Last week, while the Senate Finance Committee was busily voting down health care reforms supported by doctors and more importantly, the American People, Utah Republican Orrin Hatch tossed in a $50 million line item for abstinence-only sex education.
This, despite the fact that one of the GOP’s main concerns about health care reform is the cost. This, despite the fact that there is little evidence to suggest that abstinence-only programs work at all. I think Jon Stewart speaks for a lot of us when he exclaims, “What the @#$%?“
Abstinence-only sex ed is one of those ideas that completely collapse after a moment’s thought. Whose brilliant idea was it to teach reproductively mature kids about sex, by telling them “don’t have sex?” The programs center around trying to scare kids into not having sex until some indeterminate time point when they are “ready” to do so.
Of course, when “graduates” of these programs inevitably go out and have sex, they are woefully unprepared to defend themselves against unwanted pregnancies and STDs—because they were never taught how. You can tell kids whatever you want about when you think they should have sex, but leaving them unprepared for when it happens is just stupid. The goal of sex education is to reduce unwanted pregnancies and STDs, and you can’t do that when your entire method is based around “don’t do it.”
How about throwing another $50 million toward abstinence-only Driver’s Ed? Teenagers will learn that the only way to prevent against car accidents and other life-threatening vehicular mishaps is to stay home. Sounds like winning plan to increase safe driving practices amongst teenagers—clearly for Orrin Hatch and the rest of the Congressional Gang, ignorance is strength.
One response to “Abstinence-Only, the Only Way to Fail”
Sometimes it makes you wish Orrin Hatch’s parents had listened to their abstinence-preaching sex-ed teacher… 😛