Washington Post Examines Reaction To Book On Fertility Charting For Teens

Main Category: Sexual Health / STDs
Also Included In: Fertility;  Pediatrics / Children's Health
Article Date: 22 Mar 2007 - 12:00 PDT

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A recently published book about fertility charting for teens has "sparked controversy" among some abstinence-only education supporters and some comprehensive sex education supporters, but reactions among experts on the issue "tend to track political views" on sex education, the Washington Post reports. Toni Weschler, author of the 1995 bestseller "Taking Charge of Your Fertility," recently wrote a version of the book for teens, titled "Cycle Savvy: The Smart Teen's Guide to the Mysteries of Her Body." The book details how teens can determine their most fertile days in the month but does not say when sex carries little risk of pregnancy, the Post reports. Weschler also notes that there is a method to use fertility charting for birth control but adds that it should only be practiced by adults and warns against unprotected sex. Janice Crouse, senior fellow at Concerned Women for America's Beverly LaHaye Institute, said, "Instead [of the book], I think we need high ideals for our teenagers, to teach them the value of self-control because those are disciplines that you need for your whole life." She added, "Providing this type of information says that teenagers are hostages to their hormones." Carrie Lukas of the Independent Women's Forum said, "Any time you give young people information, there is the potential for them to misapply that knowledge ... but that is not a reason to warn people away from this book." Vanessa Cullins, Planned Parenthood Federation of America vice president for medical affairs, said, "Time and again ... research has shown that giving information to adolescents about reproduction and sexuality will not lead to promiscuity and will only arm teens with information that they need whenever they decide to become sexually active" (Szalavitz, Washington Post, 3/20).

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