Sex, Lies, and Education
Representative Henry Waxman of California has examined abstinence-only curricula and found some disturbing things. Here's a sampling of what America's children are being taught about sex:
~a pregnancy occurs one out of every seven times that couples use condoms
~5-10% of women who have legal abortions will become sterile
~a 43-day-old fetus is a "thinking person"
~women need "financial support" while men need "admiration"
~or, "Women gauge their happiness and judge their success on their relationships. Men's happiness and success hinge on their accomplishments."
~HIV can be contracted through exposure to sweat and tears
~touching another person's genitals "can result in pregnancy"
And there's more. I knew things were bad, but I had no idea they were this bad. I thought it was a matter of emphasizing one option at the expense of other safe and common choices in the service of one group's morality. That's bad enough. But this is instead a matter of actual misinformation, lies, and scare tactics.
~a pregnancy occurs one out of every seven times that couples use condoms
~5-10% of women who have legal abortions will become sterile
~a 43-day-old fetus is a "thinking person"
~women need "financial support" while men need "admiration"
~or, "Women gauge their happiness and judge their success on their relationships. Men's happiness and success hinge on their accomplishments."
~HIV can be contracted through exposure to sweat and tears
~touching another person's genitals "can result in pregnancy"
And there's more. I knew things were bad, but I had no idea they were this bad. I thought it was a matter of emphasizing one option at the expense of other safe and common choices in the service of one group's morality. That's bad enough. But this is instead a matter of actual misinformation, lies, and scare tactics.