I have a number of concerns regarding the modified recommended pamphlets. These concerns include a procedural issue, application to the unit objective and concepts, significant changes to what is provided directly to students and the accuracy of the data within the pamphlets.
These pamphlets are a modification to a last-minute substitution brought to the FLECAC after the committee was unable to find an acceptable video to replace the existing video. This is a patch on a band-aid that has not been reviewed by the FLECAC. The desire was to find a replacement video. When the video brought to the FLECAC was not accepted by the committee and there was not sufficient time to find another video, the original two pamphlets were brought to the FLECAC for approval. There were no other pamphlets from which the FLECAC was to select the best one or two. This was not an exhaustive search for optimal pamphlets that were intended from the start to replace the aging video. This was a last ditch attempt to find something. This might explain the reason that the FLECAC missed some of the elements of the pamphlets that were unacceptable to the community. Now there is a last-minute modification to the last-minute attempt to find a replacement to the aging video. The modification has not been before the FLECAC. There is a major difference between the intent of the committee and the details that may or may not be acceptable. The timeframe for public comment has also been greatly reduced due to the last-minute modification. There is time before this module is taught to next years 10th grade class to find a suitable replacement video, bring it to the FLECAC at the beginning of next school year and follow the normal public review procedures and have it approved by the School Board.
The lesson objective is:
The student will identify the advantages and disadvantages of the major types of contraceptives and discuss different moral and /or religious viewpoints concerning their use.
The “Concepts” are:
The Birth Control Facts pamphlet is to provide academic support to the objective and the associated concepts. The part of the pamphlet that contributes to the lesson per the objective and concepts is the matrix. This identifies major types of contraception and provides advantages and disadvantages of each. The section of the pamphlet that covers the “morning-after pill” and the section now labeled “Some Questions to Ask Yourself” do not support the objective or associated concepts.
Contraception is defined in my Webster as “prevention of fertilization of the human ovum. The morning-after pill is an abortifacient and not a contraceptive. If abortion is addressed in the curriculum, that is where the morning-afterpill should be addressed. Additionally, the primary purpose of the pamphlet was to provide advantages and disadvantages of the contraceptives. None are listed for the morning-after pill while it has great health risks. Its great controversy is due to the fact that it is an abortifacient, yet nowhere on the pamphlet is “What it is” stated. Placing it in the pamphlet that is distributed to the children also brings it into the direct instruction where it was not in the direct instruction in the current syllabus.
While the “morning-after pill” is mentioned in the “FOR TEACHER USE ONLY: NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION” Fact Sheet, it is not included in any of the current student sections of the teacher guide. Including the section on the morning after pill on the pamphlet is moving this topic that was previously restricted to the teacher’s fact sheet to a part of the material provided to the students. This is a subject that should be discussed at the FLECAC and their recommendation brought to the Board.
Nowhere in the objective or concepts is there any mention of an intent to have the children select a contraceptive method for their preferred use. The “Some Questions to Ask yourself” section personalizes the issue of contraceptives and guides the children through a selection process. This provides a contradictory message to an abstinence message that should be a constant in all of the lessons. It is a logical conclusion on the part of the students that if they are being directed to select a birth control method that they are expected to use it. They would only be expected to use it if they are expected to be sexually active. This crosses the line between informing them about contraception and encouraging their use.
Both the morning-after pill section and the “Some Questions to Ask yourself” sections are controversial and do not contribute to the objective or concepts. Why include them?
The information in the matrix does not present an accurate picture of the risks associated with condoms. This is the birth control method that is incorrectly depicted as “safe sex.” The pamphlets states 98% effectiveness, yet that requires perfect use. How many teens will have perfect use? The training I received from Virginia Health and Human Services suggested that teen use has an effectiveness closer to 70%. There are other sections that leave out some critical information as well. They are listed below. Why should FCPS purchase a pamphlet that will put children at risk by providing the perception of protection that is greater than reality?
Condoms
What the Pamphlets states:
Chances of Not Getting Pregnant
“If you are very careful each time – 98%.
If you are not very careful each time – 85%."
Facts:
This is footnoted to “Effectiveness rates from Contraceptive Technology, Eighteenth Revised Edition, in press 2004.” Other sources that reference this same document state the 2% is from ‘perfect use’ and the 85% is from ‘typical use.’
In a recent well-controlled randomized clinical trial of monogamous couples using latex male condoms for contraception over six months, the pregnancy rate during “typical use ” was reported at 6.3%,with a 1.1%pregnancy rate during “consistent use ” (45).Most of these couples had experience using condoms. However, based on estimates from National Surveys of Family Growth (123),14%of couples are estimated to experience an unintended pregnancy during the first year of “typical ”use, a failure rate that includes both inconsistent (non-use)and incorrect use, as well as breakage and slippage. (http://www.niaid.nih.gov/dmid/stds/condomreport.pdf)
Concern
The pamphlet provides the impression that 98% effectiveness can be achieved by just being a little careful when in fact it requires perfect use. Considering the likelihood of “perfection” from most teens, this greatly overstates the likely effectiveness and provides a false perception of the protection.
Strong Points
“Latex condoms help protect you from HIV and other STD.”
Weak points
No comment on risk of contracting HIV or STDs.
Facts
Using condoms exactly as directed every time you have sex can reduce your risk of getting HIV by about 85 percent.3,4
3 Davis KR, Weller SC. The effectiveness of condoms in reducing heterosexual transmission of HIV. Fam Plann Perspect. 1999;31:2272-279
4 Workshop Summary: Scientific Evidence on Condom Effectiveness for Sexually Transmitted Disease (STD) Prevention. July 20, 2001. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Department of Health and Human Services. Available at: http://www.niaid.nih.gov/dmid/stds/condomreport.pdf.
A 15% risk of contracting HIV is still a significant risk for such a deadly disease (1 in 6.66 chance). Placing the vague comment in the “Strong Points” and not mentioning anything in the “Weak Points” does not accurately convey the true risk of contracting HIV associated with sexual activity despite using a condom.
There is virtually no evidence that condoms reduce the risk of HPV infection at all, though they may slightly decrease the number of people who go on to get warts or cervical cancer. Despite the fact that most people know little about it, HPV is the single most common STD in America. In one recent study half of the sexually active 18- to 22-year-old women were infected with HPV.2 HPV infections cause many health problems. In addition to genital warts, HPV causes nearly all cervical cancer. In 1999, more women died of cervical cancer (4,800) than AIDS (4,100).3, 4
(From the Medical Institute of Sexual Health website (www.medinstitute.org))
HPV
The report also concluded that there was no epidemiologic evidence that condom use reduced the risk of HPV infection, but that condom use might afford some protection in reducing the risk of HPV-associated diseases, including warts in men and cervical neoplasia (cervical cancer precursors and invasive cancer) in women (117). (REPORT TO CONGRESS Prevention of Genital Human Papillomavirus Infection Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Department of Health and Human Services)
Chlamydia and Gonorrhea
If used 100 percent of the time (which is uncommon), condoms only reduce the risk of chlamydia and gonorrhea infection by about half. (From the Medical Institute of Sexual Health website (www.medinstitute.org))
Genital Herpes
Based on the limited studies, it appears condoms only reduce the risk of herpes by half at best.
No protection from HPV and 50% protection from bacteria and viral STDs is not a great deal of help in protection from STDs. Placing the vague comment in the “Strong Points” and not mentioning anything in the “Weak Points” does not accurately convey the true risk of contracting STDs associated with sexual activity despite using a condom.
The report to congress on HPV estimated that greater than 30% of sexually active woman under the age of 25 have HPV. In 1999 more women in the United States died of cervical cancer that has been directly connected to HPV that died of HIV/AIDS. Considering the time required to develop cervical cancer and the great increase in the number of women that have contracted HPV, HPV is a significantly greater risk that HIV for women.
It is irresponsible to not ensure that the children taking this course are fully aware of the extent to which condoms do not protect from deadly STDs.
Depo Provera
Health Concerns
“Few serious problems for most women.”
Fact
Recent studies report a decrease in bone density among young women on Depo-Provera.9 This may lead to osteoporosis in later stages of life.
9 Hatcher, RA.et al.(1997). Fertility, Family Planning,and Woman’s Health: New Data From the 1995 National Survey of Family Growth, National Center for Health Statistics. Vital Health Statistics,23 (19)
First, what about those health concerns for the women that do not fall into the “most women” category. Secondly, there is no mention of the decrease in bone density.
Weak Points
“No protection from HIV and other STD.”
It is my understanding that the risk of contracting an STD is actually greater due the thinning of the uterine wall.
Pill / Patch / Vaginal Ring
“Few serious problems for young women.”
Some women report certain side effects from their birth control pills, including bloating, headaches, irritability, exhaustion, depression, nausea, weight gain, decreased desire for sex, breast tenderness and spotting or bleeding at times other than their menstrual period. Birth control pills can also affect the circulatory system; therefore, smokers, diabetics, migraine sufferers and others should consult with their physician before using oral contraceptives.6
(6) Hatcher, RA.et al.(1997). Fertility, Family Planning,and Woman’s Health:New Data From the 1995 National Sur vey of Family Growth.National Center for Health Statistics. Vital Health Statistics 23 (19). McIlhaney, JS,Jr. (1998). 1001 Health-Care Questions Women Ask. Grand Rapids,MI:Baker Books.
What are the “few problems?” If there are a few, why are they not listed? The material listed under facts includes depression. That should be a serious concern to young women today.
Abstinence Pamphlet
The abstinence pamphlet has some sections that I believe should be discussed and reviewed by both the FLE Curriculum Advisory Committee and the School Board. That is not going to occur prior to the vote on May 12th. The “Things to Watch Out For” section has somewhat of a negative bent (i.e., abstinence is too hard) and does not provide an associated solution for each of those situations. The “If you are in a romantic situation” section implies the broad definition of abstinence that was a serious problem with one of the original pamphlets that was dropped. “Conservative” is included as a potential derogative name that a child could be called along with “weird,” “confused about sex,” “immature” and “cannot get a date.” I also have some concerns about an abstinence pamphlet from the same company that defined abstinence as anything except intercourse.
Powered by LifeServantA Service of Vertical Symmetry
