Category Archives: Parenting

Planned Parenthood Opposes Choice!

July 2, 2007

Jane Jimenez

Jane Jimenez

I know it’s hard to believe.  Planned Parenthood opposing choice?  Never!

Ever since Roe v. Wade, over thirty years ago, Planned Parenthood has rallied its forces around the banner of CHOICE.  The ultimate insult, by extension, has been anti-choice.  If you are an enemy of Planned Parenthood, the banner is hoisted high in the sky and voices rise in shrill chants, “Anti-choice, anti-choice, anti-choice!”

Thus, it is a momentous occasion when Planned Parenthood has adopted the tactics of the enemy.  Planned Parenthood is ANTI-CHOICE!  Yes, it is.  Really!

If choice mattered, politicians funded by Planned Parenthood would listen to parents.  And parents have clearly set out what they want for their children.  A 2007 Zogby poll of parents of children age 10-16 showed the following:

  • 9 out of 10 parents agree that being sexually abstinent is best for their child’s health and future, with 8 in 10 strongly agreeing.
  • 8 out of 10 parents think it’s important for their child to wait until they’re married to have sex, with 6 in 10 strongly agreeing.
  • 8 out of 10 parents think sex education in public schools should place more emphasis on promoting abstinence vs. contraceptive use.
  • 2 out of 3 parents believe that promoting alternatives to intercourse (such as showering together and mutual masturbation, which are presented in some comprehensive programs) encourages sexual activity.
  • 6 out of 10 parents think more government funding should be given to abstinence education vs. comprehensive sex education.  Only 2 out of 10 want more funding for comprehensive education.

Planned Parenthood would have you believe otherwise.  They have spent years trying to convince parents otherwise.  They have confounded, confused, manipulated, exaggerated, engineered, maneuvered, exploited…but all to no avail.

Once the truth is revealed, once parents understand the core content and message of abstinence education, by a 3 to 1 margin parents want government funding of sexual abstinence education that promotes abstinence until marriage as the best for their child’s health and future.

Planned Parenthood has reached the end of the road.  The truth cannot be denied.  Thus it must be faced head-on.  Planned Parenthood is finally ANTI-CHOICE.

Planned Parenthood and its allies have clamped down on Congressional members.  They don’t care about the choice of parents who choose abstinence education.  Choice?  They’re against it!

In the greatest ANTI-CHOICE campaign of the year, Planned Parenthood has mustered its full force to deny parents and their children the choice to have abstinence education programs.  And Congressional members who receive campaign donations from Planned Parenthood are all too willing to be a part of this campaign.

Until June 30, federal funding under Title V paid for the choice that parents want…abstinence education.  Even with this funding, the educational choice of parents received only one-tenth of the money given to condom-promotion education…much of that condom pushing money going to Planned Parenthood programs.

But nine-tenths of the money tree isn’t enough for Planned Parenthood.  No.  They want it all.  Choice?  Hang Choice.  Forget Choice.  Kill Choice.

July 1, is a watershed date.  It is the line in the sand.  It is the time when parents must finally take things into their own hands and demand that their choice be heard.  They must gather their voices and rattle the phones of the Congressional representatives who are supposed to represent them.

If not, Planned Parenthood will have ten-tenths.  And our children will have nothing.  This is clearly the goal of Planned Parenthood in its fierce campaign…ANTI-CHOICE!

Big Fathers

June 25, 2007

Jane Jimenez

Jane Jimenez

He is an engaging boy, close to ten years of age.  A ball cap turned back on his head, he looks straight into the camera.  The poster on the wall brags on the young man.  He could be the child of any proud father or mother:

James is well on his way to become a statistic.  One we can be proud of.

 

  • 70% less likely to use drugs,
  • 27% less likely to start drinking,
  • 52% less likely to skip class,
  • 64% achieve higher grades,
  • Celebrating 100 years, Big Brothers, Big Sisters, Donate – Volunteer.

One hundred years of matching children with Big Brothers and Big Sisters, a lot has changed since the day they made the first match.  Fifty years ago, when Little Rickie ruled the house on television, and when I jumped rope with kids on the street, I knew few children growing up in single parent homes.  In most cases, they were children impacted by death of a parent or, in rare cases, children of divorce.

Today, children raised by single parents are the norm.  And for every child without a dad, Big Brothers, Big Sisters works hard recruiting men to fill in the gap.

This is a Herculean task, recruiting enough Big Brothers and Big Sisters to take care of the needing children in America.  It sets my mind on fire with questions.

Where are the men who have fathered these children?  And if they didn’t stay around to be a Big Father, can we expect them to be a Big Brother?

And for the fathers who have stepped up to the plate to be the fathers they should be, how many more children can they adopt under their wings before they are unable to fly for the weight of the burdens we have placed on them?

The biggest question of all?

Educators around the country are working to instill in young people the notion that the sex that produces children should be saved for the time in their lives when they will be able and willing to marry.  Children born into families built on the healthy marriages of Big Fathers and Big Mothers is the most secure way of providing what Big Brothers and Big Sisters are attempting to give.

In one case, Big Brothers, Big Sisters is applauded for their generosity and their efforts to help young boys and girls succeed.  They boldly place posters and billboards and recruit donations and volunteers.

In the other case, promoting the benefits of marriage which, if successful, results in Big Fathers and Big Mothers, draws down the wrath of people who denounce this effort to “force your values on me.”  Why?

Why are we afraid to recruit Big Fathers through education programs that connect sex, marriage and families as a positive goal?  And why do we reject this education at the same time that we laud Big Brothers for recruiting men to fill the void created by the breakdown in social norms for marriage?

Consider the benefits for James of living with his married parents:

  • less likely to use drugs,
  • less likely to start drinking,
  • less likely to skip class, and
  • will achieve higher grades.

Celebrate this…thousands of years, families founded on fathers married to mothers.  Volunteer your support.  James needs you.  All children need you.

Big Brothers, Big Sisters.  Yes.  Better still…

Big Fathers, Big Mothers.  Yes!

Research-Based Realities

June 11 2007

Jane Jimenez

Jane Jimenez

America is in love with research.  Numbers grab our attention, statistics drive our decisions.

We collect numbers on everything.  We know from watching him that Magic Johnson is…well…magic on the basketball court.  But we are sure of it if we can chart his free-throw average.  We believe that Elvis was a music legend.  But we are convinced of it when someone lists his top ten hits and reports the sales revenue generated by his empire.

Fueled by computer technology, researchers have relegated nearly every subject today to binary code and statistical analysis.  Not surprisingly, our beliefs about sex, our sexual behavior, and the consequences of both, have been counted, input into computers, and crunched into numbers that have been sorted, scrutinized, analyzed, reported and debated.

Statistics on sex confirm what the ordinary person knows.  Teen sex is a problem.  We see the problem in our daily lives, but numbers and statistics define the problem.

Numbers and statistics also drive the work to cure the problems resulting from teen sex.  Give us a cure, we are told.  But make sure it is research-based.

This demand for research-based education is great news for abstinence educators.  Research gathered over the past forty years supports the truths taught in abstinence classes around our country.  Consider what research has proven:

  • STDs infect people even when condoms are used consistently and correctly.  Of the 25 common STDs today, several viruses and bacterium live on body areas not covered by a condom, including incurable genital herpes.  This helps to explain why one in six people over the age of 12 are infected with genital herpes.
  • Boys and girls are different.  For some unknown reason, of late, that has been in doubt.  But now we have research that confirms the different attitudes men and women have about sex, love and attachment.  We are different.  Truly.
  • Most men and women have personally experienced the power of sex to create a special bond.  But now we have research and science to explain why.  Oxytocin, released in the blood system during sex, creates an attachment between the lovers…whether or not true love exists.
  • Romantic breakups are hard enough for teens, but the emotional consequences of sex for our youth can be devastating.  We have always known that.  But now research has documented the link between teen sex and teen suicide rates.
  • If oxytocin, emotional stability, and freedom from STDs are not enough to justify abstaining from sex until marriage, we have even more research to motivate us.  A wide range of studies prove that married people are having the most sex and the best sex.  And marriage statistically provides the best outcomes for men, women and children…emotionally, physically and economically.
  • Parents have always felt that teens needed direction.  Research now confirms this.  Studies of brain development show that mature, analytical thought processes aren’t developed until the early to mid-twenties for most youth.  Teens need concrete and direction instruction from adults.
  • Research reported by the National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy tells us “There is some evidence to suggest that one of the reasons behind these trends is that more teens are taking a cautious attitude toward sex.”  Teens are ready to hear constructive education and receive support in maintaining sexual abstinence.

Abstinence education gives young people the truth about the consequences of teen sex…emotional, physical, social, and financial consequences documented by scientific research.

Research documents that young people are receptive to this information and are using it to choose to abstain from sex outside of marriage.  Best of all, even sexually active teens are choosing to return to sexual abstinence as the best path to health and well-being.

Finally, research proves that parents are the most significant factor in teen choices about sex and that parents support sexual abstinence as the best choice for their teens.  Abstinence education is a foundation of support for parents, providing the scientific and medically accurate facts confirming the wisdom abstinence until marriage.

Research-based education?  Abstinence education leads the way in providing the best message for securing the healthiest outcomes for our youth.  And research proves it.

If They Only Knew

June 4, 2007

Jane Jimenez

Jane Jimenez

I sit reflecting on a day of rounds in Washington D.C., talking with people who have the power to change what our children learn about sex.  This week, eight meetings with Congressmen and Congresswomen who will vote on funding needed to bring abstinence education to the children we all love.

I have talked with strong supporters of abstinence education.  And with fierce opponents.  In all cases, our talk has been cordial.  I welcome questions and try my best to supply answers, making a list of follow up reports and experts who might answer what I can’t.

Prepared with statistics and testimonials about the positive impact of abstinence education on our youth, I find these fall on the deaf ears of those members of Congress who have been poisoned by rhetoric from Planned Parenthood, NARAL, SIECUS, and the ACLU*. I try my best to convey the truths about abstinence education, but one simple thought is renewed at the end of each appointment…If They Only Knew…

If they only knew, if they sat in abstinence classes taught by the educators I know, if they heard the questions of the students, and the answers that follow, if they knew the hearts of the parents and teachers…if they only knew…there would be no way a conscionable person could deny this education to the children and parents who want it.

If they would sit in a class, hear presentations on the consequences of STDs for a teen…for adults…diseases impacting their lifelong goals and the future marriages and families most of them hope to have…

If they would listen to a lesson on teen pregnancy, the demands it places on everyone involved, the challenges it poses for teens in finishing a high school education, the struggles of a single mother providing for a child the attention and resources that two-parent families have at hand…

If they would participate in classroom activities and discussions where students share their hopes for the future, their dreams for happiness and their plans to make their hopes and dreams a reality…

If they would…then these Congressional policy makers would know why sexual abstinence is the singular message our youth need to hear, a message that points to the path that guarantees that the hopes and dreams of our teens will not be derailed by the consequences of sexual activity.

But they haven’t.  Many of these policy makers haven’t witnessed the realities of the very education they will vote on.  They haven’t seen the eager and thankful reception of abstinence education by teens who know the truth when someone takes the time to present it.

They haven’t…so I invite them.  Please, we would love to have you, our Congressional member, or one of the members of your staff come and visit our classes and see for yourselves.  If you see it, you will know the truth of what is happening in abstinence education, the truth and support given teens in choosing to remain sexually abstinent, securing their healthiest and happiest futures.  Please, we want you to see for yourselves.

There is precious little time for Members of Congress to see the realities of abstinence education before they vote on abstinence funding.  It is painful to think people who oppose abstinence education and vote against it may also be people who have never taken the time to see it in action for themselves.

If they only knew!

Expiration Date on Parents

October 2, 2006

 It always happens.  Every time our daughter arrives with a medical malady, it’s always the same.  Last time it was a headache.  Jamie dragged herself in the front door and asked me if I had any aspirin.  “Sure,” I said, “in the bathroom.”

Dropping her purse to the floor, she made a beeline around the corner.  From the kitchen, I heard loud sighs, harrumphs, and plunks as she threw one bottle after the next into the waste can.  Stomping out of bathroom, she grabbed her car keys.  I didn’t have to ask where she was going.  I knew.

Throwing her purse over her shoulder, she knew I knew.  But she told me anyway…just to make a point.  “I can’t believe it.  Don’t you know you’re supposed to throw medicines away after they expire!”

Expiration dates are a big thing in my household only because my children are the official expiration cops who write me up.  Grown now, and on their own, they have their work cut out for themselves when they come for a visit.  Everything is suspect.  No family dinner is safe until the fridge is detoxed of outdated cans and boxes.

Expiration dates are also becoming a big thing in America… impacting more than aspirin and cheese.  Much more.

One day…the day they bring their precious baby home from the hospital, parents are in charge.  They are expected to watch over every detail that might impact their children…sugar content, child seats, exercise habits, television, homework, playmates and transfats.  Parents are in control.

Then one day…one undefined day, when they aren’t aware of anything being different, parents expire.  They don’t expire because they are tired of being parents.  They expire because society is tired of listening to parents.

Case in point, the Senate heads home this week after failing to bring Senate Bill 403 to a vote.  It is a sign that parents have passed their expiration date.  Once allowed oversight over the health of their children, parents are no longer deemed necessary for oversight of a major life-impacting surgery performed on their daughters, abortion.

The Child Custody Protection Act would have reaffirmed the parent’s right to oversee the healthcare of their daughters.  It supported state parental notification laws already in existence.  But the Senate, in their wisdom, noted the expiration date on parents and declared that they were irrelevant.

Parents are passing their useful life all over the country.  You can’t tell it by looking at them.  Neither can you tell it by talking with them.  The easiest way to tell that they have reached their expiration date is by noting the actions of those who would thwart their involvement in the lives of their children.

In Mesa, Arizona, a presenter announced the opening of a health clinic specifically targeting teens.  She said they had set a sign out on the sidewalk so that kids on the way home from school would have to literally step over it.  She said, figuratively, that clinic workers were so anxious to reach teens that they might even go out to the sidewalk themselves to “get” the teens.  Where were the parents?  Expired.

Around the country, Planned Parenthood offices and other like-minded organizations reach out to students with “confidential” birth control.  The parents?  Expired.

Then, when the “confidential” birth control fails, children may purchase an abortion.  In Arizona, Governor Napolitano this year vetoed a bill requiring notarized signatures on parental consent forms. Once again, she tuned her ear to the cries of Planned Parenthood.  In spite of convincing testimony from parents that signatures are easily forged or falsified, the Governor ignored the will of parents in Arizona.  She must have noticed their expiration date.

Around the country, parents’ efforts to stay connected to their children is under assault.  As the number rises for states passing laws providing for parental consent and notification, so, too, rises the number of assaults on these laws.

Now, thanks to the U.S. Senate, even when an effective parental notification law is in place, it doesn’t matter.  It should matter.  But it doesn’t.  Anyone can transport a minor across state lines to circumvent the law that upholds a parent’s right to be involved in an abortion decision.  Expired.

I get a headache thinking about the next time Jamie might arrive with a headache of her own.  It’s been over a year since she bought my last bottle of aspirin.  It’s probably expired by now.

It could be worse.  Thankfully, she is grown and safe from the social engineers who are redesigning America.  I hate to think what she would do if she knew her mom had passed the expiration date for parents.

 

December 26, 2005 – Small Acts of Courage

June 6, 2005 – Planned Parenthood’s War Against Choice

 See Archives for past editorials.