News & Politics - Bush seeks funds for Abstinence Education

SweetLisaLisa · 11-26-2004, 06:06 PM

Quote:

Bush Seeks Funds for Abstinence Education

By MARK SHERMAN

WASHINGTON (AP) - President Bush's re-election insures that more federal money will flow to abstinence education that precludes discussion of birth control, even as the administration awaits evidence that the approach gets kids to refrain from sex.

Congress last weekend included more than $131 million for abstinence programs in a $388 billion spending bill, an increase of $30 million but about $100 million less than Bush requested. Meanwhile, a national evaluation of abstinence programs has been delayed, with a final report not expected until 2006.

Ten state evaluations, compiled by a group that opposes abstinence-only education, showed little change in teens' behavior since the start of abstinence programs in 1997.

The president has been a strong proponent of school-based sexual education that focuses on abstinence, but does not include instruction on safe sex.

``We don't need a study, if I remember my biology correctly, to show us that those people who are sexually abstinent have a zero chance of becoming pregnant or getting someone pregnant or contracting a sexually transmitted disease,'' said Wade Horn, the assistant secretary of Health and Human Services in charge of federal abstinence funding.

Those who say schools also should be teaching youths how to use contraceptives say Horn's argument ignores reality. Surveys indicate that roughly 50 percent of teens say they have sex before they leave high school. While the nation's teenage pregnancy rate is declining, young people 15 to 24 account for about half the new cases of sexually transmitted diseases in the United States each year.

Teaching only about abstinence means students will be less able to prevent pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases, say supporters of comprehensive sexual education.

``The only 100 percent way to avoid a car collision is not to drive, but the federal government sure does a lot of advocacy for safety belts,'' said James Wagoner, president of Advocates for Youth, a group that promotes education about birth control and condom use.

The push for abstinence is one of several Bush policies popular with religious conservatives. Also topping the agenda: the faith-based initiative, which aims to open more government programs to religious groups. That push will continue into a second term, said Jim Towey, who directs the White House Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives.

``This is a culture change in the way the government provides social services,'' he said in an interview. ``It's a change to recognize if we really want to help our poor, we want to give them some choice of programs and providers.''

The argument about sexual education has raged for years, between those who say teaching about sex promotes promiscuity and those who say teens will make better choices if they are fully informed.

The ``abstinence-only'' initiative was part of the 1996 welfare law. Because programs are so young, there has been little conclusive research about their effectiveness. Independent researchers said in 2002 there is no reliable evidence whether these programs are effective in reducing teen sex, pregnancy or the transmission of disease.

The same team has been updating its findings for the Department of Health and Humans Services. A second report was supposed to be released earlier this year, but has been pushed back, said HHS spokesman Bill Pierce. The final installation is expected in 2006.

Advocates for Youth recently compiled state evaluations that found little change in teens' behavior since the start of the abstinence programs. The states evaluated are: Arizona, Florida, Iowa, Maryland, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, Oregon, Pennsylvania and Washington.

Leslee Unruh, president of National Abstinence Clearinghouse in Sioux Falls, S.D., said those state programs are not true abstinence programs because they talk about delaying sexual activity, but not specifically waiting until marriage.

Wagoner said backers of abstinence-only education are now distancing themselves from programs that don't work. He noted that the state programs all qualified for and received money from the federal pot of abstinence education money.

Horn and Unruh acknowledged a paucity of data. ``So many of our programs are in their infancy. The jury is still out,'' Unruh said.

Horn said, ``The research is not as adequate as it needs to be.''

Still, he is not willing to wait for more evaluations, calling abstinence education ``something that parents and children want.''

Associated Press writer Laura Meckler in Washington contributed to this report.

I think there are more important things in the education system to spend money on like school lunches and after school care.

Milt Palacio · 11-26-2004, 06:39 PM

Another example of how the Bush administration is out of touch with reality.

When Bill Clinton was president and sexual education was stressed, the number of abortions and number of teen pregnancies in our country went down.

Since George Bush has been president and abstinence education has been stressed, the number of abortions has gone up.

Believing that abstinence education will curtail abortion and teen pregnancy is extremely foolish. Only in Bush's own utopian vision does abstinence education work better than sexual education.

http://www.courier-journal.com/cjext...1011-5709.html

http://www.democraticwings.com/democ...hts/001147.php

We need to put the emphasis on sex education and give people the facts on how to protect themselves! Don't ignore the issue and think teenagers will just stop having sex!

LittleMilkJug · 11-26-2004, 06:58 PM

Just say no

SuperDeluxe · 11-27-2004, 01:06 AM

Nothing wrong at all about preaching Abistence AND sexual education. Just dont have one and not the other.

Elizajoey · 11-27-2004, 02:06 AM

Right because if kiddies are told to keep it in their pants, they are going to. Like DUH! it's obvious that you dont get pregnant from not having sex!

My thoughts are provide them with all the available information.

Hell, I went to Catholic school and WE were informed of all the possibilities - of course being told that abstinence is the best thing until you're with something that you love and they love you etc but we were still kept informed and thats all you can ask.

Quote:

``The only 100 percent way to avoid a car collision is not to drive, but the federal government sure does a lot of advocacy for safety belts,''

Good argument!

Katis · 11-27-2004, 02:22 AM

Yeah, that's really, really stupid.

We were always taught in my schools about contraceptives. One of my teachers brought examples in and passed them around. Then we had a doctor come in and show us slide of STD infected genitalia, now THAT is a good scare tactic, nasty. Abstinence should be preached alongside contraceptives.

Also, the government should provide free birth control. Seems like it would be a hell of a lot cheaper than foster care and having the state take financial care of children.

In Fair Verona · 11-27-2004, 02:33 AM

We weren't taught in my school about contraceptives, but we had to sit through that abstinence program. I wish we were, because I hate that program, it completely scares me out of having sex at all, not just sex before marriage. They should stop trying to scare us by threatening us with STD's and give us some useful information.

Take it from a high-schooler right now, those programs don't work. A lot of people don't care and abstinence education isn't going to make them care, and then there are those who know they won't have sex until marriage, so the program is just a waste. What we have right now is fine, don't spend anymore money on it, spend the money on actual academic education.

Candice L. · 11-27-2004, 04:10 AM

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Originally posted by SuperDeluxe
Nothing wrong at all about preaching Abistence AND sexual education. Just dont have one and not the other.

I wholeheartedly agree.

Lovesbitch · 11-27-2004, 04:31 AM

I think it's important to have both.

At my school we had both but it was obvioulsy bias. We had like four weeks on why to say no and the one day on conceptive.

Worse, our teacher kept telling us how we could still get all the dieases and pregnancy even if we used conceptive and how it didn't always work.

I know she was just trying to get us to say no but alot of people at my school took is as "well if it's not gonna work anyways than why should we bother?"

JohannafromIHJ · 11-27-2004, 07:47 AM

Abstinence only.

*sigh*

Crazy Americans.

**ROCKSTAR** · 11-27-2004, 07:08 PM

I agree with Bush's premise on this issue. I would love to see an "abstinence only" program that works and his initiative is quite promising.

goodbyegirl84 · 11-27-2004, 07:31 PM

I think Bush is dreaming if he thinks abstinence programs really work. In theory in a universe without hormones on parade and real teenagers it would work.

I'm thanking goddess I live in canada where a conservative religious motivated delusional administration isn't in power.

I am still a virgin, that is my choice, and I'm 20 years old. When I was a teen alot of friends started to have sex, if it wasn't for the sex ed portion of moral ed, I don't know where they'd be. It's important to understand the world, and the different choices for birth control and STD pervention. It's important to know the facts about STDs, it's important to learn the scientific facts about sex and it's consequences.

I've visited friends in the states and it scares me to see how little they knew about their own bodies or sex.

Milt Palacio · 11-27-2004, 09:43 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by ROCKSTAR
I would love to see an "abstinence only" program that works

That doesn't exist!

If teenagers don't learn how to protect themselves from STD's and how to properly use birth control, then the number of STDs, teen pregnancies, and abortions will skyrocket!

The only way an abstinence only program would work is if you neutered every teenager in this country!

fetch · 11-28-2004, 01:15 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by goodbyegirl84

I've visited friends in the states and it scares me to see how little they knew about their own bodies or sex.

I was talking against Bush here (I live in Israel) and people at first didn't believe the abstinence-only thing. Then they said that sex education doesn't matter anyway because no one learns anything from school anyway, there's no way people don't know sex education stuff/ Then I gave an example of how when I was in tenth grade a girl asked in class where to put a tampon. And a guy asked if girls shoot eggs when they orgasm (o.0). Yes, a lot of people already know the information about sex education, but there are also a lot who don't, and it's really sad.

***Jerry D*** · 11-28-2004, 02:00 PM

I think that trying to promote abstinence education in a way that precludes discussion of birth control and safe sex is a policy that’s incredibly irresponsible and completely out of touch with reality, but it doesn’t surprise me at all that the Bush Administration would promote such a policy. It seems like he feels that he now has a mandate to promote his Conservative Agenda, and I shudder to think of what other “policy initiatives” we’ll see coming from the White House in the next four years.


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