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�I don�t understand the fear� Mail Tribune / Bob Pennell Liz Barber, center left, and Kimbo Workman, both 17, were among the more than 150 teens and adults who on Thursday attended Planned Parenthood�s seminar on teen sexual behavior in the United States and Europe. Sex education video met with little protest By Jonel Aleccia A video featuring flying cartoon condoms, banana demonstrations and frank discussion of sexual responsibilities raised nary an eyebrow Thursday, despite initial controversy over the Planned Parenthood seminar on teen sexual behavior in the United States and Europe. "I didn�t think there was any problem that we couldn�t play that on TV," said Myles Bostwick, 18, a senior at Phoenix High School. "There�s much worse on there now." Bostwick�s reaction was echoed by many of the more than 150 adults and young people who gathered for "Teen Sexuality: Lessons From Europe." U.S., Europe display stark differences Statistics from Advocates for Youth, a project aimed at improving teen sexual health, show an alarming difference in figures from the United States and Europe. Barbara Huberman, a national director, offered these statistics Thursday: 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, more than six times higher than the Netherlands and nearly nine times higher than Germany. AIDS cases in the United States is four times higher than France, nearly 10 times higher than the Netherlands and nearly 13 times higher than 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. About 2,200 U.S. teenagers become pregnant every day. 8,000 young people become sexually active every day. 1,400 U.S. teens give birth every day. In the United States, the average onset of puberty is now hovering around age 11. At the same time, the average age of marriage has been delayed to 27. "That�s 16 years. It�s a long time to say �Don�t do it�," Huberman said. "I don�t see anything political about it," said Jessica Ravitsky, a nursing student. "It was sex education. It�s a basic health right, just like getting immunized." Concern over the video had led Jackson County health officials to decline to co-sponsor the event, led by Barbara Huberman, a nationally known sexuality educator. Thursday�s session was one of five in the state aimed at highlighting dramatic differences in teen sexual behavior in the United States and France, Germany and the Netherlands. "I don�t understand the fear," Huberman said. "It�s unfortunate that a public health official in this era of AIDS has trouble understanding that some things need to be different." U.S. teens have sex earlier than their European counterparts, leading to more births, more abortions, and more AIDS than other developed nations, conference statistics show. Decreasing those figures means shifting teen sexuality from a political issue to a public health issue, with policies based on solid research and measurable outcomes. "We�d like to change the culture of youth sexuality," said Huberman, a national director for Advocates for Youth, the agency sponsoring the project. But controversy erupted over the brief video, which featured interviews with European kids interspersed with examples of frank, humorous ads advocating sexual responsibility. In one television commercial, a girl�s fishbowl breaks, leaving her goldfish gasping for air. The only solution is a quick immersion in a water-filled condom. The tag line? "Condoms can save lives." In another ad, a young boy poses a riddle: "What�s worse than a bull in a china shop? A hedgehog in a condom factory!" In another, a girl and a boy fit a condom on a banana to demonstrate proper technique. Hank Collins, county health director, had declined to lend official support to a public presentation advocating messages too bold for some American tastes. "The thing I objected to was having this be a public brouhaha," said Collins, who did not attend Thursday�s event. "I have never been opposed to looking at the European experience and seeing what models we can translate." Judging from discussion after Huberman�s speech, most audience members advocated adoption of a more European style of openness. "My mother tried to talk to me about sex when I turned 16," said Liz Barber, 17. "I was like, um, �Well...� And she was like, �I�m too late, right?�" Ashley Marsden, a Phoenix High School senior, said most young people would appreciate accurate information about contraception and commitment. "We�re going to have sex no matter what," she said. "They should tell us about finding the right person." Adults in the crowd articulated the dilemma faced by parents who fear that offering information about sex amounts to condoning it. In Europe, Huberman said, sexuality among older teens � 16-, 17- and 18-year-olds � is an accepted, natural part of life. In the United States, noted Robin Dressler, a Medford mom, that�s certainly not so. "Our forefathers were darn good Puritans and it�s stayed there ever since," 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 � 2001 Mail Tribune, Inc.