Sex Education Clinics for Teens

I was pleased to read Peirce’s column. At last there is someone who realizes what the high school health-clinic movement is about. These clinics do not promote sex, but knowledge and responsibility.

The media bombard us with sex in order to sell their products, but they neglect responsibility. The sexual revolution of the 1960s brought sex out into the open, but America has chosen to ignore that teens are having sexual intercourse. Teen pregnancies are a problem in America, and our society must come to terms with them.

I hope that clinics like the ones in St. Paul will become available throughout the country, because this is the first step we must take to confront the issue. The “religious right” might cry that sex is a family issue, but the clinics require parental consent to provide care, so they are not taking away parental responsibility. The clinics are there for kids who want information, and for those already in trouble. Knowledge is the best prevention.

It is a relief to hear that there are programs that provide information and help teen mothers through school. St. Paul is an example for the rest of the nation to follow, providing a way to deal with the issue instead of ignoring it. We can make information available and help those in trouble now, or we can pay for their mistakes later. The reduction of teen pregnancies in St. Paul schools is already proof that clinics in high schools are a help to society and not a promoter of sex.

MICHAEL HOLE

Whittier