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Abstinence and the Left (Why does the New York Times hate teen Abstinence?)
National Review ^ | 02/12/2010 | Ralph Rector

Posted on 02/12/2010 8:37:11 AM PST by SeekAndFind

Alarmed by a recent well-publicized study showing that abstinence education succeeded while “safe sex” and “comprehensive” sex-ed programs failed, the Left has abandoned its “abstinence doesn’t work” claim and drawn up a new line of defense.

Consider what the New York Times had to say. According to its editorialists, the newly evaluated abstinence program succeeded because it was “freed from the moralistic overtones and ideological restrictions” of prior abstinence education.

You can bet that anyone who pontificates about “moralistic overtones” in abstinence education has never held an actual abstinence curriculum in his hands, let alone read one.

Why does abstinence education come under unending, if completely uninformed, attack? In part, because abstinence was strongly associated with the Bush administration — and anything tied to Bush has always been fair game to liberals.

In addition, real abstinence curricula teach three things that are anathema to the sex-education lobby running things in Washington, D.C.

First, abstinence programs teach that teens should abstain from sex until they have at least finished high school. Ninety-one percent of parents agree. But the “comprehensive” sex-ed programs promoted by House Speaker Pelosi and President Obama teach that it’s okay for teens to have sex as long as they use a condom. Only 9 percent of parents agree.

Second, abstinence curricula teach that sex should be linked to “love, intimacy, and commitment” and that these qualities are most likely to be found in marriage. Again, 90 percent of parents support this message. But the Left is appalled at “privileging” marriage over casual relationships, cohabitation, or “hooking up.” The “ideological” message of abstinence has to go!

Finally, abstinence education teaches (with special emphasis for poor, at-risk youth) that marriage can be beneficial to children, adults, and society. The black out-of-wedlock birth rate in the U.S. now hovers at 70 percent; the overall out-of-wedlock birth rate is nearly 40 percent. Non-marital births overwhelmingly occur to the least-educated parents, and out-of-wedlock childbearing is the strongest cause of child poverty in the United States. Therefore, one might think that mentioning the benefits of marriage to at-risk youth would be good idea.

Wrong! Nothing outrages the Left’s sex-ed advocacy industry more than telling at-risk youth that healthy marriage might be a good thing for them. (Safe bet: No sex-ed curriculum funded by the current Congress will say anything positive about marriage.)

Now, to return to the Times editorial, it’s true that the recently evaluated abstinence program urged abstinence but apparently did not contain the three themes outlined above. However, there is no reason to assert, as the Times does, that this abstinence program succeeded precisely because it lacked these themes. There had been eleven prior evaluations documenting the success of traditional abstinence programs, which the Times neglected to mention to its readers.

The bottom line: The sex-ed industry’s successful effort to kill federally funded abstinence education was about liberating teens from “ideological” and “moralistic” messages. The dilemma for the Left is that parents overwhelmingly approve these messages and condemn the core values of the “comprehensive” sex-ed programs currently pushed by Congress. Teaching teens that “hooking up” is a fine idea so long as you use a condom just doesn’t fly.

Hawking a product no one wants, most left-wing sex-education advocates conceal their agenda with smoke and mirrors. Since most liberal pundits have never read the actual curricula they condemn or applaud, it’s no surprise the pundit class sometimes ends up deceiving itself.

— Robert Rector is a senior research fellow at the Heritage Foundation.


TOPICS: Culture/Society; Editorial; News/Current Events; Philosophy
KEYWORDS: abstinence; antiabstinence; conservatives; cspc; culturewar; hedonism; indoctrination; liberals; newyorktimes; plannedparenthood; pravdamedia; reeducationcenters; seicus; sexeducation; sexpositiveagenda; sexualizingchildren; taxdollarsatwork; teenpregnancy; youpayforthis
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1 posted on 02/12/2010 8:37:12 AM PST by SeekAndFind
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To: SeekAndFind

i wants to use the youth to make their liberal agenda so anything goes for them.. they vote once in a while .. so why not..


2 posted on 02/12/2010 8:38:53 AM PST by gibtx2 (keep up the good work I am out of work but post 20 a month to this out of WF Check)
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To: SeekAndFind

Abstinenece should be spelled Abstinence. Sorry about that.


3 posted on 02/12/2010 8:39:08 AM PST by SeekAndFind
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To: SeekAndFind

Abstinence makes the hard grow fonder...............


4 posted on 02/12/2010 8:42:14 AM PST by Red Badger (Education makes people easy to lead, difficult to drive; easy to govern, but impossible to enslave.)
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Comment #5 Removed by Moderator

To: SeekAndFind
The LEFT has no boundaries.

The LEFT is a miserable lot.

Most have sexual diseases, gay, humped everything in sight, had abortions and to condemn this HURTS THEIR FEELINGS. The more misery they can recruit the BETTER THEY FEEL. The morality of the LEFT is a free for all on everything.

6 posted on 02/12/2010 8:45:39 AM PST by nmh (Intelligent people recognize Intelligent Design (God).)
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To: SeekAndFind

Because Planned Parenthood might lose LOTS of customers!


7 posted on 02/12/2010 8:46:02 AM PST by goodnesswins (DEMOCRATS equal WEAPONIZED Ignorance)
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To: SeekAndFind; wagglebee
According to its editorialists, the newly evaluated abstinence program succeeded because it was “freed from the moralistic overtones and ideological restrictions” of prior abstinence education.

I've been saying until I'm blue in the face, it's about advancing the Sex Positive Agenda which seeks to end all moral judgements over ALL sexual pairings regardless of sex, age, relation, marital status, number, or species of partner(s).

They oppose abstinence because they find it to be a denial of sexual desire. They seek to see everyone sexually active at every age.

This goes beyond merely lining Planned Parenthood's coffers. This goes beyond just advancing the Homosexual Agenda. This is the shebang.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sex-positive_movement

Positive.org has a "just say yes" campaign for teens, encouraging them to experiment sexually.

http://www.positive.org

The dirty little secret is that WE as taxpayers fund this lobbying effort through our public hospitals, public universities, and taxpayer support of Planned Parenthood and other such groups.

It's international in scope and contrary to social mores. Kinsey and Reich were among the mid-20th century proponents. Feminists were also on board.

8 posted on 02/12/2010 8:47:06 AM PST by a fool in paradise ("like it or not, we have to have a financial system that is healthy and functioning" Obama 2/4/2010)
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To: nmh
Bump from earlier in the week:

Safe Schools Czar Kevin Jennings Favorite Book for Teens Too Lewd for Seattle Times (Parents and Teachers for Responsible Schools | February 7, 2010)

The book is a collection of essays, purportedly written by homosexual teens. Under the guise of offering advice and encouragement several of them detail sexual encounters they enjoyed as children and teens, sometimes with adults! They are presented as fond memories, not as risky behavior or molestation.

9 posted on 02/12/2010 8:48:53 AM PST by a fool in paradise ("like it or not, we have to have a financial system that is healthy and functioning" Obama 2/4/2010)
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To: SeekAndFind
Abstinence and the Left (Why does the New York Times hate teen abstinence?)

Namely because teen abstinence stops abortion and venereal disease in its tracks, both money-making industries for the Dem Party and their liberal allies (think Planned Parenthood).

10 posted on 02/12/2010 8:49:07 AM PST by pray4liberty (Liberalism is the religion of narcissists. You read it here first.)
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To: nmh

They can seduce the children (literally and figuratively). Drive a wedge between the kids and their parents’ religious teachings (homosexuality is NOT wrong but your PARENTS ARE...).

Break them down, rebuild them. Just like the military.


11 posted on 02/12/2010 8:52:01 AM PST by a fool in paradise ("like it or not, we have to have a financial system that is healthy and functioning" Obama 2/4/2010)
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To: SeekAndFind
It all makes sense, as the Times' editorial board is composed of irresponsible creeps who behave like ****ing adolescents.
12 posted on 02/12/2010 8:52:17 AM PST by andy58-in-nh (America does not need to be organized: it needs to be liberated.)
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To: SeekAndFind

Abolish All Private Schools Immediately, this crap will stop overnight when the Masters are REQUIRED to send their young to the same Government Schools as us Serfs.


13 posted on 02/12/2010 8:54:45 AM PST by eyeamok
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To: SeekAndFind
I almost forgot, the LEFT advocates the opposite of what is RIGHT so they can RECRUIT more destroyed people. Single “mothers” are typically doomed to poverty. They will look to GOVERNMENT to make life better at YOUR EXPENSE. The LEFT will use promiscuity to ENSALVE you to government in whatever form they can.

Abortion is a cash cow. They want the money to keep pouring in and ideally have YOU subsidize it if not directly pay for it through HIGH taxes. Abortion takes a tremendous psychological toll of the self esteem of females. They LIKE this. This too will reduce their self confidence. They will be encouraged to keep making the same mistakes when they are REWARDED for these mistakes. Yes, your subsidizing or paying for abortions REWARDS those having them. There is no more INDIVIDUAL RESPONSIBILITY left. It becomes a “community” or a societal problem. The bigger the problem the MORE YOU PAY FOR IT.

Tell me, how many people will admit THEY made a mistake? In this self absorbed, point the finger to someone else, it rarely happens. If it does happen the MDEIA disses them to keep the lies alive - meaning it's not your fault and you shouldn't have to pay for it. Spread the responsibility around to someone else - ideally through BIGGER GOVERNMENT and HIGHER TAXES that someone else should pay to make your MISTAKES BETTER. To be IRRESPONSIBLE is to be politially correct. Blame someone else and be a victim all your life is what is more acceptable today. The conservative message is against this so it must be ridiculed and silenced.

14 posted on 02/12/2010 8:55:08 AM PST by nmh (Intelligent people recognize Intelligent Design (God).)
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To: a fool in paradise

“They can seduce the children (literally and figuratively). Drive a wedge between the kids and their parents’ religious teachings (homosexuality is NOT wrong but your PARENTS ARE...).

Break them down, rebuild them. Just like the military.”

Absolutely!

I constantly point out how wrong the left is and how their ideology is a timeless recipe for self destruction.


15 posted on 02/12/2010 8:56:31 AM PST by nmh (Intelligent people recognize Intelligent Design (God).)
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To: SeekAndFind
One reason, I think, is the Left's view of human nature.

The Left seems to think that young people WILL ALWAYS have sex. The Left seems to think that there is NOTHING that can control the raging hormones in America's young people.

So, since the Left cannot possibly imagine young people who have something called "self control:, it just gives up, and says, in effect, "Since we really do not want to take the time to instruct you on the benefits of self-control, we will teach you, instead, about the techniques of sex."

This same attitude -- about the futility of teaching or expecting self-control -- also drives, it seems to me, the Left's notion of things like adultery and homosexuality.

16 posted on 02/12/2010 8:57:41 AM PST by chs68
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To: nmh; a fool in paradise

You guys are familiar with the Frankfurt School, are you not?


17 posted on 02/12/2010 8:57:54 AM PST by Clemenza (Remember our Korean War Veterans)
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To: a fool in paradise

We constatnly tell them differently.

I explain, with patience (and struggle with civility at times...) that they are emotionally disturbed and oftne physically abused people who lack proper roile models and guidance and live in denial of the obvious - the parts don’t fit.

God didn’t create Steve and Joe. He created Adam and Eve. The parts fit and they were able to reproduce.


18 posted on 02/12/2010 8:59:15 AM PST by nmh (Intelligent people recognize Intelligent Design (God).)
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To: Clemenza

“You guys are familiar with the Frankfurt School, are you not?”

No. Tell me about it, if you have time.


19 posted on 02/12/2010 8:59:47 AM PST by nmh (Intelligent people recognize Intelligent Design (God).)
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To: nmh

http://www.academia.org/the-origins-of-political-correctness/


20 posted on 02/12/2010 9:03:08 AM PST by Clemenza (Remember our Korean War Veterans)
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