New way of teaching safe sex is better

By NUNATSIAQ NEWS

This is in regards to the letter about abstinence, about young people, about safe sex, about being “old-fashioned.”

Abstinence may not be a curse, but it is denial, denial because you cannot accept what has been given to you, because you cannot accept the fact that times are changing, that we need to change along with time in order to better create understanding.

It’s not just about doing what was done in the past. If it was done in the past, why didn’t it work? Why isn’t everyone today as safe as they should be? Why isn’t everyone living without diseases and illnesses? Because this practice was denied.

If you’re saying that abstinence is in fact a blessing, then you’re implying that sex is also a bad thing. Why does sex have to be a bad thing? If sex is understood in all ages, genders and races, than this may lower the risk of getting disease. Sex is too big a topic to just come right out and say that “this is why this happens” or “we should teach our children not to have sex so they can be safe.”

It is a great thing what people are doing to promote safe sex. It is a great thing that an organization like the Pauktuutit Inuit women’s association has created Canadian Inuit HIV/AIDS Network.

They are one of many who are teaching sex education as a way to reach young people. They are not denying the fact that young people are in fact having sex. It is a new way of education, a new way of life, and it is working, it’s caught the eyes of young people.

This is a positive move. Let’s not try and go back to the old ways of teaching safe sex, because that just never worked. It will only cause people to be confused about the idea of having safe sex.

Open up your eyes, we are not living the old way anymore, and there’s no way that we can go back to living the old way.

Yesterday is yesterday, today is a new day, don’t bring the past to the present day. Work on your problems, don’t become them. There’s just going to be way too much to work on for the future if we drag along yesterday’s problems.

Rita Anilniliak
Iqaluit, Nunavut

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