Earlier this week, I stumbled upon Corinna's post about a crisis that seemed to be unfolding on Scarleteen's discussion forum. A user under the screen name Windowshopper posted the following question:
"my boyfriend recently put his penis inside me, i don't think we had sex because it only lasted about 3 minutes, although he ejaculated i don't think i could be pregnent because we didn't actually have sex. He wasn't using contraception because i am a devoted Catholic and i don't believe in it.Upon being informed that, yes, she did in fact have sex and could possibly have become pregnant, the user responds that she feels stupid and though sex had to last at least 15 minutes to "count." She then asks if it's advisable to throw herself down the stairs in order to "get rid of it," even though she has not taken a pregnancy test. Oh, my.
The user then posts additional topics indicating that she has been told she is pregnancy by the board's respondants (who actually told her she could have become pregnant - possibly) and is cutting into her vagina to try to "cut out the baby." Her posts are here and here.
Corinna took this very seriously, but came to the conclusion that the storyline was a fake. She mentions in her blog that on past such occasions, she has become involved in reporting situations described on the user forums when a poster seemed to be in a dangerous situation.
The entire incident is very disturbing. Assuming the story is true, Windowshopper is very uneducated about sex and her own body. She seems very conflicted in that she isn't willing to break Catholic doctrine about contraception, but breaks it for premarital sex. The internet may be a blessing in some ways, in that individuals who would have previously remained completely ignorant of some things can get information from resources such as Scarleteen. Interactive forums turn the web into a kind of online confessional, where users profess their lack of knowledge and seek out answers. However, situations such as Windowshopper's raise the question of just how involved providers of online information should be. Should a site owner such as Corinna feel compelled to track IPs and emails and intervene in someone's real (non-virtual) life? How does one weed out those who are posting outrageous questions and situations simply to create drama and get attention? How can people who are committed to bringing information to those in need combat a culture that seeks to keep young women ignorant of their bodies and so discourages honest, in-person conversations, leaving girls to turn to anonymous advisors online? A brief review of other questions on the Scarleteen forums demonstrates that there are many, many underinformed young women out there. These girls obviously have questions. The problem lies in whether or where they are going to get real, honest answers (online or not), and how equipped the online community is to deal with situations like Windowshopper's.
Some resources related to sexual health for and about teens and girls:
Technorati Tags: girls' health; Sex; sexual health; sexuality; teens
MeSH Tags: Sexual Behavior AND Adolescent
No comments:
Post a Comment