So, how’s that 8 years worth of abstinence only sex education under the Bush administration been working out for the kids? It should be noted that criticism of abstinence-only sex education is not in any way a criticism of any individual’s decision to abstain, for whatever reason. Such a decision is absolutely up to each individual. Whatever they decide must be respected, and that has always been the point.
Being Liberal notes some good news, citing a New York Times editorial on the elimination of the Bush era abstinence only policy, a new Obama program to support “medically accurate and age appropriate programs” shown to reduce teenage pregnancy, and increases in financing for family-planning services for low-income women. The post first explains how the Bush policy has been an Epic Fail:
The United States has the highest teen pregnancy rate in the industrialized world. The Center for Disease control says that one-third of girls get pregnant before the age of 20. Teenpregnancy.org, a site managed by the National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy, states that there are “750,000 teen
pregnancies annually. Eight in ten of these pregnancies are unintended and 81 percent are to unmarried teens.”
Educating teenagers about contraception makes them more likely to use contraception when they begin having sex, but it doesn’t lower the age at first intercourse. Why? Probably because the decision where and with whom to become sexually active is a very complicated one, and may be rooted in family, peers, religion, the media and individual personality factors.
From the New York Times editorial:
The omnibus government spending bill signed into law last week contains an important victory for public health. Gone is all spending for highly restrictive abstinence-only sex education programs that deny young people accurate information about contraceptives, sexually transmitted diseases and pregnancy. The measure redirects sex-education resources to medically sound programs aimed at reducing teenage pregnancy.
Federal support for the wishful abstinence-only approach, which began in the 1980s, ballooned during George W. Bush’s presidency. As the funding grew, so did evidence of the policy’s failure. A Congressionally mandated study released in 2007 found that elementary and middle school students who received abstinence instruction were just as likely to have sex in the following year as students who did not get such instruction.
Many states rightly declined to participate in the abstinence program, forgoing federal money. Most of the nation’s recent progress in reducing the abortion rate has occurred in states that have shown a commitment to real sex education.
Do you suppose that (just say no ) Nancy referred to Ronnie as my “humongous” husband ?