I WAS WRONG. Boy was I wrong…

Ok, I admit it. I was wrong. In another BLOG (Pass me that debt!) I implied that we did not teach our children anything about sex, and as such, our children would end up in more trouble because when they did finally experiment with sex, they would know nothing at all on how to have safe sex.

Ok, I am sorry, I was wrong. It seems we DO teach our children about sex education in schools, so they can go forward and make educated decision on and about sexual matters, and we can feel good in knowing that our children can make informed decisions knowing all the facts.

OR NOT!

Yes, we teach them all right. And there is a government created program that schools use, filled with all sorts of government-supplied information on what to teach our young on this subject. Thank god we have the government to look out for our education, for how could they not do the right thing? After all, we want NO CHILD LEFT BEHIND, right?

So what do they teach them? What has the government been supplying schools?

Well first off, our current government, pushed by the Bush administration, insists on teaching an “abstinence-only” sex education program to ALL teens. Strangely enough, the report shows that this type of education does NOT appear to reduce the number of teen pregnancy! But worse than that, they fill this education material with so much misleading or false information, obviously intended to scare kids from ever having sex.

What a great way to stop kids from having sex; lie and deceive them so badly that they will be so scared they will not want to EVER want to touch another person. Wow, now there is a great education model for you, lies and deceit as a means to the ends. And our current government created it! Perhaps I should not be so surprised? But to be fair, the federal government only requires and pays for the programs, it does NOTHING to actually review or approve the accuracy of the information presented. But you would think that SOMEONE would want the programs to at the least be accurate?

Rep. Henry Waxman (D-CA) released a report on December 1st, 2004(link below) showing that the government-funded abstinence-only sex education program is deceitful and dangerous. The report finds that over 80% of the programs used by over two-thirds of Special Programs of Regional and National Significance Community-Based Abstinence Education contain false, misleading, or distorted information. Oh, I can hear many of you, especially the conservatives in the group, telling me that I (and Waxman) are full of crap, so lets look at a few of things that are being taught shall we? The study found that 11 of the 13 programs contain errors or distortions of the fact, or simply misleading information. Some example:

1. Condoms fail to prevent HIV transmission as often as 31% of the time.
a. One curriculum says that “the popular claim that ‘condoms help prevent the spread of STDs’ is not support by the data
b. The results are represented as scientific facts.

2. Pregnancy can result from the simple act of touching the other’s private parts!

3. 41% of heterosexual female teens and 50% of gay male teens have aids.

4. Abortions lead to sterility and suicide
a. One curriculum states that 5% to 10% of women who have legal abortions will become sterile
b. It says that premature birth, a major cause of mental retardation, is increased following the abortion of a first pregnancy
c. It also says that tubal and cervical pregnancies are increased following abortions.

5. HIV can be transmitted through tears and sweat.

6. Many of the curricula present as scientific fact the religious view that life begins at conception.
a. For example, one lesson states: “Conception, also known as fertilization, occurs when one sperm unites with one egg in the upper third of the fallopian tube. This is when life begins.” Another labels the time of conception “…at this instant a new human life is formed.”
b. Another calls a 43-day-old fetus a “thinking person.”
c. Several curricula offer as “scientific fact” the moral and/or religious definitions of early fetuses as babies or people.

7. One curricula pushes stereotypes of men and woman
a. One lesson teaches that woman “need financial support” while men need “admiration.” Financial Support is listed as one of the “5 Major Needs of Women” while “Domestic Support” is listed as one of the “5 Major Needs of Men”
b. Another instructs “Woman gauge their happiness and judge their success on their relationships. Men’s happiness and success hinge on their accomplishments.”
c. Another curriculum depicts emotions as “limiting girls’ ability to focus.” It states “generally, guys are able to focus better on one activity at a time and may not connect feelings with actions. Girls access both sides of the brain at once, so they often experience feelings and emotions as part of every situation.”

8. The programs are not allowed to mention ANY method or contraceptive to reduce the risk of pregnancy unless it is used to quote its “ineffectiveness”, even if the data is false!

The only problem with all this “great” education, is that none of it is true, and none is based on any scientific data or fact, or incorrectly draws conclusions from fact. The truth on each of these, based on scientific research (see the full Waxman report for sources and more information) is:

1. Condoms DO protect against SIDs, that is a major function. They are, on average, 93% effective or better when used correctly to prevent pregnancy and restrict the transmission of SIDs. According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, “Latex condoms, when used consistently and correctly, are highly effective in preventing the transmission of HIV…” Several of the curricula cite a 1993 study by Dr. Susan Weller who claimed that condoms reduce HIV transmission only 69%. Unfortunately, her studies were rejected by the Department of Health and Human Services showing that the study was flawed and had significant errors in the data collection and methods used. One such curricula even stated that HIV and other pathogens could “pass through” latex condoms. This is simply not true, and if it were, then hospital staff wearing gloves made of the same latex material would contract AIDS at an alarming rate. Lastly, the failure rates are typically measured over a 1 year period, but become skewed when looking at people who have not been properly trained on the use of the device. In fact, their numbers, although false in general, could become reality because as they fail to teach the proper use of condoms, the likelihood of a failure also increases. A self fulfilling prophacey!
2. Does this one even need to be addressed? Mutual masturbation will not cause a woman to become pregnant unless some form of genital contact takes place, in which case, it is not longer masturbation!
a. Some courses state that the simple act of just touching the other’s genitals can result in pregnancy. Oh, THAT’S how that happened?
b. One source cited for this specifically states that “remaining a virgin all but eliminates the possibility of becoming pregnant.
If you want to debate this, first crawl out from under that rock…

3. A chart put out by the CDC was incorrectly used to create the data for teens with AIDS. The chart says that of all female teens WITH aids, 41% contracted the disease through heterosexual acts. That is NOT the same as saying 41% of all sexually active female teens as reported as having AIDS, which is what they are teaching. It implies the 50% number for gay male teens in the same way. GREAT SCIENCE people!

4. More false science used here on the effect to a woman after an abortion. The “study” cited was a book called “Me, My World, My Future”, which was not a medical or scientific study, but rather appears to be one person’s opinion on the subject. However, there IS scientific study available on how woman react after abortion.
a. BUT, an expert panel of the American Psychiatric Association found that for a vast majority of women, an abortion WILL be followed by a mixture of emotions, with a predominance of positive feelings over time. No increase in suicide was noted.
b. A longitudinal study of young woman aged 14 to 21 found that “although woman may experience some distress immediately after having an abortion, the experience has no independent effect on their psychological well-being over time.” The study used data from a survey of youth from 1979 through 1987.
c. No scientific data supports the statement that women have an increased chance to become steril after a properly performed medical abortion. There IS evidence that so called “back alley” abortions, the ones perfomred illegally and without proper medical care CAN cause sterility, and even lead to death. The only conclusion I can draw from that is that the government, by restricting access to legal abortion when chosen and necessary by the woman, will simply push more women into having these “back alley” proceedures out of necessity, and thus actually cause more sterility and death. Again, self-fulfilling prophecy!

5. This is just an outright lie! According to the CDC in a study entitled “Which Body Fluids Transmit HIV?” published on December 15th, 2003, contact with salvia, tears, or sweat has NEVER been shown to result in the transmission of HIV.
a. What I do not understand is why, if this information is as easy to find as a Google search, they would publish such dis-informaiton?

6. So this one comes down to personal and religious beliefs, so it is hard to argue it is “wrong”, but it is not “scientific.” Conventional understanding in the scientific community is that, at a minimum, a first trimester fetus is not self-thinking nor capable of sustaining life on its own.
a. In any case, these courses are stating religious beliefs as scientific facts, and that is misleading. These should, at the least, be stated as beliefs of some religions.

7. From what generation are these ideas on men and woman from? Maybe we should take away the woman’s right to vote again, add scarlet letters to woman who have sex before marriage, and let men do what ever the please while we push the woman they sleep with before marriage into nunneries!
a. There is not science here, simply VERY OLD stereotypes which have been proven false long ago. Yet, here they are. The key example comes from a book called “Choosing the Best Life” in a story where a knight saves a princess from a dragon. Need I say more? Key word: STORY!

8. Although the curricula purport to provide scientifically accurate information about the failure rates of contraceptives (note that they do not list them as sucess rates, but rather failure rates!), many are exaggerated, false (as shown above), completly inaccurate, or based on science which has been rejected by the medical community as imporperly performed or collected.
a. These teachings also do not instruct at all on the proper use of any contraceptive, thus increasing the risk of failure for those who freely choose to use them. Studies mentioned in the report state clearly that the faliure of most contraceptives is caused by “improper use” and not a general failure of the device or method. Again, not teaching the proper use simply brings about the failure they claim will happen anyway. How ironic!

The study is long, and I only picked out some of the items that made me go “WHAT?” when I read them. This education is endorsed by our President, and supported by the Federal Government, and is being taught to our children as scientific fact. No child left behind? Strange, we leave our children behind when we teach them false or inaccurate informaiton as scientific fact. There is NO excuse for not teaching the truth. NONE! (Please do not even try to tell me there IS a good reason for teaching lies, because I honestly believe that anyone who believes that has some serious issues with which to deal! There is NEVER a good reason to lie, NEVER!)

I do not know how you feel, but I would hope any child of mine is being taught accurate and scientifically correct information in school, and not the religious and moral BELIEFS as well as bad science and false information that this program seems to draw upon. Imagine this applied to other forms of education like driving, math, history (maybe it is!) or even something as simple as learning to shoot a gun. Can you imagine a statement like “Anyone who owns or shoots a gun is more likely to die at an earlier age because of that gun then someone who never touches a gun.” Or perhaps a statement like “If you own a gun and keep it in your house, you are significantly less likely to be robbed.” While I may decide not to own a gun ownership, I would sure hope as hell that anyone being taught how to handle and use the gun who wanted one were well educated and taught accurate information on how to use it and the consequences of owning the thing.

I do not believe it matters if you believe in per-martial sex or not, that is for another discussion. I believe it is up to families and their children to decide what is right and wrong in that area, and I would not dispute that or argue otherwise on what each person believes is correct. It is a personal choice that HAS to be made wth family members, a doctor, and good, solid, accurate information. However, we also have the moral obligation to teach our young factual information so that when it comes time to making important decisions (like having sex or not) they are at the least well educated and know ALL the options available and circumstances that can happen when they make such a decision.

Yes, as I said before, I was wrong, we ARE teaching our children about sex in school. Unfortunately, we are teaching them false, misleading, and distorted information about reproductive health, as well as withholding very important information on how to keep themselves safe and healthy should they choose to engage in sex. This is just not right. Welcome back to the dark ages people!

For a full copy of the report, see:
http://www.democrats.reform.house.gov/Documents/20041201102153-50247.pdf