Path: bloom-picayune.mit.edu!snorkelwacker.mit.edu!americast.com!americast.com!americast-post Newsgroups: americast.insight From: americast-post@AmeriCast.Com Organization: American Cybercasting Approved: americast-post@AmeriCast.com Subject: CORRESPONDENCE Date: Mon, 9 Nov 92 11:17:55 EST Message-ID: \SE CORRESPONDENCE \HD The Wild and the Innocent: It Comes Down to Teaching Thank you for "Birds and the Bees and More" [Cover Story, Oct. 12]. I do not believe that the majority of parents in our nation are in favor of passing the authority baton to the Department of Education, to local school boards, to principals, to teachers and to textbook writers. I am outraged every time I think of our children being robbed of their precious innocence. When will we who oppose this pseudo-educational garbage stand up and fight for our children? Aren't they worth it? Stephanie Toohig Herndon, Va. I thought the piece by Elena Neuman informative and largely objective. I do have several questions that should be considered by those in favor of high school condom distribution, however. Is the assumption that "kids are going to do it anyway" a valid one? Would a sane person have relations with someone he or she knew had AIDS? Why do we teach our children not to trust strangers (because some are bad), yet trust condoms, though some surely are bad (i.e. defective)? I am frightened by the thought that we have given up teaching abstinence. If we cannot teach a child basic morality, what makes us think we can teach him anything of value? Even apart from religion, there is real social value in teaching abstinence until marriage. Warren Griffith Mesa, Ariz. Write: Insight, Correspondence Editor, 3600 New York Ave. N.E., Washington, D.C. 20002. Fax: (202) 529-2484. Please include an address and a daytime phone number. Letters may be edited for space. This article is copyright 1992 The Washington Times. Redistribution to other sites is not permitted except by arrangement with American Cybercasting Corporation. For more information, send-email to usa@AmeriCast.COM