In Abstinence Class, Women Are Over Emotional Maidens

When I traveled the country this summer, I met with several people whose sole purpose in life is to overturn Roe v. Wade. They blame high abortion rates on Planned Parenthood and pro-choicers who encourage young people to have as much sex as possible. I don't know about you, but after I watched the condom demonstration in high school, I couldn't wait to try it out! Perhaps the abstinence classes being taught today would have served me better:

From the teaching materials for federally funded high-school abstinence programs, collected for a report commissioned by Representative Henry Waxman (D., Calif.) and published in December 2004. The report criticized the presence of "false, misleading, or distorted information" in eleven of the thirteen most commonly used programs. The Bush Administration is providing $167 million for abstinence-only programs this year. Originally from Harper's Magazine, February 2005.

Circle the item(s) that can be totally eliminated through the use of a condom: infertility, isolation, jealousy, poverty, heartbreak, pregnancy, AIDS, substance abuse, genital herpes, unstable long-term commitments, meaningless wedding, distrust of others, sexual violence, cervical cancer, personal disappointment, feelings of being used, pelvic inflammatory disease, loss of reputation, suicide.

Now cross out the item(s) that can be eliminated by being abstinent until marriage.

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Deep inside every man is a knight in shining armor, ready to rescue a maiden and slay a dragon. When a man feels trusted, he is free to be the strong, protecting man he longs to be.

Imagine a knight traveling through the countryside. He hears a princess in distress and rushes gallantly to slay the dragon. The princess calls out, "I think this noose will work better!" and throws him a rope. As she tells him how to use the noose, the knight obliges her and kills the dragon. Everyone is happy, except the knight, who doesn't feel like a hero. He is depressed and feels unsure of himself. He would have preferred to use his own sword.

The knight goes on another trip. The princess reminds him to take the noose. The knight hears another maiden in distress. He remembers how he used to feel before he met the princess; with a surge of confidence, he slays the dragon with his sword. All the townspeople rejoice, and the knight is a hero. He never returned to the princess. Instead, he lived happily ever after in the village, and eventually married the maiden--but only after making sure she knew nothing about nooses.

Moral of the story: Occasional assistance may be all right, but too much will lessen a man's confidence or even turn him away from his princess.

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Females have the uncanny ability to remember the most insignificant details about past experiences. This terrifies the average male. The loaded question "Do you remember when . . . " sends many an unsuspecting guy into a cold sweat. Men tend to be more tuned in to what is happening today and what needs to be done for a secure future.

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While a man needs little or no preparation for sex, a woman often needs hours of emotional and mental preparation.

5 Major Needs of Women:
Affection, Conversation, Honesty and Openness, Financial Support, Family Commitment

5 Major Needs of Men:
Sexual Fulfillment, Recreational Companionship, Physical Attractiveness, Admiration, Domestic Support

* * *

At conception, the baby comes into being. About the sixth to tenth day after conception, when the baby is no bigger than this dot (.), the baby snuggles into the soft nest in the lining of the mother's uterus.

The newly developing person from conception until about eight weeks is called an embryo. Fetus is the technical term the unborn child is called from about eight weeks until birth. Most people just say "baby" or "unborn child."

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Sexual relationships often lower the self-respect of both partners--one feeling used, the other feeling like the user. Emotional pain can cause a downward spiral, leading to intense feelings of worthlessness.

Investment in another results in pain when break-up occurs; he/she feels deeper pain because he/she already sees events in an emotional way. This depression may lead to attempted, or successful, suicide.