Time for Sarah Palin, John McCain, & the GOP to Abstain From Abstinence-Only Education (USN&WR)

[struggle4progress]

It's Time for Sarah Palin, John McCain, and the GOP to Abstain From Abstinence-Only Education—It Doesn't Work
September 02, 2008 03:51 PM ET | Bonnie Erbe

... As a clarion-clear advocate of abstinence-only education, Palin explained on an Eagle Forum (ultraconservative women's group) questionnaire during her 2006 gubernatorial run: "The explicit sex-ed programs will not find my support" ...

... Advocates for Youth, which supports comprehensive sex education for high school students, looked at five years of data from states that teach abstinence-only and reported the following:

Three of six (abstinence-only) programs had no impact on sexual behavior (California, Maryland, and Missouri). Two of six programs reported increases in sexual behavior from pre- to post-test (Florida and Iowa) ...

For his part, Sen. McCain has voted to boost abstinence-only funding, to end federal family planning funding, and against teen pregnancy prevention programs. His running mate's family problems should send a laserlike message to McCain and other social conservatives they need to stop allowing their religious convictions to fog their thinking and they should start to rally around effective social policy, sex education included.

http://www.usnews.com/blogs/erbe/2008/09/02/its-time-for-sarah-palin-john-mccain-and-the-gop-to-abstain-from-abstinence-only-education8212it-doesnt-work.html

[Coexist]

1. Amen!