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Mr.
Bielak’s recent article regarding the possible closure
of the Waterdown and Ancaster Sexual Health clinics paints
a bleak picture, resulting in tragic consequences. His
article is parallel to a feature in the Spectator dated
February of 1997 regarding the reduction in services to
Planned Parenthood Hamilton. There it was stated, “Program
reduction will result in reduced use of medical services
by sexually active teenaged girls. This will lead to increased
adolescent pregnancy, increased abortions, increased numbers
of adolescent mothers on social assistance and increased
rates of sexually transmitted diseases.”
Both articles, fortunately, were incorrect. Hamilton’s
Public Health Department, in a 1998 report on their perception
of the need for sexual health clinics, wrote, “The
availability of effective birth control led the way for
more liberal attitudes towards pre-marital sexual involvement
and adolescents began participating in sexual activities
in significant numbers.” That statement is correct
and has been proven here in Hamilton-Wentworth since 1987,
the year when additional public health nurses were hired
to run sexual health clinics and work in school classrooms,
advocating their value-free, condom-based, ‘safe-sex’
ideology. From 1987 through to 1997, Hamilton-Wentworth
teen pregnancy rates immediately and steadily increased
year by year. By 1997 the rates had increased 25%.
In 1996, Hamilton-Wentworth Family Action Council intervened
and educated City Hall, local school boards and parents
about the failure of our sexual health clinics. This led
to a 29.7% cut-back in Public Health/Planned Parenthood
sexual health services to our youths, which, in turn resulted
in adolescent attendance at the clinics plummeting 57%.
According to Mr. Bielak and Planned Parenthood, this should
have had ‘tragic consequences’, however, it
did not. During this same period of time from 1997 to
2000, while service cutbacks were imposed and attendance
rates dropped, Hamilton’s teen pregnancy rates declined
27.3% to 37.3 / 1000 which is the lowest recorded teen
pregnancy rate in Hamilton’s history.
The truth is, that Public Health’s condomized safe-sex
approach under a cloak of confidentiality, has resulted
in a generation of well-adjusted fornicators, and this
is the tragedy. Like it or not, the best method of birth
control for adolescents continues to be their parents.
The less our youth are exposed to the Public Health ‘safe-sex’
ideology the better they fare.
Jim Enos
Chair, Healthy Living Committee
Hamilton-Wentworth Family Action Council
Hamilton, ON
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