Boston city councilors are up in arms over the Boston School Committee's plans to distribute condoms in public schools.
-- News item
"LOOK, COUNCILORS, it's easy to moralize about kids and sex. But this is 1994, not 1954. Whether we like it or not, kids are having sex. And with frightening consequences.
"Since January 1993, HIV infections among teen-agers have more than doubled. Some 400,000 teen-age girls are getting abortions every year. The number of schoolchildren having babies has increased by more than 20 percent since 1985.
"Are we going to stick our heads in the sand, or will we face up to reality? Sure, 'just saying no' to sex is best for teens, and teachers should emphasize that. But let's also give the students who won't abstain the information they need to practice safe sex.
"That means teaching them about AIDS. It means making sure they have a solid understanding of human sexuality. It means making condoms readily available in school.
"The bottom line is, lives are at stake. We're in the middle of an AIDS epidemic, and safe-sex education is as important as math and reading. Morality? What could be of greater moral urgency than helping to keep kids alive and healthy?"
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"Look, it's easy to moralize about kids and guns. But this is 1994, not 1954. Whether we like it or not, kids are going around armed. And in fearsome numbers.
"Sen. Christopher Dodd estimates that 186,000 children carry guns. In 1990, kids accounted for 18.2 percent of all arrests on weapons charges. Twenty percent of all high school students regularly arm themselves.
"Are we going to stick our heads in the sand, or will we face up to reality? Sure, 'just saying no' to firearms is best for kids, and teachers should emphasize that. But let's also give the students who won't refrain the information they need to minimize their risk.
"That means showing them the right way to handle guns and ammunition. It means teaching them that if they shoot, it must be only to wound, not to kill. It means making blank cartridges readily available in school.
"The bottom line is, kids' lives may be at stake. We face a plague of violence, and safe-weapons education is as important as math and reading. Morality? What could be of greater moral urgency than helping to keep kids alive and healthy?"
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"Look, it's easy to moralize about kids and drugs. But this is 1994, not 1954. Whether we like it or not, kids are taking drugs. And at alarming rates.
"More than 130,000 teen-agers say they use cocaine weekly. Ten percent of high school seniors take hallucinogens; 6 percent use cocaine. In 1992, more than 11 percent of eighth-graders were involved with drugs.
"Are we going to stick our heads in the sand, or will we face up to reality? Sure, 'just saying no' to drugs is best for kids, and teachers should emphasize that. But let's also give the students who won't abstain the information they need to minimize the danger from drugs.
"That means teaching them what happens when different drugs interact. It means showing them how to avoid overdosing, and how to make sure the cocaine they ingest is pure. It means making sterilized needles available in school.
"The bottom line is, lives are at stake. We're in the middle of an epidemic, and safe-drugs education is as important as math and reading. Morality? What could be of greater moral urgency than helping to keep kids alive and healthy?"
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"Look, it's easy to moralize about kids and drunken driving. But this is 1994, not 1954. Whether we like it or not, kids are drinking and driving. And with lethal results.
"Traffic accidents are the greatest killer of American kids; 14 teens die every day as a result of drunken driving. That's one dead child every hour and 45 minutes. More than 450,000 junior and senior high school students are 'binge' drinkers.
"Are we going to stick our heads in the sand, or will we face up to reality? Sure, 'just saying no' to drunken driving is best, and teachers should emphasize that. But let's also give the students who won't abstain the information they need to minimize the danger from driving drunk.
"That means introducing them to drinks that are less potent than straight liquor. It means urging them to eat if they're going to drink and drive. It means teaching them to drive drunk only on well-lit roads, to reduce the risk to other drivers.
"The bottom line is, kids' lives may be at stake. We face a plague of drunk drivers, and safe-drinking education is as important as math and reading. Morality? What could be of greater moral urgency than helping to keep kids alive and healthy?"
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One argument; one line of reasoning. Test the logic. Hold it up to the light. Try it in different contexts. And then decide: How sound is it?
(Jeff Jacoby is a columnist for The Boston Globe.)