Some Abstinence Programs Mislead Teens, Report Says

Washington Post ^ | Dec 2, 2004 | Ceci Connoly

[Tumbleweed_Connection]

Many American youngsters participating in federally funded abstinence-only programs have been taught over the past three years that abortion can lead to sterility and suicide, that half the gay male teenagers in the United States have tested positive for the AIDS virus, and that touching a person's genitals "can result in pregnancy," a congressional staff analysis has found.

Those and other assertions are examples of the "false, misleading, or distorted information" in the programs' teaching materials, said the analysis, released yesterday, which reviewed the curricula of more than a dozen projects aimed at preventing teenage pregnancy and sexually transmitted disease.

"I don't think we ought to lie to our children about science," said Rep. Henry A. Waxman (D-Calif.), who led the congressional staff analysis.

In providing nearly $170 million next year to fund groups that teach abstinence only, the Bush administration, with backing from the Republican Congress, is investing heavily in a just-say-no strategy for teenagers and sex. But youngsters taking the courses frequently receive medically inaccurate or misleading information, often in direct contradiction to the findings of government scientists, said the report, by Rep. Henry A. Waxman (D-Calif.), a critic of the administration who has long argued for comprehensive sex education.

[ArGee]

As I got older I figured that was the point. My point was that this girl was more willing to believe the very brief note in the paper than the very detailed explanations she was getting from the teacher. I suppose it's part of a "you can't trust the teacher" attitude.

Abby would have been better off to point out that one thing often leads to another. If a girl doesn't want to be in the position where a naked guy is trying to convince a naked her to open her legs because she's come too far to say no now she should stop far short. The warning should not have been about sperm accidentally finding its way into her vagina without penetration. It should have been about dancing on the edge of a pit you don't want to fall into.

Shalom.

[twigs]

You said it far better than I did. I think Abby was trying to make that point as well. And this girl was blind not to get her point. Sounds like she was being willingfully ignorant. Some people are not educated because they do not want to be and all the programs in the world will not change that. Sad.

[ArGee]

Some people are not educated because they do not want to be and all the programs in the world will not change that.

You are correct. It's not about programs, it's about parents. That's why G-d gave parents the responsibility for educating their children. If parents won't, someone (the state) will, and it won't necessarily be in the child's best interest.

Shalom.

[fooman]

My wife got pregnant when she touched mine. ;)

[fooman]

Let talk about how many with aids are homos. (60% to 70% depending on the study).

[weegee]

Abstinence Education

Rebuttal to the Washington Poop's hit piece.

[monday]

Sad that no one even wonders why the nanny government should be teaching any of this. Parents should teach their own children.

If you depend on the government to teach your child about sex, you can be sure that they will do a terrible job and it will cost way more than it should.