Sex Ed

Rating:
Summary: Disappointed
Review: I am involved in a Crisis Pregnancy Centre with an abstinence based sex-ed programme for teenagers, teaching them the dangers of pre-marital sex i.e. unwanted pregnancy , STD's, Hiv and AIDS, emotional disappointments etc , giving them skills in dating effectively without having sex until they're involved in a long-term committed relationship. I bought the book because I have been very impressed with Dr Stoppard's previous books and with DK books, however I am disappointed in her liberal approach to homosexuality (condoning homosexuality is an opinion), and other issues such as visual comics on how to masturbate, how to make the first physical contact etc. This is definitely not a book I would choose for my own children one day, call me prudish if you wish, but what has happened to good old fashioned morals? How about teaching healthy sexuality , understanding your body and emotions , directing them into healthy dating habits and the possible dangers of multiple sexual relationships.

Rating:
Summary: refreshing viewpoint
Review: I found this a good book for an older mature teen. It is very refreshing compared to other books on the market for advice to teens on sexuality. It's very important that our kids are taught about sexually related diseases and unwanted pregnancies. They also need to be warned of the emotional consequences of getting physically involved with a partner before they are ready. Most books cover these topics, and advise abstinance until marriage. Which is all fine to a point. I have been searching for a book for older teens who are mature and in a loving relationship, that would introduce to them how to begin slowly and cautiosly intergrating a little sexuality into their realtionship. One day their sexual relationship should be a very fulfilling and enriching part of their lives. I feel that if we "scare" them too much,they will learn unhealthy sexual outlets (such as pornography), and will then be incapable of developing a healthy loving sexual relationship with their life partner. While this book is not the perfect answer, it's the best I've found so far, and I intend to give it to my teenagers when the time is right.

Rating:
Summary: refreshing viewpoint
Review: I found this a good book for an older mature teen. It is very refreshing compared to other books on the market for advice to teens on sexuality. It's very important that our kids are taught about sexually related diseases and unwanted pregnancies. They also need to be warned of the emotional consequences of getting physically involved with a partner before they are ready. Most books cover these topics, and advise abstinance until marriage. Which is all fine to a point. I have been searching for a book for older teens who are mature and in a loving relationship, that would introduce to them how to begin slowly and cautiosly intergrating a little sexuality into their realtionship. One day their sexual relationship should be a very fulfilling and enriching part of their lives. I feel that if we "scare" them too much,they will learn unhealthy sexual outlets (such as pornography), and will then be incapable of developing a healthy loving sexual relationship with their life partner. While this book is not the perfect answer, it's the best I've found so far, and I intend to give it to my teenagers when the time is right.

Rating:
Summary: Pretty Good with a Few Minor Flaws
Review: Sex Ed is a good book for teens that are going to become sexually active not pre-teens like me. The book gives a lot of good information on puberty, birth control, and STD's; but toward the end the book turns into a so called sex manual! Dr. Stoppard actually explains how to have make foreplay more enjoyable. how to get an orgasm, and how to have better sex. I don't like those type of things in a book that teens read. Besides all of the that type of stuff the book is actually pretty enjoyable. Not great for pre-teens but pretty good for teens starting a sexual relationship.

Rating:
Summary: It was informative and made alot of sense to teens like me.
Review: This book is GREAT! It realy helps teens like me understand sex isnt just a game, its a step that will affect your whole life. The info is given in a way that teens actauly take seriously. I love the little cartoon scenarios. They help show things clearly. The illustrations are good too. I feel this book should be used by schools when teaching about sex. From a teens point of view it would be way more effective and would lower the levels of sleepers of people who just dont pay attention.

Rating:
Summary: Pretty Good with a Few Minor Flaws
Review: This book suffers from the unfortunate modern thought that if a book uses a lot of technical and explicit sexual terminology, then we can rely on the good doctor's words. Dr. Stoppard tackles many important topics for sexually curious teens, but her advice generally is a soft-sell on sexual risks and an encouragement to teens that any and all sexual behaviors are enjoyable, `when you are ready.' She repeats the popular line, "Contraceptives can prevent pregnancy, and condoms in particular can prevent STD's from being passed on." The emphasis is on PREVENT. Cute cartoons then suggest "some" people do get an STD from sex, but there is never an honest discussion of failure rates for condoms or a loud warning about the STD's like HPV or herpes which can be transmitted to a partner, even if a condom is used. In fact, in a chart on contraceptives, she lists the condom as 98% effective, when industry experts agree the effectiveness is 87% in reality, with teens turning in the lowest rates of all. (Contraceptive Technology Update, 2000) In spite of the medical community's authoritative warnings against the term "Safe Sex," Dr. Stoppard tells teens, "Always practice safe sex. You want to relax when you have sex; you don't want to have to worry about pregnancy and STD's." In order for teens to decide for themselves if they are mature enough for sex, they are given a short list of 12 simplistic questions: "Would I stand up for a friend? Do I keep promises? Can I accept criticism?-and others." Her "Guidelines for Responsible Sex" begin with, "No sex unless you really care about him, and he cares about you." How many teens "care about" each other? Is this truly when we want them to decide sex is permissible? When discussing HIV, she cautions teens to never have sex with a stranger, implying that teens are protected from AIDS if they "know" the person. This advice flies in the face of the fact that HIV and many other STD's give no outward symptoms, even to the infected person. And she tells teens to try mutual masturbation and oral sex as a way to avoid the problems of intercourse, (including the statutory rape laws in many states, she points out,) while, in truth, mutual masturbation and oral sex are highly effective ways to transmit STD's. In a book targeting pre-teens and younger teens, this is woefully inadequate advice. Finally, at the end of a book that honors any and all sex as permissible for a "mature" person, Dr. Stoppard drops the bombshell of teen pregnancy with this understatement, "An unwanted pregnancy is difficult for everyone concerned...If you're pregnant, it's too late for regrets." In the United States 40 percent of all females will become pregnant before their 20th birthday, and up to 95% of these pregnancies will be unplanned. (CDC Fact Sheet) This unfortunate statistic can be understood in light of the sexually permissive and encouraging advice contained in "Sex Ed." This book ends by reminding teens that everyone "has the right" to basic freedoms. Number 4 on the list is, "Freedom from repression by the older generation." In spite of earlier suggestions in the book that parents are important, this basic freedom No. 4 gives teens complete freedom to ignore their parents. This is the kind of duplicity in "Sex Ed," by Dr. Stoppard, that will allow teens to gain whatever type of permission they seek for whatever type of sexual behavior they want to explore. If teens are truly mature enough to be considering sex, they deserve better than a lukewarm, `be careful, but enjoy,' served up with cute cartoons. Any adult concerned for the health of a child will pass this book by.

Rating:
Summary: Disturbingly Shallow and Misleading
Review: This book suffers from the unfortunate modern thought that if a book uses a lot of technical and explicit sexual terminology, then we can rely on the good doctor's words. Dr. Stoppard tackles many important topics for sexually curious teens, but her advice generally is a soft-sell on sexual risks and an encouragement to teens that any and all sexual behaviors are enjoyable, 'when you are ready.' She repeats the popular line, "Contraceptives can prevent pregnancy, and condoms in particular can prevent STD's from being passed on." The emphasis is on PREVENT. Cute cartoons then suggest "some" people do get an STD from sex, but there is never an honest discussion of failure rates for condoms or a loud warning about the STD's like HPV or herpes which can be transmitted to a partner, even if a condom is used. In fact, in a chart on contraceptives, she lists the condom as 98% effective, when industry experts agree the effectiveness is 87% in reality, with teens turning in the lowest rates of all. (Contraceptive Technology Update, 2000) In spite of the medical community's authoritative warnings against the term "Safe Sex," Dr. Stoppard tells teens, "Always practice safe sex. You want to relax when you have sex; you don't want to have to worry about pregnancy and STD's." In order for teens to decide for themselves if they are mature enough for sex, they are given a short list of 12 simplistic questions: "Would I stand up for a friend? Do I keep promises? Can I accept criticism?-and others." Her "Guidelines for Responsible Sex" begin with, "No sex unless you really care about him, and he cares about you." How many teens "care about" each other? Is this truly when we want them to decide sex is permissible? When discussing HIV, she cautions teens to never have sex with a stranger, implying that teens are protected from AIDS if they "know" the person. This advice flies in the face of the fact that HIV and many other STD's give no outward symptoms, even to the infected person. And she tells teens to try mutual masturbation and oral sex as a way to avoid the problems of intercourse, (including the statutory rape laws in many states, she points out,) while, in truth, mutual masturbation and oral sex are highly effective ways to transmit STD's. In a book targeting pre-teens and younger teens, this is woefully inadequate advice. Finally, at the end of a book that honors any and all sex as permissible for a "mature" person, Dr. Stoppard drops the bombshell of teen pregnancy with this understatement, "An unwanted pregnancy is difficult for everyone concerned...If you're pregnant, it's too late for regrets." In the United States 40 percent of all females will become pregnant before their 20th birthday, and up to 95% of these pregnancies will be unplanned. (CDC Fact Sheet) This unfortunate statistic can be understood in light of the sexually permissive and encouraging advice contained in "Sex Ed." This book ends by reminding teens that everyone "has the right" to basic freedoms. Number 4 on the list is, "Freedom from repression by the older generation." In spite of earlier suggestions in the book that parents are important, this basic freedom No. 4 gives teens complete freedom to ignore their parents. This is the kind of duplicity in "Sex Ed," by Dr. Stoppard, that will allow teens to gain whatever type of permission they seek for whatever type of sexual behavior they want to explore. If teens are truly mature enough to be considering sex, they deserve better than a lukewarm, 'be careful, but enjoy,' served up with cute cartoons. Any adult concerned for the health of a child will pass this book by.

Rating:
Summary: Wish *I'd* had this book as a kid
Review: This is a wonderful book for teens. It is much, much more than the title implies. Dr. Stoppard encourages her readers to act in a mature, responsible action, and to treat sex seriously. She encourages her readers to wait, to think before having sex, and to talk to their parents or other adults about what's going on in their lives. She doesn't make readers who have chosen to have sex feel guilty, and she doesn't talk down to teens. She includes frank discussions about the risks of sex, birth control, and protecting yourself against STD's. There is also plenty of good advice for teens on making and maintaining non-sexual relationships and the changes going on in their bodies as they mature. In a few years I'll be making sure my son sees this book.

Rating:
Summary: Wish *I'd* had this book as a kid
Review: This is a wonderful book for teens. It is much, much more than the title implies. Dr. Stoppard encourages her readers to act in a mature, responsible action, and to treat sex seriously. She encourages her readers to wait, to think before having sex, and to talk to their parents or other adults about what's going on in their lives. She doesn't make readers who have chosen to have sex feel guilty, and she doesn't talk down to teens. She includes frank discussions about the risks of sex, birth control, and protecting yourself against STD's. There is also plenty of good advice for teens on making and maintaining non-sexual relationships and the changes going on in their bodies as they mature. In a few years I'll be making sure my son sees this book.