States Reject Bush's Abstinence-Only Funding »
Posted By Neophile 1 year, 4 months ago in NewsSkeptical states are shoving aside millions of federal dollars for abstinence education, walking away from the program the Bush administration touts for slowing teen sexual activity. Barely half the states are still in, and two more say they are leaving.
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chuck-the-canuck1 year, 4 months ago
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NemoShiZniTComment removed: Spammer62 Replies
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TheNewsseeker1 year, 4 months ago
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Teens should not get restricted like that! They should experience sexuality as one of the greatest gifts god gave to us, men and women. They have to make use of it with responsibility, but it should never cause fear and shame.
A surpressed sexuality, burdened with the idea of sin, is much more dangerous than the natural discovery of the other sex, whenever it is the right time. Nevertheless, it is very necessary to talk about the dangers of an early pregnancy at school. But abstinence is only one method of preservation. The chemical, biological and "mechanical" ones should also be introduced to the kids.
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DropkickaLib1 year, 4 months ago
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jordan111 year, 4 months ago
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Tangent0011 year, 4 months ago
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Agreed! Communities that have abstinence-only sex ed show INCREASED instances of unwanted teen pregnancy and STDs when compared to more comprehensive sex ed programs.
It gets worse:
"Florida teens who believe drinking a cap of bleach will prevent HIV and a shot of Mountain Dew will stop pregnancy have prompted lawmakers to push for an overhaul of sex education in the state...State lawmakers said the myths are spreading because of Florida's abstinence-only sex education, Local 6 reported."
http://www.local6.com/news/15773787/detail.html
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BB641 year, 4 months ago
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Actually using Milwaukee as an example, I was on the committee that created the Human Growth and Development program. It's clearly shown two or three very clear problems. Without changing attitudes and getting the parents involved, you're not going to prevent much. Teen STD's and pregnancies are up. And that's with a "balanced" program offered by MPS. Perhaps it's time to start licensing parents.
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Poulenc1 year, 4 months ago
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"Skeptical states are shoving aside millions of federal dollars for abstinence education, walking away from the program the Bush administration touts for slowing teen sexual activity. Barely half the states are still in, and two more say they are leaving...."
The mantra is of course that teens should be taught all the methods that help one avoid unwanted pregnancy and STD's, not to forswear sex entirely.
"Teach abstinence" in this context means inculcate belief IN abstinence--the goal of puritans, the religiously orthodox, and of politicians, like M. Bush, who wish to manipulate them to get or stay in power.
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BB641 year, 4 months ago
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I live in Wisconsin and have attended classes in the public schools concerning sex ed. While the feds may pay for abstinence only, other organizations such as planned parent hood, joined in. We have a very extensive sex ed program in Milwaukee. Along with one of the highest underage teen pregnancy rates in the country. It's clear teaching sex ed, no matter whose curriculum you use is a failure if the parents are losers. There's a sick culture among teens where they feel the only way they can be a "man" is to father a bunch of kids. We need to change that thinking completely or we're never going to see a change.
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Ciera-Marie1 year, 4 months ago
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BB64 I'm from Milwaukee and lived there until I was 20. Pius XI graduate. I had sex ed curtesy of my grade school and I thank GOD for that BECAUSE MY PARENTS DIDN'T EDUCATE ME about sex. I really my dad's counsel and guidance as a teen AND DID NOT GET IT. Only thing I got from them is keep your legs crossed. BTW that doesn't work.
The only reason I didn't become a single parent while a teen, is because of all my friends who were having sex, unprotected (Catholic private school, and Lutheran private schoo.), one in my class was eight months pregnant at graduation and married, two others were single mothers of two children (parents paid for their education, work study) not married, and there were four others who I didn't know. Yeah abstinence only education works not. I learned more about sex in the lunch room from my friends and my friend's house who was Lutheran (private lutheran education) than I did in sex education.
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Charlson1 year, 4 months ago
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BB641 year, 4 months ago
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Not at all. If you want your 14 year old son or daughter to learn about sex, then you teach it. I think it should be something the child learns about from the parents. If you want to explain the benefits of other orifices, comdom verses whatever, that's your right as a parent. I may not agree with you but that's your job. I don't think it should be a part of the school year. For crying out loud I have a terrible time trying to hire some of the kids from MPS because their English and math skills are terrible. You want those jokers to teach your kids about sex and Aids?
We have a culture today that feels in order to be a man you need to have kids. Create your own clan, gang, tribe or family group, I really don't know what they're calling the clicks today. We're seeing this problem in the white, hispanic and African American areas of our city. If mom & dad continue not to be a part of their kid's lives, we're going to see the prison populations expand drastically.
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raats6662Comment removed: Retracted by user14 Replies
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Tangent0011 year, 4 months ago
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What really burns my muffin is that 1/3 of the resources the U.S. has committed for AIDS prevention in Africa MUST go to abstinence-only efforts. These are programs for ADULTS we're talking about! Warehouses full of condoms sit until they expire because there are no funds available for distribution. This sort of Puritanical nonsense is letting people die, pure and simple.
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david_nwpa1 year, 4 months ago
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One of the other drawbacks to abstinence only programs is that they are woefully inadequate at answering questions about sex that goes beyond pregnancy. Yes, believe it or not, people have sex without the intent of getting pregnant. As others have said, it misses the concept of STDs, homosexuality, bisexuality, and other forms of sexual contact. Older children may be naive about such topics, but they are not stupid. They know these things exist, but do not have much valid information about them.
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joeblowe1 year, 4 months ago
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What does this illustrate? GREED! All the states wanted the federal handout. So, they foolishly agreed to a program they MUST have known WOULD NOT WORK just to get their hands on some federal money - produce a few job openings in their state. Now, a little later on when the program they must have KNOWN would fail (let's face it - it's MONUMENTALLY stupid!) is having the effect (none, or worse yet- harmful) that any sensible person could have predicted, and they are forced to bail out to try and put the train wreck back on the tracks.
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joeblowe1 year, 4 months ago
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And another thing. Carping about how PARENTS should teach -- well, pretty much ANYTHING to their kids - is crazy talk. Teachers are PROFESSIONALS and THEY are the ones who should be presenting a concise, ACCURATE, and timely program to the kids. Seriously now, what parents should be teaching kids is MAYBE whatever they really know. Like whatever they do for a living. And maybe right from wrong. Sh*t from shoe polish. Stuff like that. Most parents are NOT qualified to be teachers. And really - the kids who need it MOST are more than likely in single parent homes, or homes where the PARENTS never learned much. Asking a parent to be CONCERNED and to show interest - OK fine, I'll agree with that. But for the actual teaching part, let's leave it to the professionals. That's what our tax dollars are paying for. (unless the damn government interferes - then it's time for a visit to the school board.)
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TrueProgressive1 year, 4 months ago
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Except for Dropkick, most of this discussion has been both pretty civil, and very insightful, IMO. The problem results from human evolution colliding with modern society. The human animal is ready to reproduce at about age 12 to 13. For most of human existence, this was a benefit not a problem. Early and prolific reproduction allowed paleolithic and neolithic humans to climb into history. Even after that, humankind was almost all agrarian. This required a constant re-supply of young humans to tend the farms. That "yonder fair maiden" of medieval times was a girl of 11-14. If a young woman was not married and having babies by 16, something was wrong. Spinsterism began around age 20.
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TrueProgressive1 year, 4 months ago
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[Continuing with the comment] Modern technological society changed all this. With medical and hygienic technology drastically cutting human mortality rates, prolific human reproduction is now more bane than benefit. The vastly lengthened educational development time young persons need to survive today makes early reproduction a handicap to themselves and society. The challenge is how to reconcile biology's ferocious call on young people to have babies with modern society's need to delay all that.
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TrueProgressive1 year, 4 months ago
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[Continuing] I was actually with you, BB until the "welfare check" part. (Suburban flight, inner city decay, and the ever widening gap between the rich and the rest of us that make professional sports, rapping, and gangsta far more attractive to inner city men than a "family man's" life have nothing to do with the problem, right?) "Morality" encompasses far more than just sexuality. One result of linking morality to sexuality is the preaching of "morality" by the most amoral presidential administration in American history. Morality results from how one orients him or herself to human dignity. Parents, or some other positive role model, are the ultimate determinate of a child's orientation to dignity. Parents are, thus, integral, not only to sex ed, but to the child's entire development.
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TrueProgressive1 year, 4 months ago
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[Continuing] On the other hand, it's far easier to become a parent than to be one. Society, through its schools, must take up the slack and give kids the basic knowledge of sexuality's mechanics. Teens have sex not just because they're in depression, want peer approval, or are rebels. They also do it because they're horny as hell, and aren't going to stop simply because some amorphous "God" commands them to. Understanding this, state governments are finally finding their "cujones" and telling Bush to shove his abstinence-only cr*p up where the sun don't shine.
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antibrainwasher1 year, 4 months ago
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outstanding comments, but can you sum it up in a bumper sticker walmart would buy? If not, your not what the GOP is looking for.
The GOP is looking for salesmen, who promote bumper sticker values. Don't look to get hired by McBush for president campaign.
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TrueProgressive1 year, 4 months ago
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Finally, I'd like to say a few words in Dropkick's defense. Take it easy on the boy, will you all. After all, his head was dropkicked as a kid, that's how he got his name. "Dropkick's head is down, the kick is up, IT'S GOOD!!!!!" The boy's brain damaged, for God's sake. When he's not soiling Propeller he's probably sitting in a wheelchair on a street corner drooling, with a cup tied to the chair and a sign around his neck, "This is what happens when you vote Republican." So please, have some pity on him, will you?
That's all I have to say for now.
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antibrainwasher1 year, 4 months ago
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James Dobson, the insane sociopathic right wing evangelical creationist anti-science nut job came up with abstinence only crap.
Dobson, the anti-christ, anti christian american hating propagandist liar is now attacking Obama for a speech on the bible he gave 2 years ago.
The religious conservatives can't support McCain because he's an ATHEIST, repeat McCain is an ATHIEST, baby jesus on a jet ski, McCain is an ATHEIST.
So the only thing left is to swiftboat Obama. These people arent christians. The religious right is NOT christian. The religious right is some sect of evangelical positive thinking yourself to riches, status quo, upperclass worshipping, money and war and oil worshipping cult. If you are a christian, help the poor. If you are a republican, f*ck the poor, vote republican.
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antibrainwasher1 year, 4 months ago
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And you forgot most important of all Israel. F*ck america, let's all die for gods chosen strand of DNA, send your children to the childrens crusade, vote republican, bomb Iraq, one nation under the star of david, under the AIPAC, the most powerful and richest PAC in america, and god bless the American Enterprise Institute, and all its billionaire dual citizen zionist neocon donors.
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anioklyComment removed: Spammer15 Replies
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tkyrchncs1 year, 4 months ago
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Especially for a curriculum proved not to work. Of course that doesn't seeme to matter-my community just bought a DARE car for its DARE officer who does nothing else, just waste ed money and time on another totally ineffectual fed ed program.
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chevydog1 year, 4 months ago
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Don't really think that this has anything to do with what states or the school districts in them think about abstenince. Rather, I'm inclined to think that it's too little money with too many strings attached to justify the effort. That 's often a problem with Federal money going to school districts.
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THOMNH621 year, 4 months ago
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it's amazing how a story about the presidents desire to keep young people from having sex which leads to a host of social and economic disasters for young people is looked down upon by the states, the media and liberal morons here at libscape. Don't you think it would be at least worth a try, to see if we could help our young people from ruining their lives ( Obama's words) by not having babies, draining the welfare system, and reducing the chance they will ever know who the really are before becoming parents.
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