The Tragedy of
Sexual Health Clinics

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