Abstinence-only counselors worrying that their funding will dry up

[BurtWorm]

With Dems back in Congress.

:evilgrin: Mwahahahahaha!


http://www.prospect.org/weblog/2006/12/post_2225.html

AN END TO ABSTINENCE FUNDING? Backers of abstinence-only education are starting to worry that their funding will be cut off when Democrats assume control of Congress. A Christian news service reports that a "Republican source" says "the staff of liberal Democratic Congressman Henry Waxman is in the process of rewriting the set of definitions of what is considered an abstinence program."

Sweet! Could this mean they'll push to start funding comprehensive sex education, which discusses abstinence but also teaches students about contraception? At the very least, they could impose greater restrictions on programs that receive abstinence-only money, ensuring that the curricula are free of medically inaccurate information, religious themes and gender stereotypes. Since 1996, abstinence-only has been the official sex-ed policy of the U.S. government. But with Waxman in a better position to act on the content of his widely read report on the subject, I'm hopeful about reform.

--Ann Friedman

[WindRavenX]

1. I fucking hope it is

Abstinence only is a fucking crock.

[Commie Pinko Dirtbag]

18. A NON-fucking crock, you mean. -nt

[Cerridwen]

2. Abstinence and "dry up" should NOT be used in the same

sentence.

Sorry, yep, I went "there."

[ChairmanAgnostic]

4. thanks for doing it before mois.

LOL drying up.

[Ken Burch]

5. Let's just see if we can Astroglide past that, shall we?

n/t.

[CurtEastPoint]

6. And remember... you can take 3 oz. of Astroglide on the plane! n/t

[etherealtruth]

3. One would hope! n/t

[Reverend_Smitty]

7. Thank fucking god!

As someone with an educational background in health related fields, this is one of those issues that really, really gets me hot under the collar. There is ZERO evidence that abstinence only education works at all and in fact many studies have proven that they are actually doing more harm to teens. Finally we can get out of that Puritan mindset and start teaching our kids again

[Vincardog]

8. Now will the Backers of abstinence-only education dry up and go away?

WE have had it with their lies.

[depakid]

9. Paying to INCREASE teen pregnancy and STD rates is insane

Whuich is what study after study shows that these programs do. Any Dem who votes to fund these things needs to be challenged AND beaten in a primary (though what do you bet that about 40 or so will pander to the far right- and keep these abusive programs funded).

[Ken Burch]

10. Wouldn't it be great if the abstinence-only counselors started turning tricks on the side

just to make ends meet?

[wryter2000]

11. Boo-hoo freaking hoo n/t

n/t

[piedmont]

12. Funny, "worried" doesn't describe my feelings on that.

Oh, yeah, that's right-- I'm not a total moron!

[TexasLawyer]

13. "Abstinence Rocks!"

We were on a family trip for Thanksgiving, and saw that slogan on a billboard on a bleak stretch of road in rural Arkansas.

It seemed pretty non-compelling. :rofl:

[Fovea]

14. Oh NOES!!!11111!

The bunch of dime store Lysenkos will have to find actual work!

A big ass win-win for science and humanity.

[Gloria]

15. As well it should...read this horrifying article...Update on the catastrophic results of this crap..

http://www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=35764
U.S. Gag Rule Killing Women, Experts Say
Stephen Leahy

BROOKLIN, Canada, Dec 7 (IPS) - While world attention has focused on the HIV/AIDS pandemic, public health experts say that U.S. political interference and declining financial support for family planning, abortion and prevention of other sexually transmitted infections has contributed to shockingly high death and disability rates in developing countries.

Approximately 500,000 women die each year of causes related to pregnancy, abortion and childbirth, 99 percent of them in developing countries, according to the World Health Organisation.

"These deaths would not be tolerated in other circumstances," says Dorothy Shaw, senior associate dean of the Faculty of Medicine at the University of British Columbia in Canada.

Countries are failing in their responsibilities and promises to fund sexual and reproductive health programmes, including supporting universal access to contraception, Shaw said.

Contraception alone would dramatically reduce abortion rates, she said.

"More than 68,000 women die every year from back-alley or self-induced abortions," noted Janie Benson, vice president of research and evaluation at Ipas, an NGO focused on increasing women's ability to exercise their sexual and reproductive rights and preventing unsafe abortions worldwide.
MUCH MORE

[Mojambo]

16. Exactly how much money do you need to say, "Don't fuck!"? n/t

[hunter]

17. Good. Cut their funding and keep them away from our kids.

They are dangerous.

[Marr]

19. Perhaps they can simply abstain from eating.

Then they won't need any money to continue their vital work.