I'm surprised no one has commented on the Waxman report. I find it amazing that this is what we're headed down in pursuit of ideology. It echoes the days of science being seen as heresy and ignorance celebrated as fact and preferable to inconveneient truth. Y'know, this kind of deliberate misinformation doesn't help anyones cause in the long term. Nor does it help EDUCATE our population.
Report faults abstinence lessons
Widespread errors of fact are found in more than 80% of 13 popular curricula
Waxman report: Abstinence courses flawed
Some Abstinence Programs Mislead Teens, Report Says
Quote:
"I have no objection talking about abstinence as a surefire way to prevent unwanted pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases," Waxman said. "I don't think we ought to lie to our children about science. Something is seriously wrong when federal tax dollars are being used to mislead kids about basic health facts."
The analysis, released by Rep. Henry Waxman, found that many of these curricula contain false information about the effectiveness of contraceptives and the risks of abortion. Several of the curricula contain basic scientific errors and present religious views as proven fact. Some curricula also treat gender stereotypes as scientific truth.
Here are some examples: In several abstinence-only programs, students are erroneously told that condoms fail to protect against HIV and that pregnancy occurs one out of every seven times that couples use a condom. One textbook states that touching another person's genitals "can result in pregnancy." Another suggests that 5% to 10% of women who have legal abortions will become sterile as a result.
One curriculum refers to a 43-day-old fetus as "a thinking person." Another incorrectly lists exposure to sweat and tears as risk factors for HIV transmission. And one textbook sanctimoniously instructs teenagers: "Women gauge their happiness and judge their success on their relationships. Men's happiness and success hinge on their accomplishments."
California has been wise enough to see through the hype of abstinence-only sex education, and it continues to be one of the few states that refuse to accept the federal funding for abstinence-only curricula.
Californians mandate HIV/AIDS education in our schools and require that all sexuality education is comprehensive and medically accurate. And our attention to the needs of our state's youth has paid off. Our teen pregnancy rate has fallen by 40% over the last 10 years — the largest decrease of any state except Alaska.
Abstinence-only curricula, such as those being pushed and funded by the Bush administration, aren't just riddled with errors — they clearly have no positive effect on the behavior of teens. Researchers at Columbia University found that while virginity "pledge" programs did help some of the participants delay sex, 88% still had premarital sex.
Additionally, the rates of sexually transmitted infections among pledgers showed no statistically significant difference from non-pledgers.
Despite these problems, the federal government will squander an astonishing $168 million for these programs in fiscal 2005. Although this falls short of the $270 million President Bush initially proposed, it more than doubles the amount spent in 2001. Meanwhile, programs that work go unfunded.
Proponents of abstinence-only sex education believe that knowledge can be dangerous. Ignorance, however, can be fatal. Last week, we marked World AIDS Day. When our young people are at risk of HIV infection as well as other sexually transmitted infections, it is unconscionable to deprive them of information that can save their lives.
