CONTRACEPTIVE SEX EDUCATION : SEX EDUCATION ADVOCATES NOT SO ACCURATE
POSTED: JUN 14, 2006
Abstinence Clearinghouse
News Release
June 14, 2006
Sex Education Advocates not so Accurate
Not content with receiving twelve times as much money in federal allocations as abstinence education programs, contraception educators met in Washington this week to complain that youth are encouraged to remain abstinent until marriage and to decry the funding of solid, HIV prevention programs.
“Only abstinence until marriage provides 100 percent protection against HIV and potential cancer causing STDs like HPV. Yet, groups such as SEICUS want to discourage effective prevention programs by taking away the funding they receive,” said Leslee J. Unruh, president of the Abstinence Clearinghouse.
In a briefing held this morning on Capitol Hill, Bill Smith of SEICUS and John Santelli of Columbia University did their best to ridicule the prevention strategy against unplanned pregnancy and STDs that has worked better throughout human history than any other – abstinence until marriage.
“Not one contraceptive-based sex education program has ever been proven to reduce unwed teen pregnancies and STDs,” said Christina Espenscheid, Educational Programs Director for the Abstinence Clearinghouse. “Smith and Santelli suggest replacing abstinence education with condom pushing programs that force early sexual activity at the cost of our children’s futures.”
Among comments at the briefing was the complaint that abstinence education denies a person’s right to be sexual.
“Since when were health educators given the mantle of promoting sexual liberation for minors?” asked Unruh. “This is exactly why so many school districts across the country are inviting in abstinence programs. Parents and school leaders realize that far too many contraception-based educators are more interested in pushing a dangerous agenda than providing life-saving information.”
The briefing ended with the announcement of the proposed “Guarantee of Medical Accuracy in Sex Education Act,” (GMA) by Rep. Gutierrez (D-IL) and Rep. Moran (D- VA) which would require “medical accuracy” of all federally funded programs that teach human sexuality. The Abstinence Clearinghouse is confident that abstinence education is scientifically smart, medically accurate, and the best prevention strategy against unplanned pregnancy, STDs, and emotional pain. However, who will define “medical accuracy” for the GMA? Many leaders identify an uninformed bias against abstinence education by many universities and social scientists. In America’s current state, in which the very definitions of age-old institutions like marriage are being challenged, generating fair evaluations of health education programs would be a monumental task.
As SEICUS leader Smith and Santelli led their briefing, teens rallied for abstinence education outside in the halls. They were escorted off of the property.
“So much for concerns about the sexual freedom of our youth,” said Unruh. “These organizations talk about kids, but they don’t care about them. Today’s teens just want the truth. They want abstinence until marriage education.”
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