Virginity Pledge: It doesn't work

Michael's Blog » Virginity Pledge: It doesn't work

I just want to first tell my own children, DON'T HAVE SEX! But damnit! If you do, use a condom! PLEASE!!!! It can save your life!

Now that that's done, let's move on to the article at hand.

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2005/05/20/60minutes/main696975.shtml#september18

I'm disgusted by this. I knew there were religious groups pounding their propoganda in to kids heads, spreading lies about the failure rates of condoms, telling kids that they are actually putting themselves at higher risk by using condoms, BUT I had no idea that this message was required BY LAW if  they are to recieve federal funding.

That's right! Apparently there is a law that says in order for a group teaching abstinence to recieve Federal funding, they MUST NOT talk about the health benefits of using condoms, they can only talk about the failures of condom use. And there is apparently nothing in that law that says they can't just make that shit up.

What the article underscores here, (although in an extremely wimpy way, where are the steel balls the media breifly gained back during Katrina?) is that this abstinence message doesn't work. 88% of teenagers break their pledge (I'm guessing that's just the percentage that admitted to breaking it), and when they do, as eventually they ALL will, they won't be using condoms because they've been lied to and told that they don't work.

I'm scared for this country, I really am.

 

Posted Sep 19 2005, 11:10 AM by michael
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Comments

Diane wrote re: Virginity Pledge: It doesn't work
on 09-20-2005 3:12 AM
This country has always been pretty screwed up about sex. This abstinence based sex ed (and funding for it)really isn't new - it has been going on for at least two years, the mainstream media is just getting around to talking about it. Or is it that the mainstream media is just allowed by the administration to talk about it, now that the funding has been re-routed? The whole premise is that if kids are well informed about sexuality and protection it becomes a promotion for them to have sex. News flash - teenagers + hormones = sexual activity, no advertising required. Ignorance and fear about their sexuality will keep them safer than the knowledge of what contraceptives and protections are available? That is scary, given soon to be extinct right to choose an abortion. I always thought that a more effective dialog about sexuality whould reduce the need for abortion. But here it comes the one-two punch "You can't know how to protect yourself against pregnancy, but we sure won't let you make the choice of what to do with the outcome of your ignorance". Save yourself for marriage - All the while std's like syphillis and gonnarhea are rising among teens, particularly girls who think blow jobs are ok because that isn't really sex (thanks for that message Bill Clinton). Never mind about the gay kids who aren't allowed to ever get married, who have a higher suicide rate because of the negative messages they are given about their sexual identity.
Ignorance isn't bliss - it's expensive
michael wrote re: Virginity Pledge: It doesn't work
on 09-20-2005 3:26 AM
Hey Diane (is this the Diane I know?)

Excellent comments. You should have your own blog. I know where you can get one for free ;)

http://onthesoapbox.net Owned and run by yours truly.

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