John Hayward Posted: 26 March 2009
Keywords: Education, Health, Lifestyle Issues, Sex & Relationships, Worldviews & Culture,
The BBC phoned me today asking, among other things, what I thought of today's proposals for pregnancy advisory services, possibly including abortion information, to be advertised on TV and radio for the first time.
The head of a charity that offers sexual health advice and services to young people told the Today programme, "Young people tell us TV is an important route through which they get a huge amount of messages about sex. So clear, honest, factual advertising about services which provide honest messages is clearly going to be part of shifting the balance away from this over-sexualised media."
He is clearly right, which is why the Jubilee Centre believes it is important to be providing honest messages not just about the simple facts of life or even just about 'goods and services', but also - and crucially - about the wider personal and social implications of sexual intercourse. A parent would be considered highly irresponsible, even negligent, if they taught their child how to operate a car and then handed them the keys, without also instructing them in how best to drive the vehicle on the roads. So, too, with sex - it is not enough to tell teenagers 'how to do it' and send them out with a full selection of contraceptives; we also need to help them understand the 'rules of the road' - how to be considerate of other 'road users', the kinds of hazards that require attention, and how to avoid getting into any accidents - whether they be minor scrapes, simply calling for a little 'body work', or potentially life-threatening 'write-offs'.
The Jubilee Centre is unlikely ever be able to afford expensive broadcast advertising. Nevertheless, as our public information bulletins are used in classrooms, youth groups and student groups, and as word of the Fair Sex Movement spreads virally through the internet, it is hoped that our contribution to the public conversation will help equip young people to make wise choices about their lifestyles and their futures.
If you have not yet seen our short one-minute videos, you can find them on our YouTube channel (the third - and best! - will be uploaded on Friday) - the accompanying discussion questions are in the Leaders' Tools resource section of this website.
My concern is that they are to be advertised as pregnancy advisory services, when clearly they are only presenting one aspect. If this goes through I think we need to seriously think about advertising the Christian alternatives.
John Barton (via FB) 27 March 2009
What amazes me is that no-one has pointed out that trying to reduce the teenage pregnancy rate or improve teen sexual health by advertising pregnancy advisory services is like trying to reduce road accidents by providing more ambulances. It's a total non-sequitur.
Or is it the teenage _birth_ rate they actually want to reduce? After all, when young teens become fathers or mothers, there's a national outcry, whereas there are 10 under-16 abortions a day, and no-one seems to say much.
Gervase Markham 31 March 2009
I know that this is an emotive subject, and sometimes we have to be pragmatic in our approach. But there are times when speaking out seems to be necessary. From my own viewpoint, the idea that actually giving support for these unborn children to be born never seems to enter the discussion is tragic. If we instilled in our young people the idea of responsibility, and that actions have consequences which not only affect us, but also affect others, including the unborn child, things might be different. Last week there was a programme on tv - The Sperm Race - which seemed to me to be a good way of depicting what happens when conception takes place. It was not a christian programme, but at the moment of conception, when the sperm entered the egg, the narrator's words were - "At this moment a new life is created." It was so plain.
My own reaction to the announcement about the plans to allow adverts to carry information about abortion was such that I set up my own blog (which I had considered doing for some time) and write a posting on the subject. You can see it at http://thelandofuz.blogspot.com/2009/03/lament.html It's not so much an argument as a reaction. I've had some positive comments from friends since putting it up. But I do think that this is one of the issues which, like slavery in Wilberforce's time, will haunt this generation.
Dafydd Job 1 April 2009
Teenage sex is rising day by day and creating huge rate of abortion of teenage people which is a severe problem to their parents and this type of information is very important for awareness to the people who wants their children to keep safe. Even they are getting attracted to drug like dangerous addiction. So they need counseling from Narconon Vistabay which always highlighted on the pivotal role played by parents and along with it one’s willpower can bring radical change who are suffering from addiction.
Sumit 9 June 2009
I am just new to your blog and just spent about 1 hour and 30 minutes lurking and reading. I think I will frequent your blog from now on after going through some of your posts. I will definitely learn a lot from them. Regards - Karen of dell repair
Karen 1 January 2010