Over the last year, several research papers have been presented about the failure of abstinence only sex education to provide any significant changes in teen pregnancy or sexually transmitted disease rates. Despite this, the White House and conservatives in Congress have been holding the line that it is the only way to teach sex education in our schools and the only way that schools will get funding to try and reduce teen pregnancy rates.

17 States have so far declined to participate in this political hot button program, citing the failure to back up the requirement with any proof of its effectiveness. Now, in a recent article over at WebMD, I see that medical and education leaders have met with congressional leaders to urge them to scrap the funding for the abstinence only programs in favor of broader programs that have been shown to be more effective.

I will issue a disclaimer now that I am a moderate liberal. That said, I don’t see why this comes as a surprise to anyone. NOTHING the current administration has done for the last seven years has anything to do with hard science. Every one of their initiatives has been based in conservative policy and platform, regardless of the science involved.

Let’s give a rundown of what I mean:

• Environmental Protection Agency loses key controls over Clean Air Act in favor of Energy Industry complaints
• Global warming is still just a liberal hoax despite the fact that the entire (credible) scientific community reports that is exists
• Giving middle class children without insurance access to health care encourages their parents not to work
• Providing universal health care will cost more (despite the fact that we already spend more per person than anywhere else in the world)

and on the sex education issue:

• Non-abstinence only sex education actually encourages teens to run out and breed like rabbits

What do you think about this?

Feel free to email me your views on this issue and I will share them with the readers and listeners here at the Nursing Show nursing podcast.

comments@nursingshow.com