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Ploy Bunluesilp / NBC News
Panida Saengjan became pregnant at 16 years old, when she was just in high school in Bangkok. She is seen her with her now 4-year-old son Haroon who her mother is raising.
BANGKOK, Thailand – If you are a teen with a sexual urge, what should you do?
It's a question faced by young people across the world, and one met with many responses.
So high school seniors in Thailand were perplexed this year when they were asked for the answer in a nationwide multiple-choice test for students hoping to win a coveted place at university. They were given five possible options to choose from:
A: Call friends to go play football (soccer)
B: Talk to your family
C: Try to sleep
D: Go out with a friend of the opposite sex
E: Invite a close friend to see a movie
Most students had no idea how to respond. And it quickly became clear that they were not the only ones who struggled to identify the right answer. Parents and teachers were equally baffled.
The story soon attracted national media attention, and Thai educational experts were interviewed to share their insights. But even they seemed uncertain. The tentative consensus was that students were probably expected to pick option B — “Talk to your family.”
It seemed like the answer adults might want to hear, even though most teenagers in the real world would be appalled at the very idea of discussing their sexual urges with their parents. The most realistic answer was probably option D — go on a date.
So there was widespread incredulity when the preferred answer was eventually revealed by Dr. Samphan Phanphrut, head of the national exam board that drew up the tests. It was option A —“Call friends to go play football.” Regardless of whether they were male or female, Thai youth were supposed to deal with sexual urges by playing soccer.
For many Thais, the key lesson learned from the saga had nothing to do with soccer. Rather, it was that Thai officials have a total lack of understanding about the lives of teenagers and the importance of sensible sex education.
Growing teen pregnancy problem
It's an issue that is causing increasing problems in this Southeast Asian country.
Ploy Bunluesilp / NBC News
Haroon, a 4-year-old in Bangkok being raised by his grandmother because his mother was just 16 years old when she became pregnant.
"The number of pregnant teenagers is growing every year. And they are getting younger and younger," said Apiradee Chappanapong of Plan Thailand, an NGO that champions children's rights and education.
In fact, Thailand has the second-highest pregnancy rate among 15-19 year-olds in the world, according to the government’s Office of Welfare Promotion, Protection and Empowerment of Vulnerable Groups. (South Africa has the highest rate).
The issues in Thailand are complex. Contrary to the country's image as a hedonistic sex tourism destination, Thai culture remains highly conservative, but premarital sex is widespread although many older Thais regard it as taboo. (As a result, underage girls are often pressured to marry, especially in rural areas.)
This conservatism means subject is rarely discussed in Thai families, and as the debacle over this year's university exams demonstrated, schools are also failing to teach Thai youth what they need to know.
Many teachers and education ministry bureaucrats refuse to acknowledge that premarital sex is a reality. Instead of teaching teenagers how to avoid pregnancy through the use of contraception, they preach abstinence. And when Thai teenagers become pregnant, they often have nobody to turn to. Legal abortion is only available to teenagers if their parents approve, and many Thai girls don't consider that an option.
“I don’t think my school taught me enough about sex education,” said Nat who asked not to reveal her full name, a 17-year-old who became pregnant after running away from her home in an area of northern Thailand where traditional values remain strong.
Unable to get a legal abortion because she was estranged from her parents, she chose the dangerous option of ordering abortion pills online and taking them without any medical supervision. She told me she suffered severe vaginal bleeding afterwards.
Many conservative Thais deny that outdated and incompetent education is the problem. They say Thai teenagers are being corrupted by dangerous modern influences such as racy movies, social media and Internet chat rooms. Facebook was even cited as one of the causes of Thailand's growing teenage pregnancy crisis in a recent study by the National Economic and Social Development Board (NESDB).
Dangerous illegal abortions
Another controversial issue is whether Thailand's abortion laws should be reformed. Approximately 95 percent of Thais are Buddhists, according to the CIA World Factbook, who believe taking any life is a sin. Officially, abortion is illegal except in cases of rape, incest or underage sex, or when the mother's physical or mental health is at risk.
Even when women have a legitimate reason to undergo a legal abortion in Thai hospitals, many are deterred by the judgmental attitude of doctors and nurses, according to 39-year-old activist Supatra Panuthut, who counsels women with unplanned pregnancies at Sahathai Foundation in Bangkok.
For most women who want to terminate a pregnancy, the only option is to do so illegally. In many cases, abortions are conducted using unsafe procedures and in unsanitary conditions. In a notorious case in 2010, more than 2,000 aborted fetuses were discovered at a temple in Bangkok after locals complained of an unpleasant smell. Earlier this April, a five-month-old fetus was found dumped in a hospital bathroom. Newborn babies have also been found abandoned in bus shelters and garbage bins.
A small number of abortion clinics run by NGOs providing safe and compassionate treatment occupy a legal grey area: they are technically illegal, but the authorities have generally allowed them to operate, as long as they do not promote their services too openly.
But recently police raided one of these clinics after a well-known model told the media she had an abortion there. Panuthut fears the raid will end up discouraging some women from seeking abortions at responsible clinics and could lead to more unsafe backstreet abortions.
It seems unlikely that the law will be changed to allow more Thai women to legally terminate their pregnancies. Successive Thai governments have shown no enthusiasm for such a controversial move, and indeed some Thais want to see the law tightened even further so that abortion is totally outlawed.
Coping with unwanted pregnancies
Meanwhile, out of the approximately 250,000 Thai teenagers who become pregnant each year, half of them seek abortions, according to Dr. Yongyut Wongpiromsarn, Senior Expert in Mental Health, Thai Ministry of Public Health.
That means more than 100,000 children are being born each year to teenage mothers who in many cases cannot properly look after them.
Often these children are raised by their grandparents or other relatives, rather than their biological mothers.
This was how Panida Saengjan coped when she became pregnant at the age of 16 while she was a high school student in Bangkok. She told me she was terrified of the dangers of an illegal abortion, but admitted she was also too immature to look after her baby, a boy she named Haroon.
Now 4 years old, Haroon has been raised by Saengjan's mother. When I met them at their home, Saengjan was laughing and playing with Haroon, whom she said was more like a little brother to her than a son.
Many teenage mothers end up giving their children to foster homes. Palm, an 18-year-old I interviewed who spoke on the condition of anonymity, wept as she told me about how she had to give away her 5-month-old son after her boyfriend broke up with her.
Government officials insist they are taking the problem of teen pregnancy seriously. But while Thai bureaucrats remain so detached from reality that they consider it appropriate to tell teenagers to choose soccer instead of sex, there seems little prospect of a sensible solution any time soon.
Leave a Comment:
This is so barbaric compared to the American system:
A. Learn to play basketball really well.
B. Learn to play football really well.
C. Stay home and collect welfare.
If you answer "A" or "B", you get to go to the university. If you answer "C", you don't. But you get your fill of sex no matter what you answer.
denver bill2
How misogynistic of you. A and B are options for male teens, well B anyway for sure, and C seems to only apply to females. Single able-bodied males aren't likely to receive welfare. Is that what you think of our young countrymen and women. Or are you referring to a specific race of young Americans? Either way, you are rude. How does your way of thinking help anyone?
Move to most of America today and have the baby or go to another state to undergo demeaning and harassing treatment required by law.
We have little room to talk about other countries "problems" with teenage pregnancy or inadequate sex education, we are now leading the world in ignorance. If they were doing this because of their religion we would say how backward and primitive.
why is that misogynistic? it's the truth. you can get a sports scholarship or a welfare scholarship just by opening for business so to say. if you keep your legs shut or use those new fangled condoms your SOL
This will be the US in coming years if the GOP gets their way. They want to ban contraceptives and abortions... and welfare, etc. to boot! Sex ed isn't something they want, either, unless it only talks about abstinence. I hope that people can see the writing on the wall. We're up next to return to the 16th century!
Yep, just like Obama's predecessor who believed if you didn't teach about sex it wouldn't happen. We all know where that went, teen pregnancy went up briefly and of course the Repubs did their best even then to ban abortion or even the abortion pill. Maybe the Thai girls and boys are just picking up from the poor morals here in the good ole USA.
Way to take it out of context... most of the right doesn't feel tax payers should pay for contraceptives and abortions. They aren't saying they should be stopped. I'm betting that if welfare wasnt handed out so freely, most of the hoodrats would slow down on popping out kids so fast. Make drug tests and some sort of work programs mandatory and I'm 100% positive that the welfare ranks would shrink considerably. But we know that the left would never let that happen and lose a huge chunk of their voting block.
jag24659,
You are the shining example of hate-filled, EVIL rhetoric that is so embarrassing to liberals if it weren't for the fact that there are far too many gullible people in this country that actually believe you.
What's scary is that you actually believe what you wrote. It's not like you were actually creating the propaganda for other weak-minded people.
Where is the muscle in your brain that is supposed to go off and tell you that what you wrote makes absolutely no sense?
How could you allow yourself to be part of a culture that is so inhumane?
And even at the bare minimum... if you truly have a desire to help improve America, how do your vile words help bring people together?
Can you even answer that simple question?
Mike - great argument. We do not want to pay for it, but we should be able to get it when we want it? Isn't that the way the hoodrats really want it.?
Where are the jobs? Right now, over-all unemployment is at about 16%. I know people in my area who have been looking for 2 years. Please post that information. I will ensure that they get it.
I knew it wouldn't be long before the political hustlers started in. It only took 6 posts. How someone can inject politics into a subject like this is crazy. I swear some of you must only have orgasms if you scream Obama or GOP during sex. Then if you don't get satisfied, you run around all day yelling "Bush did it." Wtf
vglance -
Actually, the "Personhood" amendments (OMG, A HOOD! SHOOT IT!) would do exactly that - remove certain forms of contraception from being distributed. It would also affect the mothers in that abortion would become illegal. It might not stand scrutiny, particularly since they would be forced to undergo strict scrutiny as a right is being removed, but it would definitely cause harm as long as it was in power.
As to the abstinence only sex education, it's been shown it doesn't work. If you on the right are so hung up about allowing good sex education, and contraceptive availability, then why do all the representatives you elect come out with such horribly evil stupidity? Why aren't they listening to you? Could it be because you either a) are not in the majority of conservatives as you claim, making you a liar, or b) are not bothered to vote, or properly vet your candidates to assure they have no intention of backing such stupidity? Either way, it is fail. Egregiously harmful fail.
You have no right to the bodies of others. You have no right to tell them what they can or can't do in regards to their own bodies. It seems so strange. It is now the job of the right to tell everyone that government is taking away their rights, yet they get into office and the first things they pass are limitations on the rights of others. Who is stealing who's rights now?
And this isn't even mentioning the "Conscience Clauses" going up for pharmacists all over the country.
I am a little baffled by this article/comments and how selfish our world has become. I understand people have sexual urges, I understand people make mistakes and become pregnant, and I understand a lot of times people who become pregnant may not be ready to have a child. What I don't understand is the act of ABORTION! Yes, I am male but who gives anyone the right to selfishly abort a human that has a functioning brain, heart, and other organs like every human on earth. How do you think every human came into this world????? It is MURDER! I understand certain medical situations but come on. How selfish have we all become to think that we have the right to live over another. Think about it...how would you be posting comments on this if your mother felt that it wasn't the right time to have a child?
vglance - what is so HATE filled about what was said? Ok - I don't think Republicans want to ban contraceptives, but they do want to ban abortion ( or stop the murderers ) and they demonize anyone on welfare - you just have to read the posts on this article to confirm that. Here's a few examples:
"I'm betting that if welfare wasnt handed out so freely, most of the hoodrats would slow down on popping out kids so fast."
"Abortion is in laymen's terms MURDER, you know taking innocent life! I agree women should have the right to choose, they can choose not to have sex if they do not want children."
From the Republican party platform: "Ban abortion with Constitutional amendment
We say the unborn child has a fundamental right to life. We support a human life amendment to the Constitution and we endorse legislation that the 14th Amendment’s protections apply to unborn children. Our purpose is to have legislative and judicial protection of that right against those who perform abortions. We oppose using public revenues for abortion and will not fund organizations which advocate it. We support the appointment of judges who respect the sanctity of innocent human life."
Source: Republican Platform adopted at GOP National Convention Aug 12, 2000
"We oppose school-based clinics that provide referrals, counseling, and related services for contraception and abortion."
So really - somehow vglance is spreading hate and propoganda? Sounds like he's just stating the facts to me. Show me where any of his statements ( except the contraceptive one) are factually wrong?
Wow, the censor is working overtime. What I wrote what hardly that bad at all.
What a surprise! Based on only modest fan interest in the US and low scoring games, I always thought of professional soccer as a non-pharma alternative to sleeping pills. That it could be used as a contraceptive, who knew?
Pdubb: cast your personal opinions aside and look at the facts: this world will all too soon have 7 BILLION people on it and we just passed the 6 BILLION mark not too long ago. 8 BILLION will follow soon after.....see where it's going? Reproduction will become a privelege, not a right.
and I'll bet yer sittin' there sayin': "A'int MY problem"
.....oh, but it is......
When you hear someone say : "I wouldn't have gotten pregnant if there was more sex eduction"
Do you think : "That's the best excuse you could come up with?"
I mean how many hours of sex education classes do you need to understand that if you have sex, you might get pregnant?
We cannot forget that the average age for women getting pregnant has gone up worldwide. At 15, 16, 17, or 18 you were usually married and therefore having a kid was normal.
What really changed was people deciding that their own selfish demands exceed the importance of the child.
You can see that with the many abortions women have.
They have no problem killing an unborn child, but keeping their legs closed is asking too much.
If you are not old enough to raise a child, then you are not old enough to have sex.
You can get in your car and run red lights all day - usually hitting no one. But eventually your luck runs out. We punish that reckless behavior - and abortion should be no different.
Some form of punishment is required as a deterrent. I'm not talking prison time, but counselling should be required. And it should extend to the guy as well. Perhaps a registry of frequent offenders. The abortion can be legal, but it shouldn't come without a price.
If a person truely cannot control themselves, and has repeated abortions - then we have to treat them for their mental problem.
We have many adults that are attracted to children. We ask them to control themselves. If they can't, we punish them. But even while they are in prison, they get some treatment for their problem.
People seem to forget that there were LESS children born out of wedlock BEFORE birth control and medically peformed abortions.
And there was nearly no sex education back then.
Yet they didn't have the level of problem that we have more recently.
People knew the consequences, and regulated their behavior.
Yes, even 3000 years ago they knew that if you had sex, you could get pregnant.
So, what do these kids today need to get the message?
Do I have to tweet it to them?
HAVE SEX = PREGNANT
Was that in too many characters for them to comprehend?
Ideally, sex education would advocate open-mindedness with a HUGE emphasis on contraception. Kids need to understand that no condom = no sex. And they should start taking the pill as soon as they start being sexually active. Why do people not get this?
Ryan in Texas - As much as I agree with a lot of what you said, much like Spartan, I still think sex ed is worth while. The problem in Thailand, and also many poorer countries, is that the sex ed is based solely on abstanence and marriage. They are not taught much if any about contraceptives, and anyone they vrespect will call them bad for it. Religious leaders need to drop the BS and endorse birth control, period. They do not have to endorse abortion, or sex itself but if sex is a must, be safe.
As far as abortion, personnally I am not a fan, with some acceptions. Due to those I think it should be limited. It seams far to sinple but I think: 1st abortion, nothing on your record, no charge, that should cover the victim pregnancy, and the truely unaware (maybe mentally disabled, convinced and manipulated, etc.). 2nd pregnancy, you want an abortion you are on your own, unless a victim of violent crime and proven. Third abortion, mental treatment, lose the right to bare, plain and simple. If the same man is listed and proven 3 times, same rule, snip, snip.
As for the comparisons to running lights and pedophilia, not really following that! Pedophiles are usually much older than the person, manipulative, in authority over the person and a predator, whereas teen pregnancies are horny kids, big difference.
Running red lights, when I was young my hyundai didn't turn into a transport truck all the time and try to convince me chemically to run them, so not a fair example either.
Condoms, condoms, condoms, condoms..
Adampositive,
Thailand's personnel accountability and Illegal Drug programs have resulted in cutting their HIV rates from 2.5%+ to 1.3% and falling(mainly IDUs). Their reproduction rates are falling and have been for a decade. Funny thing they ENFORCE immigration and their historical unemployment is BELOW 1%. They put drug dealers & traffickers to DEATH, while treating addicts as a disease...
BTY - Washington DC - HIV rates are 3% and INCREASING and the average black males age at death is 47. And I'm sure you do not want to talk about the INCREASING rates of population and drug use in the USA...
I once questioned a Thai about someone stealing their TV or vehicle. Because they usually never lock their house or vehicle and frequently leave the keys in the ignition. The person looked at me with a questioning look, it had never occurred to them...
In fact the person later stated, "If a neighbor needed to use the vehicle for a emergency. That was the reason they left the keys in the vehicle..."
I agree with everything you said. I made no mention of the drug problems, nor that it was a bad country to be in. My point was about educating them about birth control, so that the young women know they have options.
I frequent Thailand with my GF and we enjoy both the country and the people quite a bit. I don't even mind the social stigmas people place on pushing marriage and family. The Thais I know well find it funny that the western world think life is about personal happiness. To them it is about being responsible to your family and community, and gaining happiness through that, but now we are off the topic of the article, nuf said.
Hey Ryan in Texas, I have the perfect solution for all you guys out there who are unhappy with all the abortions all us slutty women are having - STOP HAVING SEX. Push us away, tell us no, because the only truly 100% effective form of birth control is abstinence. So I guess you better start practicing abstinence before you condemn the women you have sex with from having to deal with the consequences of YOUR actions.
Simple solution, guys - stop having sex with us, and we'll stop having abortions! Or is that just too much to ask of you?
and you forgot
D. Join the secret service and pay prostitutes.
"pay"
In Asia, there is a former US Naval Officer, serving LIFE in Prison. He also disputed the charges for service...
In Thailand, there is a Russian composer, that has fled the country. Abandoning/forfeiting property and other assets, to keep from facing Thai Courts for multable child sex charges...
In the USA, John Mark Karr is a convicted Thai child sex offender, that the USA Courts released, after dropping several US sex charges. Now, Alexis Valoran Reich, after a sex change, currently lives as a woman.[61] ..
BTY - People in Thailand count their birth-day as 1+year old. So a professed 19+year old is only 18, according to US Courts. And the USA signed a International Agreement making any US Citizens having sex with someone below 18 or below a FELONY, even if you did it in another country, where it maybe legal...
First, prostitution is legal in Cartagena. Second we're talking about 11 agents, out of 160 that were down there.
You could do worse in Nevada.
So in the US a girl can have as much free sex with as many men as she wants and we call her a "Slut" a guy having all the free sex with as many women as he wants we call him a "Stud". But if the "Slut" wants to charge the "Stud" to have sex then she is a "Whore" and if the police arrest her then she is a "Prostitute" and he is a "John"...........now this is where it gets complicated If she has sex with a wealthy man and marries him for his money she is a "Gold-digger" but if she has the money and chases younger guys she is a "Cougar" and a younger man that marries a rich older woman is a "Boy-Toy". Bottom line is it perfectly fine for women to have sex for free but illegal for them to charge money for it (unless it is for gifts or dinner).............Priceless.
gtouch like the old joke goes:
Lord Muckety Muck asked Queen Elizabeth to have sex with him. After being told no, he offered her £1,000,000 to have sex which she agreed to. He then proceeded to reduce the offered amount to £50 to which she indignantly responded Lord, what do you take me for? His response: Ma'am, we've already established what you are, we're merely negotiating the price.
Kids in the US will get even less information if the rightwingnuts have their way...for some reason they think if the kid prays hard enough those evil urges will go away..lmao
And the states that teach abstinence only are consistently the ones with the highest teen pregnancy rates. But this won't change because those same people believe that 1+1=3. This is called abstinence math.
We don't needs no mo money for edumacation. We needs lower taxes.
You got it Rick,
The answer is simple:
1. Convert the Thais to Christianity
2. Teach them abstinence
3. Eliminate sex education in schools
4. make birth control illegal and/or expensive
Result: Teen pregnancy AND abortion will be reduced and/or eliminated. See how easy that is.
lmao...I needed that sanity check
SanityCheck - Thais already do that. Budhism has almost the same rules and traditionalists in Budhism expect the same things.
Yum, Thai food....
deleted by user, lol....
In Rural Thailand it is socially unacceptable for a Girl/Woman to be seen in public with a male. Unless it is their father/family member or they are being escorted with their date. The only exception is if their occupation requires it, usually after they have graduate from school. Prostitution has been illegal in Thailand for decades...
The Thai 'Water Ceremony' fulfills the social requirements of a wedding and the public escorts are no longer required. Unfortunately this ceremony, conducted by 5+Buddhist Monks, is not legally binding, until it is registered with the Thai Government. Many of these are never registered and even then, few Thai males are held ACCOUNTABLE for child support or alimony...
BTY - The Male is required to pay a dowry to the Brides family, during this ceremony. It is large enough to pay for the ceremony, any Schools or University the Bride attended, and if it is the youngest daughter (who inherits the family house), could amount to MILLIONS of Baht. ALL the Thai Girls know that a divorced and/or having childrening, will result in them receiving very little dowry. In fact few Thai Males will ever marry them...
In other words this Article is BS, when citing data on unwed mothers, and a 15+year old becoming married in Thailand is common. Though this is also becoming socially unacceptable & can be punished by many new Thai Laws...
Also when a woman is forced into the sex trade due to social/economic reasons, their family and home community do not condemn them. They and their spouses are socially judged on how well they take care of their family and children. The Grandparents taking care of the young children, is an ACCEPTED and EXPECTED part of the Thai Society. As many young Thais have to leave their home village to find a job that will enable them to support their family. Many seek jobs out of the Thai Country, that last for years and pay very well...
BTY - I'm not ccommenting on the BKK or Resort areas, as I have only lived 8+years in Isan and avoid these areas...
I know why it's so hard to answer...it's because MSNBC didn't post the question that goes along w/ the potential answers. HEY DUMBASSES WHO WROTE THIS: WRITE IN THE QUESTION. Great article, nice proofreading. Kind of hard to know how to view the choices given that we don't know the damn question asked!!!!!!
"If you are a teen with a sexual urge, what should you do?"
Its in the very first line of the article
LOL@fireanddice
It was the first line in the article.
In Thailand, society is not like it is here in the states. Not everyone gets to go to school. Many kids are working in the rice fields from the time they turn 9 years old and never really see a large city. The entire culture is different, though the people are intelligent, friendly and courteous. It is not difficult to understand, having seen Thai TV shows, how a kid can grow up not knowing what the rest of the world thinks about sex or family. It's a totally different world over there (I spent years there, so I'm familiar with the culture), and unless you have been there, you really cannot understand why the kids are not 'like American kids'.
The current laws have been changed during the last few years:
Every child in Thailand can now go to school for FREE and rural public transportation to school & back is almost nothing. This includes undocumented children of Illegals...
If you are Thai, many Thai Universities are FREE including; teaching, medical, etc - educations. I'm currently paying $5+thousand a year, which includes books, for my daughters Engineering School(Rangsit). In the USA I was paying $10+thousand a semester (UNC) for another daughter. I have two nieces (a teacher & Pharmacist) who are attending Universities for FREE, including room & food...
BTY - I live in a farming community and the Internet has been affordable here and available for a decade or more. I concur that Thai TV is not based on reality and it promotes the BKK and Lady-Boy lifestyle. But not knowing about sex or the social family requirements, is BS. I know many Ladies that are still Virgins and intend to stay that way until they are married, after they have well paying Occupations...
This article is ridiculous.
You read it didn't you Ruken? But I shouldn't be surprised by your comments. I never agree with you.
This article is ridiculous.
I concur because the researcher has NO CONCEPT of Thai Society and is applying his/her western perceptions and CONCLUSIONS. On VERY FLAWED research...
C - The question was in the first sentence.... If you are a teen with a sexual urge, what should you do? Next time, just look for the question mark, that's a dead give away! LOL
Got a new Bamboo Tattoo in Pattaya Thailand 3 days ago. It's awesome!
Shell, you're right! I thought that was just a lead in, b/c it wasn't quoted and it was separated from the answers. MSNBC editing has been pretty awful of late and now I'm just looking for errors.
C - I know... I had to read it twice myself.
You're supposed to start at the beginning.
Soccer balls just aren't very attractive to me.
First of all Teens Don't Ponder.
Their attention span is measured in microseconds.
Why the incredulity? Playing sports and engaging in physical exercise is a way to channel that sexual energy into a healthy outlet. Dr. Samphan really is not that far off the mark.
In theory, yes. In practice, no.
Girls shouldn't kick balls as they're made for them to play with!.
hahahaha well said mm
Who the f*ck cares what is going on over there. We are all getting screwed here big time, report on that.
Part of the problem with the U.S. is attitudes like yours.
As the article demonstrates, ignoring the problem of teen sexuality does not lead to positive outcomes anywhere in the world. In exactly the same way, the American conservative 'abstinence only' policy leads to high teen pregnancy and abortion rates in the U.S. compared to the rest of the developed world.
This is typical of Thai social welfare policy. For example, the law there forbids the purchase of alcoholic beverages (which are available at every corner convenience store) between the hours of 2 and 5 PM, which supposedly keeps underage kids from drinking. It's completely useless in practice.
In the U.S. we should be more practical and prudent about our social policies. We have an educational system that should elevate our level of discourse, and the capability to find workable, measurable solutions to societal ills which a third world country like Thailand does not have.
What's our excuse?
This is exactly why the population of poor continue to grow and income gaps widen. The poor make bad decisions. Paying $2500 to all women who will be sterilized would save all countries in this world much pain, hardship, and pollution. The poor breeding out of control is THE major threat to civilization today.
You're illogically assuming that rich people breeding cultivates a better gene pool. This is not a given. Nothing in the article indicated that only "poor" teenagers where getting pregnant; rather that it is across the whole country, economics aside. Students from rich families are getting the same limited sex education as the poor students - mainly abstinence information as that is what the government supports. Stupid people can have money, and poor people can be highly intelligent, so your premise is unsound.
Joan, I believe that every one should have a chance. Unfortunately, the way our welfare system has developed over the last 40 years, statistics show that a child born to a welfare mother is much more likely to be on welfare. On the other hand, girls that have families with resourses have a much better chance to go on to a more successful life. I understand that our moral misgivings would never allow the sterilization of a woman that has one or more children out of wedlock and does not have the non governmental resources to support that child or children, from a Purely economic point of view, it would make sense.
Let me just add, I do not believe that this would have anything to do with breeding out the poor, history has shown to many great people coming from very poor beginnings.
"You're illogically assuming that rich people breeding cultivates a better gene pool. This is not a given"
Maybe, maybe not. Children born into wealthy families have access to education and employment that the poor typically can't have.
"Students from rich families are getting the same limited sex education as the poor students - mainly abstinence information as that is what the government supports."
Care to provide a few links to support that statement?
"Stupid people can have money, and poor people can be highly intelligent, so your premise is unsound."
So your point is what?
The Thai population is increasing very little...
Don't you wish the USA could say the same???
Wow the adults over there are really out of touch ... LOL. But on a more serious note I hope the teens over there get some better support / education soon! If you make kids afraid to talk about it like some kind of vial sin this is the result ...
The Thais I know and live with, believe in 'Personnel Accountability.' You are held accountable for your family and any children you bring into this world. For LIFE...
Unlike the USA, that has become dependent on the Government, and the expectation of NO Personnel Accountability or MORALS...
I have raised & supported 4+daughters and 2+sons. I wish the first four had been raised in the Thai Society. The Thai moral values are based on responsibility and respect for the family, which the US Government and Society seems to be at war with...
@ face the facts - I hope I read that wrong ... don't think "sterilizing" woman for $2500 is the solution. Definitely not the human one ... maybe the easy one you sick F***
meant to say "humane"
Guys you know the game, if you have sex, pull out and use her as a rag. Heheheheh. And no one gets pregnant.
Alright i'm kidding, sorry girls, and gals, and ladies, and women. I have to joke about this. Life is life, sex is part of life. Without sex we would not exist. I don't' think??? Ancient Aliens, do you have an answer ????? I did not think so. There is no damn answer, I mean, their going to do what they want to do when they want to do it. It's part of life. I mean look back in time.......... way back, life is just repeating itself.
Very ugly joke.
I agree with Mario. That's 2 males, R-K!
@ Relligion Kills , i fail to see what point you are trying to make .....
I think I know where the root of the problem lies. I wonder if they rank higher in education than the US.
You can't outlaw abortion, without making contraceptives available and sex education mandatory and comprehensive! Abstinence is a fantasy that goes against the very nature of ALL animals. You might as well tell them not to breath.
"If you are a teen with a sexual urge, what should you do?"
You talk with your gf/bf and make a decision. Then, if it IS to be sex, do it safely!
Yeah well, if smart teens would talk about the possibility of having sex, they would realize there is a lot more to gain by NOT having sex .....hmmmm lets see, like not having unplanned pregnancies(oops, how did that happen), nasty STI's (condoms dont help when it comes to genital herpes) , broken hearts ( poor girl thought that cute guy was gonna marry her someday) .....
Sex is safe ! Period. Its the act of sex outside the confines of marriage that brings about these complications ....and dont get me started on the abortion issue ....I hate abortion. If you fall pregnant , especially through your own choice, DEAL WITH IT TEENY ....
Bottom line, IF YOU ARE ADULT ENOUGH TO HAVE SEX, BE ADULT ENOUGH TO DEAL WITH THE CONSEQUENCES THEREOF ....
:-|
Ah! So, marriage = the only safe sex...... right. What world do you live in? Do they know you, there?
I live 2 blocks from you ......
Actually yes, marriage IS the best "safe sex" - if you DO bring a child into the world, you have two parents who have made the commitment to care and provide for it. I learned where babies come from when I was four, pretty much as soon as I started asking questions about what makes boys and girls different. My mom explained the mechanics of sex and told me that it happens "when a mommy and a daddy are ready to make a baby". I can't help but feel that if it were taught (by PARENTS, not teachers) as what it is - reproduction - instead of tabooing it or making it some sort of big mystical deal, maybe kids would get the picture. I don't remember when I learned that sex could be for pleasure and not just babymaking, but I still thought it was dumb to do it if you didn't want to get pregnant. Had all the same sex ed classes through school (which all taught contraception) and I STILL thought that the choice was easy: don't be a dumbass and you won't get pregnant. It's called responsibility: if you aren't mentally and emotionally prepared to deal with the consequences of your actions, DON'T DO IT. You aren't ready. There are plenty of other ways to have fun as a teenager.
If you think marriage is the last word in commitment, you've failed.
if people can be responsible enough to wait until marriage, they can be responsible enough to stay committed. it's virtually impossible for a monogamous couple that's never slept with anybody else to contract an STD
It's not difficult--use condoms EVERY SINGLE TIME and start taking the pill at your earliest convenience. Oh, did I mention that if you get pregnant while married, if you can't take care of the kid you won't be any better off than all those teen moms?
So Thai morality condems sex education, while allowing teenagers to abandon newborns as their only true option? Well that's ONE way to deal with the problem. Facebook does not cause pregnancy - unprotected sex causes pregnancy. Clearly abstinence education is not working as the teenage pregnancy rates attest. So, do you keep doing the same thing over and over again expecting a different result? Or, do you come up with a more practical, logical solution? Ignoring the problem won't make it go away.
If it's sex or soccer, soccer fields worldwide will soon be empty.