Teenagers Ill-Informed, Sexually Active

By Margaret Lyons in News on Mar 17, 2008 6:26PM

At least one Chicago teenager believes that aluminum foil is a fine substitute for a condom.

It's ok, go scream and think about how you don't even like when aluminum foil is in your mouth.

That and other tidbits of misinformation came up during a forum discussion at Alternatives, a youth and family agency. It's almost hard to believe that one in four teenage girls has an STD, what with no statewide standards for comprehensive sex-ed.

Dawn Turner Trice's column hovers around some good ideas but loses us at the end:

You're thinking: Why not just teach abstinence only? Well, that works best for teens living in bamboo huts on remote islands without TV sets or the Internet. Girls have gotten the message about oral contraceptives and others, but too many haven't found their voices when it comes to demanding that their partners wear a condom.

Uh....we're not thinking that. And why would teenagers with little to do--other than, say, live in a bamboo hut--be the most abstinent? What else is there to do on a remote island except wrap your wiener in foil and get freakay?

If you care about responsible sex ed for Illinois, get involved with the Illinois Caucus on Adolescent Health.
[Trib]