Previous posts here have documented the white-is-black, black-is-white, we’ll-tell-you-what-it-is-you-mean, these-are-the-facts (even when the facts prove the opposite) discourse of liberalism these days.
Could anything more resemble this than Governor Tim Kaine’s rationale for cutting the $275,000 in abstinence education? He flatly says abstinence education does not work. Even the Virginia Department of Health says otherwise. The most extensive longitudinal study on abstinence education says otherwise. Many more peer reviewed studies confirm the success of abstinence education.
As Attorney General Bob McDonnell asked at today’s press conference, why is it the policy of government to prevent at-risk youth from committing crime, but not from getting pregnant or sexually transmitted diseases? The characteristics are the same, the AG noted: Stay away from bad circumstances, dubious people, questionable activity, indeed, abstain from crime and you avoid a lot of heartache to you and your family, and spare society the costs associated with a crumbling culture. McDonnell explained how the GRIP program in the city of Richmond has drastically reduced crime among young people with these parallel principles to abstinence education. So why is educating children about abstaining from sexual activity any different than educating them about abstaining from criminal activity? Both activities stunt the lives of our young.
If McDonnell deflated the governor’s reasoning with logic, Lt. Governor Bill Bolling did it with figures: From 1995-2005, Virginia saw an 18.5 percent decrease in teen pregnancies, no small achievement. Studies by both the federal and state governments echo each other: Children are receptive to abstinence-only education and respond positively to it. Bolling also offered this dose of commonsense: Why deny parents and students the option? (Whatever happened to choice, governor?)
More statistics, these from Horizons Unlimited, whose VIP program is a model of success: Since it started its Title V program in Hampton, that city has dropped from the highest HIV rate in Virginia to one of the lowest; among teens there has been an 18 percent increase in abstinence approval, 13 percent increase in the understanding of the consequences of unmarried pregnancies and a 17 percent increase in understanding of what it takes to be a success in life.This from June Sullivan, with whom maybe the governor should talk, since she is on the front lines and has seen the positive results. This is a “misguided decision,” she said, against the devastation of “fatherless children, poverty, pain and shame.”
Opponents say, “Kids are going to have sex anyway, so we need to teach them about contraception.” Hmmm. There are at-risk youth everyday tempted to do life-destroying drugs. Do we teach them to do it safely? Use clean needles, or no needles at all? Why does Planned Parenthood continue to get taxpayer funded grants, and don’t they have a conflict of interest (i.e., sexual activity leads to pregnancies, which leads to abortions)?
Maybe nothing proves the ”ounce of prevention” axiom more than an organization so determined to eliminate abstinence education so as it preserve its abortion factory business model.
How is having sex like doing “life-destroying drugs”? Do you mean illegal drugs? Or legal drugs like alcohol? Should non-marital, non-procreative sex therefore be made illegal?
I followed the link to what you termed “The most extensive longitudinal study on abstinence education” and found no study at all. I found a position paper dated April 8, 2002
entitled “The Effectiveness of Abstinence Education Programs in Reducing Sexual Activity Among Youth”. The paper contained anti-SEICUS and anti-planned parenthood language and misrepresentations of their positions on abstinence such as:
Anyways, it wasn’t a longitudinal study. Is your link incorrect? If so, please correct the post.
[...] its “comprehensive sex education” message. Seemingly another California trend today, given our fight to keep abstinence education available in Virginia, expect this bypass of parental authority in the Old Dominion [...]
I recently discovered this blog. I’ve had a similiar idea to your rewriting the ten commandments for some time now.
It’s about CHILDREN! Let’s protect CHILDREN! What’s the marital argument about??! Kaine is wrong.
[...] Planned Parenthood Federation of America has as one of its top legislative priorities ending abstinence education in the United States. Late in 2007, it successfully convinced Governor Tim Kaine to stop accepting federal money for abstinence education, effectively ending many abstinence-centered p…. [...]
[...] says elections don’t have consequences. It’s taken three long years, but what a difference it makes. From a governor who eliminated funding for a time-tested way of teaching children how to grow up [...]
[...] example, in 2007, despite abstinence-education funding from governors of both parties, then-Governor Tim Kaine, at Planned Parenthood’s urging, abruptly ended Virginia’s match…. [...]
[...] In addition to Governor Bob McDonnell’s amendment to HB 2434, which would restrict Virginia’s health insurance exchanges under ObamaCare from covering abortion services, Governor McDonnell also added an amendment to reinsert abstinence funding in the Virginia budget. This funding was included in the House of Delegates budget, but budget conferees left it out of the final budget which the General Assembly approved and sent to the governor. Such funding was a regular line item in the budget until then-Governor Tim Kaine abruptly stripped i…. [...]