The outcome of this presidential election could not be more important to our young people. It will answer a very important question. Will we waste another $1.5 billion on abstinence-only education?Will we allow an appalling betrayal of our young people with 750,000 teen pregnancies and 9 million teens diagnosed with sexually transmitted infections each year?
Under pressure from social extremists, our elected officials tied federal funding for schools to grossly ineffective "abstinence-only" education. The Bush administration turned its back on teenagers and young people at the time in their lives when factual sex education would have made the most difference.
The Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice will lead the call to the next administration to provide age-appropriate sex education for our youth and end the billion-dollar "abstinence-only" ruse that uses taxpayer dollars to force the ""Religious Right's" ideology on our children.
Progressive religious activists must insist that the next administration face the facts and recognize the danger of abstinence-only education - and then act in the best interests of our children by providing accurate, age-appropriate information about their sexuality.
With my respect and thanks,
(the Rev'd) Carlton Veazey
President and CEO
Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice
The Rev. Veazey is totally right. I worked in Family Planning clinics for many years. I saw many young women come in with an STD or unwanted pregnancy because of lack of correct information. I never saw one young in the clinic because she had had too much factual information.
ReplyDeleteAbstinence education is a fraud!!
Right you are, TA. Our kids need information, education and GOOD parenting, which means, in part, someone who will not only set limits but set opportunities for difficult conversations - if not with their parents then with people in the community whom they trust.
ReplyDeleteI see no conflict between giving kids good information and advocating delay of sexual activity. I cannot for the life of me understand what Focus On The Cash Flow (oops) thinks it is doing. Do they really want pregnant HIV+ daughters?
ReplyDeleteFWIW
jimB
I would never not advocate for the delay of sexual activity in kids. However, to do that alone denies kids the information they need to make informed decisions.
ReplyDeleteI saw people in my area make big money on an abstinence curriculum in which they had more than a little influence on the state agency that purchased the curriculum. One can only wonder if that was done in the best interest of child. I have my doubts.