Markeliopia
21-05-2007, 08:08
So many options for one issue, anyone want to discuss the possible outcomes that might come out from each :)
I'm going to pick 5 because it looks like it will give me an economic boost, and I'm all about profit
Markeliopia Decides:
Birds, Bees, And Breeding Teens
The Issue
A study has shown that an increasing proportion of teenagers in Markeliopia are falling pregnant.
The Debate
"We need comprehensive sex education to be mandatory in all schools," says Roger Shiomi, a teacher while tidying away some diagrams that make your eyes water. "The plain fact is that teenagers will experiment with sexual intercourse despite what society or their parents wish. So I say give these kids free contraceptives, and make them fully aware of the consequences of their actions. Information is what they need, not condemnation. If they ignore it then hey, it's their own damn fault."
[Accept]
"If you give them contraception it'll just encourage them to do... terrible things," says Freddy Gutenberg, a religious parent and member of Moral Minority. "And what's with giving them so much information? There's even diagrams for goodness sake! Have they never heard of 'monkey see, monkey do'? They'll just go and try it out, mark my words! The solution is simple: girls should be kept at home and away from the monkey house of lustful impetuousness and young males until they are of marriageable age. Teaching teenagers abstinence and chastity is the key, not giving them step-by-step manuals."
[Accept]
"However sex education is taught, it is still social engineering and so undermines parental authority," says conservative newspaper columnist Freddy Longfellow. "My own son learned about something called 'homosexuality' the other day! For shame! We all know it should be Adam and Eve, not Adam and... Geoff? Anyway, my point is that sex education should be dropped from schools and instead taught by parents the way they see fit. That way children will get consistent messages and parents, not society, will cop the blame if any of their kids fall pregnant."
[Accept]
"No-one's asked me my opinion yet," says Catherine Gratwick, a teenage mother as she bottle-feeds her baby. "I think it's perfectly obvious what the cause of teenage pregnancy is - teenage boys! My son's father is the one that got me into this mess. He's the one who pressured me into having sex, but all the education is focused on the girls. Teenage fathers should be made responsible for their actions for once and be made to join the military so they can send their wages back to pay for their children's upkeep. If that's not a deterrent, then I don't know what is."
[Accept]
5."I think we've missed the fact that maybe this teenage pregnancy phenomenon is not such a bad thing," says Melbourne Silk, a famous demographer. "We need the population to grow, we need more people of working age, we need more tax for public services, et cetera. There are plenty of sound demographical reasons why we should be encouraging women to have families. By all means educate them about the dangers, but I don't think we ought to discourage teenagers from procreating - it's nature's way you know."
[Accept]
The Government Position
The government has yet to formalize a position on this issue.
I'm going to pick 5 because it looks like it will give me an economic boost, and I'm all about profit
Markeliopia Decides:
Birds, Bees, And Breeding Teens
The Issue
A study has shown that an increasing proportion of teenagers in Markeliopia are falling pregnant.
The Debate
"We need comprehensive sex education to be mandatory in all schools," says Roger Shiomi, a teacher while tidying away some diagrams that make your eyes water. "The plain fact is that teenagers will experiment with sexual intercourse despite what society or their parents wish. So I say give these kids free contraceptives, and make them fully aware of the consequences of their actions. Information is what they need, not condemnation. If they ignore it then hey, it's their own damn fault."
[Accept]
"If you give them contraception it'll just encourage them to do... terrible things," says Freddy Gutenberg, a religious parent and member of Moral Minority. "And what's with giving them so much information? There's even diagrams for goodness sake! Have they never heard of 'monkey see, monkey do'? They'll just go and try it out, mark my words! The solution is simple: girls should be kept at home and away from the monkey house of lustful impetuousness and young males until they are of marriageable age. Teaching teenagers abstinence and chastity is the key, not giving them step-by-step manuals."
[Accept]
"However sex education is taught, it is still social engineering and so undermines parental authority," says conservative newspaper columnist Freddy Longfellow. "My own son learned about something called 'homosexuality' the other day! For shame! We all know it should be Adam and Eve, not Adam and... Geoff? Anyway, my point is that sex education should be dropped from schools and instead taught by parents the way they see fit. That way children will get consistent messages and parents, not society, will cop the blame if any of their kids fall pregnant."
[Accept]
"No-one's asked me my opinion yet," says Catherine Gratwick, a teenage mother as she bottle-feeds her baby. "I think it's perfectly obvious what the cause of teenage pregnancy is - teenage boys! My son's father is the one that got me into this mess. He's the one who pressured me into having sex, but all the education is focused on the girls. Teenage fathers should be made responsible for their actions for once and be made to join the military so they can send their wages back to pay for their children's upkeep. If that's not a deterrent, then I don't know what is."
[Accept]
5."I think we've missed the fact that maybe this teenage pregnancy phenomenon is not such a bad thing," says Melbourne Silk, a famous demographer. "We need the population to grow, we need more people of working age, we need more tax for public services, et cetera. There are plenty of sound demographical reasons why we should be encouraging women to have families. By all means educate them about the dangers, but I don't think we ought to discourage teenagers from procreating - it's nature's way you know."
[Accept]
The Government Position
The government has yet to formalize a position on this issue.