Who Is Raising Our Kids, Us Or The Government?

Ken McCracken • October 31, 2007

David Harsanyi (author of a great new book about the nanny state) basically asks that question in this column about a special task force in Colorado recommending that contraception and emergency contraception be available from school nurses. Which is an issue I’ve posted about previously.
Now, the intent of this task force is to reduce teenage pregnancy, but it seems to me that they’re going about it backward. Rather than excluding parents from the sexual decisions their children are making by allowing those children to get contraception without a parent’s knowledge or consent, shouldn’t we be seeking to include parents in the process? If we want kids to be responsible about their sex lives, shouldn’t parents be made aware that their kids are sexually active and seeking contraception?
And yes, I’m aware of the fact that there are bad parents out there, but are the sins of a few enough to start letting the government make parenting decisions for us? It seems as though Americans have done just fine raising their own children for generations.
Why do we need to start putting the government in charge of this stuff now? And who says the government is capable of doing a better job with this stuff than parents?
Handing out contraception to juveniles without parental involvement seems to me an endorsement of the idea that children are old enough to make their own decisions about sex. Which, if true, makes you wonder why it’s not ok for a thirteen-year-old girl to decide she wants to start having sex with a 45-year-old man? Or why it’s not ok for an 11-year-old middle school student to start driving? Or join the military?
Kids don’t make good decisions. That’s why they’re kids. They’re still learning, and in order for them to learn life’s lessons well their parents (and not school administrators) need to be in charge.

Tags: Cultural Marxism, Education, Nanny State, Politics

http://ewebsmith.com/ ews48

The really disturbing thing is that these experts in charge of our children don't understand children. When you provide a child with birth control, in the child's mind, you are saying that it's OK for him/her to have sex.

Who are these people and what gives them the right to make these decisions for my children?

They are the same people who will blame their failure to educate on me. They are the same people who will tell me, after they fail to control their classrooms and school grounds, who will avoid accepting any responsibility by telling me that my child has to accept responsibility when he does something wrong.

They are not the people who will pay the bills when my child catches some STD or gets pregnant or gets some one else pregnant. They are the people who will wash their hands of any responsibility by saying, "Well, we gave them condoms".
kbiel

And who says the government is capable of doing a better job with this stuff than parents?

I just went to the DPS to renew my driver's license today. Now I know why they let us renew online every other time. Actually having to visit the DPS office is not a confidence inspiring experience. I wouldn't even let these people water my house plants while I was out of town, much less raise my kids or administrate my health care.
http://www.bikebubba.blogspot.com/ Bike Bubba

And people wonder why I'm homeschooling my kids.

And ews puts it well; exactly why should we expect the geniuses that gave us Amtrak, the Post Office, and the DMV to get something as crucial as sexuality right?

It's also worth noting what the past 40 years of "comprehensive" sex ed (based on Kinsey/SIECUS, condom-based) have gotten us, too. Back in 1999, they estimated 65 million adults with STDs, and each year, millions of young women get pregnant out of wedlock. Moreover, we've got tens of thousands of people dying of AIDS annually in our country.

Exactly what must happen before people start to admit that it's been a dismal failure?
http://Array Dave

And people wonder why I'm homeschooling my kids.

Really? Don't most people just assume it's because you don't want them to encounter any new ideas that might contradict what you believe?
cujo88

These people don't take morality seriously. They don't give a damn if other people's 11 year olds have sex as long as they pull on a condom. You guys made some excellent, mature points that I couldn't have said better.
http://www.bikebubba.blogspot.com/ Bike Bubba

I only hear that from a few people who have never really interacted with homeschoolers, Dave. Perhaps you would do well to get yourself over to http://www.hslda.org and get a picture of what homeschooling is really about?

And believe it or not, some of the heartiest affirmations I've received of homeschooling come from coworkers who are hardly religious at all–they simply know the moral hazards that they've come into contact with, and respect kids enough to want to keep them away from those hazards.
2Hotel9

Again, davey, stick to telling us of infanticide makes you morally superior. At all else you suck, and I believe you suck on purpose. Perhaps we could take up a collection and buy you some knee pads.

We have a good school district, small and well observed. The sex-ed is thoroughly neutered and stomped down. And the teen pregnancy rate in our region is below that of the rest of the state and neighboring states. Another school district, in this same county, is the exact opposite. They have an astronomical dropout rate, pregnancy is so common that their school nurse is a retired Ob-Gyn and a crime rate twice that of the city it is in. And the teachers/admin are planning to go on strike cause they want higher pay and shorter school day hours. Go figure.
docdave

Don't most people just assume it's because you don't want them to encounter any new ideas that might contradict what you believe?

New ideas like it's okay to have sex out of marriage, have an abortion as a result of the former, homosexuality is a good life style, Islam is a religion of peace, man is bad for nature and responsible for global warming, etc. Yeah, these are 'new' ideas that I would want for my children too. /sarc

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