Erase the stupid idea of giving students condoms

There are many stupid people in this country and in this world. Already, some of you may be foaming at the mouth and baring your fangs, upset at what you've already determined, without context, to be a rude statement.

I could take time and explain that 'stupid', a word first used in the 1540s, means slow of mind, given to unintelligent decisions or acts. Since I will not explain, the only thing I can say to you is hush.

Not everything that's stupid comes only from the mouth of a stupid person. Witness the sensible folks who are pushing this argument about providing condoms in schools and you will see proof of the point.

It's human nature that the sensible, educated and reasoned among us will spout stupidity from time to time. The trick, therefore, is to ensure that on those occasions when you say stupid things, you do so quietly, outside the glare of the public. That's why someone should've gagged the chairperson of the National Family Planning Board, Dr Sandra Knight, when she broached the idea about providing condoms in schools. There's a disconnect between Dr Knight, a respected professional, and this idea of hers.

The argument supporting the sanctioning of the distribution of condoms in schools is stupid. It appears stupid because no hard evidence has been given by proponents to support their argument that distributing the prophylactic in schools will curb the rate of teenage pregnancy in Jamaica.

It appears stupid because there has, as yet, been no reference to any jurisdiction in or outside this region to show a reduction in the rate of teenage pregnancy, on the back of the distribution of condoms in specific schools. It appears stupid because it's promising a change in an undesirable outcome by simply providing teenagers with access to a prevention mechanism.

It appears stupid because the proponents are too 'scarce of labour' to build a strong enough argument to buttress their idea, beyond reeling off the statistics on the number of teenage girls who've fallen pregnant in the secondary-school system.

The argument is stupid because it fails to acknowledge that impregnation is not automatic in the absence of a condom. It's stupid because it reduces human beings to automaton status, presupposing an automatic change in function by the provision of a spare part.

So in the minds of the protagonists of this stupid idea, a condom to a teenager is like a spring washer to a robot, one that prevents said robot from squeaking as it rolls around the factory floor.

The proponents of this stupid idea would have you believe that a condom is so powerful that the mere absence of it will automatically suppress the desire for intercourse. That thought, by any measure, is really stupid.

The argument for condoms in schools is stupid because it discounts those factors which motivate human sexual behaviour. It's stupid because it represents a surrender of the programme of sex education and counselling, which has doubtlessly assisted hundreds of thousands of Jamaican teenagers in our high-school system, from being snared by the pregnancy trap before adulthood.

Some will say we should applaud those who are pushing for the provision of condoms in schools, for at least they are pondering a solution to the real problem of teenage pregnancy in schools.

But it's a sentiment like that, this automatic hand-clapping of a stupid idea, simply because it's an idea, which has delivered this country here, 50-plus years after Independence. The simple truth is if access to condoms were the answer, the rate of teenage pregnancy would not be a problem of sufficient weight to trouble us as a nation. Condoms are available everywhere; pharmacies, clinics, parties, expos, everywhere at relatively non-prohibitive cost.

Thankfully, our education minister, Ronald Thwaites, though he may be many things to some people, is certainly not stupid. It's no surprise he has stated unequivocally that under his watch, no distribution or facilitation of condoms in schools will be permitted. I fully support the position.

As an adult, I'm committed to providing the kind of counselling and support to teenagers in my midst, which will complement the robust family life and sex education curriculum in the schools. If more adults give guidance and counsel, fewer of our teenagers will become entrapped.

Selah.

George Davis is a journalist. Email feedback to columns@gleanerjm.com and george.s.davis@hotmail.com.