Document text
County shuns teen-sex meeting Officials like message but fear ads may be too graphic By Jonel Aleccia Jackson County officials have declined to co-sponsor an upcoming Planned Parenthood workshop on teen sexual behavior in Europe and the United States, citing worries about too-explicit advertising efforts. Hank Collins, director of county health and human services, said Tuesday he supports the philosophy of a Feb. 8 conference focused on dramatic differences in teen sexual health in the United States and France, Germany and the Netherlands. If you go Space is still available for "Teen Sexuality: Lessons from Europe," a conference set for Feb. 8 in Medford. Barbara Huberman, director of training and sexuality education for Advocates for Youth, is the keynote speaker for the event, held from 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Red Lion Inn. Community members, teen advocates, members of the media and others will be invited to a discussion of European approaches to teen sexual behavior and possible implications for Oregon. For information, contact Maggie Sullivan at Planned Parenthood Health Services of Southwestern Oregon, 770-3331, Ext. 10. Funding for the event comes from a grant by the E.C. Brown Charitable Trust. U.S. teens have sex earlier than their European counterparts, leading to far more births, far more abortions and far more AIDS than in any other developed nation, conference statistics show. But Collins also said he is cautious about lending county clout to a project that proposes to reverse the problem by using public service advertisements that may be too graphic for some American tastes. "What I and others objected to was the fact that the presentation starts with a video that is quite objectionable," Collins said. "It�s a series of condom commercials that have been on TV over in Europe, and it�s a lot of scenes where they�re doing rather explicit things in order to teach kids how to use condoms." For instance, one commercial uses a banana to demonstrate condom use. Collins� views were echoed by Ida Saito, a manager for Jackson County Adult and Family Services. "It wasn�t that we objected to the event, but maybe we would have handled it a little differently," Saito said. Discussions with Planned Parenthood officials about county support "got a little bit contentious," said Collins. In the end, the county�s Reduce Adolescent Pregnancy Project was not allowed to contribute funds to the event. Collins and Saito said they worried that political fallout from the controversial video could obscure the event�s larger message. "My real concern was that the media would pick it up and run with it," Collins said. "I just had this vision of the 5 o�clock news having clips from the video and nothing else." Promoters of the Advocates for Youth project, however, say the presentation by Barbara Huberman, a national expert on teen pregnancy and sexuality, will focus less on European advertising campaigns and more on successful public health efforts to help teens make wise decisions. "The role of the video is being blown out of proportion," said Maggie Sullivan, education coordinator for the local Planned Parenthood office. "I don�t think it�s going to be super-controversial. The research stands on its own." What the research shows is startling, she said. In the United States, the adolescent birth rate is three times higher than that in France, six times higher than in Germany and 13 times higher than in the Netherlands. The U.S. teen abortion rate is three times higher than France�s, more than six times higher than the Netherlands� and nearly nine times higher than Germany�s. AIDS cases in the United States are four times higher than in France, nearly 10 times higher than in the Netherlands and nearly 13 times higher than in Germany. In the United States, the average age of first intercourse for teenagers is 16.3, compared to 16.6 in France, 17.4 in Germany and 17.7 in the Netherlands. Researchers visited those countries in 1998 and 1999 to determine why teen sexual health indicators are so much more positive there than in the United States. The answer, said Sullivan, lies in fundamental differences in U.S. and European philosophy about teens and sexuality. Those societies are more forthcoming with sexual information and more accepting of sexual relationships among adolescents. "The European model says if you treat your teens as responsible people capable of making good choices, they will do that," Sullivan said. Part of offering information has included widespread, well-funded advertising campaigns that use humor and socially relevant themes to encourage teens to be sexually responsible. "There�s an ad where a dad says to his daughter as she�s going out on a date, �Don�t forget to use protection,� " Sullivan said. That contrasts sharply with many instances of salacious conduct and unprotected sex depicted on U.S. prime-time television shows aimed at teens. "In this country, you can portray innuendoes and presumed acts of sex, but if you come on TV and talk about protecting yourself, that�s not to be aired," Sullivan said. But Collins said the message needs to be tailored to fit the audience. He worries that European-style permissiveness might not be accepted in Puritanical America. "I think we need to treat our kids with respect, to talk with them about sexuality from a very young age," Collins said. "But I�m not sure we need to start putting explicit condom commercials on TV." At least one local anti-abortion group supported Collins� stand. "I really appreciate that," said Shirley Zastera, a volunteer with Birthright of Medford Inc. "I don�t think there�s a place or a need for that kind of thing on public TV." Huberman�s Medford appearance is one of five throughout Oregon. It�s part of a five-year project aimed at decreasing teen births, abortions and sexually transmitted diseases in the state. It�s also part of an effort to change the social climate surrounding teen sexuality. Easy access to sexual health information and services leads to better sexual health outcomes, Sullivan said. "We want people to start thinking about teen pregnancy as a public health issue and not a political issue," she said. Reach reporter JoNel Aleccia at 776-4465, or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2000 Mail Tribune, Inc.