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  2. Another report shoots down abstinence-only education programs

Another report shoots down abstinence-only education programs

By tsmith on December 4, 2006.

In the comments to my Republicans want to legislate when fetuses feel pain" post, David notes:

What really gets me is if they were interested in preventing abortion, the most effective way seems to be by providing people with the tools and education to not get pregnant in the first place. If they are not willing to help prevent unwanted pregnancy, they have no moral ground to stand on when it comes to abortion, because as far as I'm concerned, they are the ones responsible for many of the unwanted pregnancies and abortions.

What good timing: Evil Monkey at Neurotopia has a post up commenting on yet another new study that shows that abstinence-only education programs just don't work. Ends His Evilness:

When it comes to public health, we should no longer allow partisan politics and ideological dogma to factor into serious policy decisions. Knowledge is not to be feared, as even our youngest adults are now showing us by making responsible decisions based upon evidence. Too bad the pro-abstinence-only "adults" can't say the same thing.

Boo-yah.

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Ah, but the zealots who oppose those programs believe that winking at evil is unacceptable, no matter what the consequences of not doing so are. The moral model that they acquire from their religion lets the chips fall where they may, so long as they reject the things they're supposed to reject.

It's the same reasoning with homosexuality: it's not enough to proclaim that homosexuality is wrong, they have to prevent society from even tolerating it.

By Caledonian (not verified) on 04 Dec 2006 #permalink

Say,

I've got a question (sorry, it's a little off topic). Why don't people with hemorrhoids get terrible blood infections? Think about it, you have an open wound in direct contact with feces.

I was fortunate enough to get the chance to write on teenage sex on a topic for emedicine.com. I threw in a bunch of anti-abstinence data (i.e. pro-education) and the editors kept it all in :o) http://www.emedicine.com/ped/topic886.htm

Then again I'm biased - as a pediatrician, all too often I see the child AND the mother. My youngest mom was 12. One 17 year old told me that she learnt about STDs from her current boyfriend (who, incidentally, gave her one!). WTF?!

You know, this move does not surprise me at all. Though Republicans are on their way out, this legislative control of public lives seems to be what people of this country want. For example, a few minutes back I heard this on the CW11 News in NY (you can read it here: the American Association of Pediatrics has issued a Position Statement in the person of one Dr. Victor Strasburger

AAP wants government to intervene. This new position statement on advertising calls for a complete ban on cigarette and tobacco advertising in all media, including billboards. It wants to remove the sex from alcohol ads, and limit ads in schools. The statement calls for a ban on all junk food advertising on all kids' programming."If we can make the air waves healthier and make advertising healthier then I think it makes more sense from a societal view than putting kids on a diet" says Dr. Strasburger.The statement also says all pharmaceutical ads are a problem--the implication: medication ads somehow lead to illegal drug use. And the author argues erectile dysfunction ads make sex a recreation sport, sending a wrong message to kids."The Academy is calling for putting drugs for erectile dysfunction after 10 at night and ah advertising birth control products and emergency contraception at all times during the day," states Dr. Strasburger.

Don't get me wrong. The statement is intended towards addressing some major concerns around adolescents and young adults. But looking at the sweeping generalizations made!

And the nub of it all is the idea that the Government should legislate what people may or may not want to watch in terms of entertainment and advertisement. As if there isn't already a lot of governmental control in people's lives - wanted or unwanted, justified or unjustifiable.

So, in respect of this country's children, the AAP wants that the job that SHOULD BE done by the parents - you know, that little, oft-forgotten thing called educating the children, helping them learn to separate the grain from the chaff, giving them sound values, and in essence, empowering them to make intelligent choices - the same job should be done by your legislators, and forced down your throats.

Why don't they mandate that government should run mandatory homes or camps to which every single pre-adolescent child in this country would be brought, and therein they would grow up - under direct governmental supervision - to adulthood, brought up on a government-mandated, fully legislated, well-filtered staple of gobbledygook, woo-woo, kooky pseudoscience and overdose of Bible-thumping hyper-religiousity?

That day may not be as far as you think!

I am going to sound like a talk show host when I say this, but here it goes: "There are no easy answers, no one piece of government legislation that will solve the problem. Usually the best answers come from the home/parents."