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Show "We should stop focusing on issues which divide us and instead expend our efforts cooperating in those areas where we do agree," says Janet Goldsmith of Planned Parenthood Association of Utah. IN A June 10 meeting with representatives of the Center-ville Center-ville Chapter of the Utah Association Asso-ciation of Women, Ms. Goldsmith Gold-smith and her associates explained ex-plained that many of the purposes pur-poses of-PPAu are compatible with the resolutions of the UA of W. "We feel that the family should be the source for the dissemination of information about sex." It is when the home faiis to teach that the much maligned youth advocate advo-cate system is utilized. PPAU FEELS that it is better to have a well educated, mature ma-ture adolescent answering questions from his peers than to have his peers learn from unreliable and undesirable sources. PPAU has as one of its major purposes, "a generation of wanted children." It is in the implementation of this purpose pur-pose that they frequently lock horns with groups such as the UA of W. IN ADVOCATING a woman's right to choose, PPAU considers abortion an option which is antithetical to the resolution of UA of W which states that abortion is not an option unless, "the life or health of the mother is in peril." In their attempt to be tolerant, toler-ant, PPAU also condones homosexuality to which UA of W is diametrically opposed. ALTHOUGH figures are misleading (all teens until they turn 20 regardless of their marital status are included in the rising teen pregnancy figures), fi-gures), both groups acknowledge acknow-ledge that there is a problem with teen pregnancy in Utah. But while PPAU alleges that no one else is doing anything to solve the problem, UA of W has begun an extensive education educa-tion program. LINDA HOOPER, member of the UA of W task force on teen pregnancy and abortion told members of the Centervil-le Centervil-le Chapter on June 10 about a program underway to have high school seniors meet with ninth grade students to prepare them for some of the peer pressures they will encounter in high school. "We will also be presenting a discussion on the consequences consequ-ences of choosing to be sexually sexual-ly active to LDS seminaries." Mrs. Hopper said the group will teach in seminaries because be-cause private groups are not allowed to make educational presentations in the high schools. PPAU HAS an educational program for parents that is taught at several of the Salt Lake City libraries. UA of W encourages parents to learn how to teach their children moral sexual behavior by availing themselves of such facilities as the PERC center at Monte Vista School in Farm-ington. Farm-ington. Although they differ as to the means for achieving this end, both groups agree that the ultimate goal, "is the strengthening streng-thening and enriching of family life by ensuring that every child is born into a welcoming environment and is loved and cared for." |