Internet Exercises

EXERCISE 1

The Sexuality Information and Education Council of the United States (www.siecus.org), an organization that favors the dissemination of information about sexuality and sex education through the schools, maintains a web site with a great deal of information about sexuality and sex education in schools. A search on the topic "homosexuality," for example, will return links to a number of fact sheets and articles. For a conservative perspective, consult the web site of the Traditional Values Coalition (www.traditionalvalues.org), which opposes gay rights and sex education that does not stress abstinence. Click on "issues" and you are likely to find several articles. Read an article or two about gay and lesbian issues at each of these sites. Can you understand the two organizations' basic positions, and how they differ?

EXERCISE 2

The Alan Guttmacher Institute, a research center devoted to family planning issues, offers much relevant information about adolescent pregnancy and childbearing, birth control, and abortion at its web site (www.agi-usa.org). Click on"sexual behavior," and on the next page, select a report under "Latest statistics-facts in brief." What information can you find on recent trends in sexual activity, contraceptive use, or pregnancy?

EXERCISE 3 - Are All Teens Having Sex?

The media would have us all convinced that teenagers are highly sexually active at young ages. How true is this? The Alan Guttmacher Institute is a research organization which collects data on issues of sexuality and reproductive health and social policy. Visit their site at http://www.agi-usa.org/. Click on Sexual Behavior on the left. Click on Teen Sex and Pregnancy. Answer the following:

1. At what age does sexuality become common?

2. What are the usual outcomes of teen sexuality?

3. How common are contraceptive use and sexually transmitted diseases?

4. Are they all doing it?

EXERCISE 4 - Women's Risk of HIV/AIDS

The Center for Disease Control collects data on many types of illness, including HIV and AIDS. Visit its site at http://www.cdc.gov/. Click on Health Topics A-Z on the left. Then click on AIDS/HIV in the list. Scroll down to Surveillance and click on HIV/AIDS Among US Women: Minority and Young Women at Continuing Risk. Answer the following:

1. How have the rates of HIV and AIDS changed for women in recent years?
2. Which groups of women are at the highest risk?
3. What kinds of programs have been established for prevention?