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THREE POLITICAL STANCES ON SEX EDUCATION: There are three civic stances that are most prevalent in the political system of the United States: conservatism, liberalism and libertarianism. The first of these views is conservatism, which is often referred to as the right wing though not entirely a republican viewpoint, because you can belong to any political party and still be a conservative. The conservative stance can perhaps best be summarized by Senator Barry Goldwater’s conjecture that “The conservative looks upon politics as the art of achieving the maximum amount of freedom for individuals that is consistent with the maintenance of social order” (Cooper and Mc Donald 225). In other words, conservatives expect the government to wield just enough power to preserve the inalienable rights of individual citizens. However, conservatives do concede that government must perform tasks that individuals do not have the capacity for, such as maintaining an army, a transportation system, and communications networks. Conservatives also believe that social problems result from moral problems, and that the government often must take some action to instate moral rectitude. The second stance is liberalism, which is also known as the left wing. Ronald Dworkin summarizes the liberal standpoint well, stating that “Liberals believe . . . that government must be neutral in matters of personal morality. . . (but) insist that government has a responsibility to reduce economic inequality” (Cooper and Mc Donald 225). Simply stated, liberals believe that the government possesses no natural right to determine “right and wrong” in regard to morality issues. In addition, they believe that it is their duty to virtually eliminate the poverty class by mandating a redistribution of wealth throughout society. The final stance, often viewed as the most radical of the three, is libertarianism. Milton Friedman, an economics professor at the University of Chicago, effectively summarizes the general stance of libertarians in his book” Capitalism and Freedom”. He states that libertarians are generally most concerned with “What can I and my compatriots do through government to help us discharge our individual responsibilities, to achieve our several goals and purposes, and above all, to protect our freedom?” (Friedman 275). In layman’s terms, libertarians view the government as a necessary evil for maintaining the social order while allowing the maximum amount of moral and economic freedom to individual citizens. One particular issue under fervent debate between the three civic stances is sex education. Although all parties agree that pregnancy among teenagers is a problem, they disagree greatly upon what, if anything should be done about it. The liberal viewpoint supports comprehensive sex education starting for children as early as kindergarten. Their programs would focus heavily on the straight facts with great emphasis on contraceptives and “safe sex.” Conservatives generally disapprove of introducing children to sex at such an early age with such great emphasis upon contraception. Instead, conservatives believe that abstinence and resistance education is the most effective method, Richard Nadler a conservative, says” what has worked in postponing sexual activity among teens, and it’s attendant ills, was fear(AIDS awareness)and directive abstinence(resistance skills)”.
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