I'm confused about the American Republican party

[kandrathe]

Why the assumption that it all needs to be taught all at once at the same age? Not many subjects worked that way in public school. Math built up (and had lots of review), as did English, Social Studies, History, nearly everything before high school had review and build on previous knowledge.

I didn't mean choose an age for when it should be taught. I agree with you that as a part of health and biology classes the mechanics of our anatomy should be taught objectively and age appropriately. I was referring to an age when it would be appropriate to hand out contraceptives to children.

Again, I think as adults we should always counsel abstinence until the young person is mature enough to think about it carefully. Otherwise, it is condoning reckless behavior. It's no different than condoning under aged drinking and driving. Illegal, serious, and in the age of AIDS, potentially deadly.

So when they are 20? Seriously there are quite a few recent studies that have strong evidence that the human brain isn't fully developed until a person is in their 20's. Assuming these are all true there are real biological impediments to critical and rational thinking before then.

For some people that may be rationally appropriate, although it would not be feasible unless it were their choice.

Every person is different of course and this is why parents should really be the primary source but if the parents weren't educated because all they had was public school and random drivel they picked up in adult life and nothing was taught in public school, well then they don't know either, there are a lot of parents who are just living with the consequences of their uniformed actions and have no idea how to educate their children.

It is somewhat assumed that in becoming a parent, it should prompt one consider what might be the responsibilities. You don't get a car, then hop in without understanding how to drive or the rules of the road. But, yes, this is why I think it would be better if the school helped the parents teach their children, then followed up with whatever the parents may have missed in subsequent months. Even if that is a yearly handout of human biology materials that will be covered this year that you may want to teach your child first in your own way.

It is illegal for minors to engage in sex...

Careful here many of those laws are state to state. I think the law was recently changed in Wisconsin but it was legal to drink, at any age, as long as you were accompanied by your legal guardian. This includes in bars. The bar could refuse service to a minor if they wanted ("right to refuse service"), and there was something that might have been that the child couldn't order the drink but a guardian could order a drink directly for their child. The establish was supposed to verify the relationship, but not all underage drinking is illegal. Some states allow marriage as young as 14 which makes "underage" sex legal for that couple too.

That is fine. As the adults in the society, we conform to the laws of the society. Whatever the local laws are should be sufficient. In Minnesota, the drinking age is 21. As such, I will expect and enforce (within my power) that my sons will not drink at all until they are 21. The age of legal consent for having sex is 18, and I would expect and enforce (again, within my power) that for my sons as well. I'm still unsure what I'd do if I caught them doing something illegal, but my responsibility as a parent, and as a citizen would be to report them.

Also there is a difference between drug use (legal or illegal, remember caffeine is a drug too) and something that is a basal biological instinct. ...

I gave a nod to that idea. But, considering the above... As a parent, can you condone illegal activity?