Supporters also encourage abstinence educators to discuss the emotional, social and health ramifications of engaging in sexual activities at a young age.
A new study released at the convention indicates that girls who begin having sex in their early teens are more likely to have rocky marriages and be poor and depressed as adults than girls who delay sexual activity.
The Heritage Foundation study of more than 10,000 women found that girls who began having sex at age 13 or 14 were less likely to be in stable marriages in their 30s than girls who waited until after their teenage years to have sex.
In addition, the study found that 27 percent of mothers who started having sex at age 13 or 14 are now living in poverty as opposed to nearly 12 percent of those who first had sex in their early 20s.
The Heritage Foundation says it promotes conservative public policies based on the principles of free enterprise, limited government, individual freedom and traditional American values.
More than 700 participants from around the world have gathered at the JW Marriott hotel-casino to attend the three-day convention.
http://www.reviewjournal.com/lvrj_home/2003/Jun-27-Fri-2003/news/21616510.html
