\nIt’s Monday morning and the kids are back at school.\u00a0 And what are they learning now?\n<\/p>\n
\nIf they’re in an abstinence only ed class, probably not very much.\n<\/p>\n
\nWhy, yes, it IS time for an Abstinence Only Roundup!\n<\/p>\n
\nFirst off, a reminder from the New York Times about what we already know: abstinence only education just doesn’t work<\/a>.\n<\/p>\n \n\tNo doubt a number of factors contributed to the upticks, [in teen pregnancy] including, \n\t The \nSeems pretty clear, right?\u00a0 So of course, the Times had to come up with an outside op ed to counter it<\/a>.\u00a0 You know, because balance is way more important than facts.\n<\/p>\n \n\tThe new numbers, declared the president of Planned Parenthood<\/a>, make it \u201ccrystal clear that abstinence-only sex education for teenagers does not work.\u201d\n\t<\/p>\n \n\tIn \n\tMore likely, neither blame nor credit is appropriate. \nGot that?\u00a0 Abstinence only education may not work, but since you haven’t proven to him that other sex-ed classes do, you should keep funding them anyway.\u00a0 The fatal flaw in his argument being that if there was less abstinence only ed during Clinton and the numbers were down, than an increase in it during Bush and the numbers rose, then yes, you pretty much did prove right there what’s causing the problem.\n<\/p>\n \nNeed a little more convincing that teaching about contraception is the best way to reduce teen pregnancy and STD infection rates? How about this: even the Mormons are doing it<\/a>.\n<\/p>\n \n\t<\/p>\n \n\t The irony behind a poll published Thursday <\/em>in The Salt Lake Tribune <\/em>is \n\t That is why conservative Mormon Sen. Stephen Urquhart, R-St. \n\t "I was blown away when I learned of the infection rates (of \t<\/span><\/span>\n\t<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n \nBut if you really want to keep going with this abstinence only thing, you’ve got some really good ammunition to assist you in getting the message across these days — Bristol Palin and the Candies Foundation<\/a>.\n<\/p>\n \n\tCandies wants to help fight teen pregnancy, but not in any way that \tNaturally, Bristol is the perfect spokesperson for this campaign. \nBut one thing that will always help keep a teen safe is to augment any type of sex ed, be it full educational or just of the abstinence variety, is to talk to your children.\u00a0 Advice columnist Carolyn Hax walks one parent through the process in her latest piece<\/a>.\n<\/p>\n \n\t[E]xplain what it is about: making big decisions for the right reasons.\n\t<\/p>\n \n\tWhat society thinks isn’t relevant. What her friends do isn’t relevant. \n \n<\/p>\n \nMini Roundup:\u00a0 <\/strong><\/em>The Council of Catholic Advocates in Mexico argue<\/a> that children raised by same sex couples cannot will be submitted to "psychological violence" and not be "fostered to their full potential," like they would be with no families at all, and in Nebraska, anti-abortion forces continue to rally for a ban<\/a> on a procedure that hasn’t been performed in the state in a year. And if all of that doesn’t make you go "what?" then read a little about<\/a> what doctors may be doing while you’re out cold — without your consent.\n<\/p>\n \n \n<\/p>\n \nFebruary 1, 2010<\/span>\n<\/p>\n <\/span><\/p>\n \nThe <\/span>Pro-Life<\/span> \nSidewalk \nDebate \nStrategy \nThe \nDetained \n\u00a0<\/span>\n<\/p>\n \nJanuary 31, 2010<\/span>\n<\/p>\n \nDangerous \nWhite \nObama \nA \nSen.-elect \nAbortion<\/span> \nIt’s \nSex \nScott \nCarolyn \nUS \nEditorial: \nBill \n\u00a0<\/span>\n<\/p>\n \nJanuary 30, 2010 \nSame-sex \nA \nNARAL \nPro-choice<\/span> \nConviction \nGay \nRolly: \nConvention \nHealth \nA\n
\n\tfor example, declining contraceptive use by teenagers. But the
\n\t[Guttmacher] institute also sees a link between the rise in the teenage pregnancy
\n\tand abortion rates and the Bush administration\u2019s reliance on
\n\tabstinence-only sex education programs that bar teaching about
\n\tcontraception. This is not an unreasonable inference.\n\t<\/p>\n
\n\tstudy is timely. As part of the broader health care reform effort,
\n\tabstinence-only advocates are trying hard to restore financing for the
\n\tnarrow, ineffective and fundamentally dishonest approach.\n\t<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n
\n\treality, the numbers show no such thing. Abstinence financing increased
\n\tunder Bush, but the federal government has been funneling money to
\n\tpro-chastity initiatives since early in Bill Clinton\u2019s presidency. If
\n\tyou blame abstinence programs for a year\u2019s worth of bad news, you\u2019d
\n\talso have to give them credit for more than a decade\u2019s worth of
\n\tprogress.\n\t<\/p>\n
\n\tThe evidence suggests that many abstinence-only programs have little
\n\timpact on teenage sexual behavior, just as their critics long insisted.
\n\tBut most sex education programs of any kind have an ambiguous effect,
\n\tat best, on whether and how teens have sex. The abstinence-based
\n\tcourses that social conservatives champion produce unimpressive results
\n\t\u2014 but so do the contraceptive-oriented programs that liberals tend to
\n\tfavor.\n\t<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n
\n\tthat while most Mormons oppose teaching about contraception in their
\n\tschools, the population centers with the highest concentration of
\n\tmembers of the LDS Church lead the nation in accessing emergency
\n\tanti-pregnancy treatments. They also are among the leaders in STD
\n\trates.\n\t<\/p>\n
\n\tGeorge, is sponsoring a bill this session that would require school
\n\tdistricts to teach students in their sex education classes about
\n\tcontraceptives.\n\t<\/p>\n
\n\tsexually transmitted diseases)," Urquhart told me in a recent
\n\tinterview. "We have got to get a handle on this thing.\n\t<\/p>\n\n
\n\tmight actually, you know, work. Its whole strategy is to tell teens to
\n\twait. Wear sexy clothes, but don\u2019t have sex. Just don\u2019t have sex. Its
\n\tpage of \u201ctips\u201d are all about sex — not safe sex, mind, you, but how
\n\tmost teens who end up pregnant hadn\u2019t really considered the
\n\tconsequences of sex. So, you see, just don\u2019t do it, and then you won\u2019t
\n\thave that problem.\n\t<\/p>\n
\n\tBecause even though she had sex, and we all know it, there\u2019s no law
\n\tthat says she can\u2019t pretend she didn\u2019t have sex and that her vows of
\n\tabstinence won\u2019t be true in the future.\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n
\n\t(Though both have the power to make her miserable, if she’ll let them.)
\n\tWhether she’s ready to take responsibility for her sexual health is
\n\trelevant. (Can she remember to take medication regularly, or use a
\n\tbarrier method correctly and\/or in the heat of the moment?) Whether
\n\tshe’s ready to raise a child, abort one or place one for adoption is
\n\trelevant, because birth control isn’t perfect. When you’re doing things
\n\tthat will potentially create a life, your life has to be at a stage
\n\twhere you can handle that responsibility.\n\t<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n
\nAssault on Ron Paul<\/span><\/a><\/span> Lew
\nRockwell<\/span><\/span>\n<\/p>\n
\nCounselors: The Front Lines of the <\/span>Pro-Life<\/span> Movement (Part One)<\/span><\/a><\/span> Catholic Online<\/span><\/span>\n<\/p>\n
\nin America: Extremes and excesses<\/span><\/a><\/span> Seattle Post Intelligencer<\/span><\/span>\n<\/p>\n
\nShifts on Global Health<\/span><\/a><\/span> Wall Street Journal<\/span><\/span>\n<\/p>\n
\nadoption option<\/span><\/a><\/span> Washington
\nPost<\/span><\/span>\n<\/p>\n
\nMissionaries Call Incident a ‘Misunderstanding’<\/span><\/a><\/span> New York Times<\/span><\/span>\n<\/p>\n
\ngeneralizations about <\/span>pro-life<\/span> protesters<\/span><\/a><\/span> Washington Post<\/span><\/span>\n<\/p>\n
\nHouse Aims to Broaden Approach to Global Health<\/span><\/a><\/span> Wall Street Journal<\/span><\/span>\n<\/p>\n
\nbudget targets women amid complaints<\/span><\/a><\/span>
\nKansas City Star<\/span><\/span>\n<\/p>\n
\nSuper Bowl ad we can do without<\/span><\/a><\/span> Los Angeles Times<\/span><\/span>\n<\/p>\n
\nBrown says he supports <\/span>abortion<\/span> rights<\/span><\/a><\/span> Washington Post<\/span><\/span>\n<\/p>\n
\nfoes want to see…<\/span><\/a><\/span> Omaha
\nWorld-Herald<\/span><\/span>\n<\/p>\n
\nthe Stupid Sex, Stupid<\/span><\/a><\/span> Daily Kos<\/span><\/span>\n<\/p>\n
\nEd in Washington<\/span><\/a><\/span> New
\nYork Times<\/span><\/span>\n<\/p>\n
\nBrown Says He Supports Abortion, Limits, and Opposes Health Care Bill<\/span><\/a><\/span> LifeNews.com<\/span><\/span>\n<\/p>\n
\nHax offers advice on talking to a teenage daughter about sex<\/span><\/a><\/span> Washington Post<\/span><\/span>\n<\/p>\n
\nboy, girl arrested for ‘sexting’<\/span><\/a><\/span> Montreal Gazette<\/span><\/span>\n<\/p>\n
\nJump in HIV cases deserves attention<\/span><\/a><\/span>
\nMinneapolis Star Tribune<\/span><\/span>\n<\/p>\n
\nwould open future Missouri <\/span>adoption<\/span> records<\/span><\/a><\/span> Columbia Missourian<\/span><\/span>\n<\/p>\n
\n<\/span>\n<\/p>\n
\n<\/span>adoption<\/span>
\ndisplays contempt for children, warns council<\/span><\/a><\/span> Catholic News Agency<\/span><\/span>\n<\/p>\n
\nTroubling Uptick<\/span><\/a><\/span> New
\nYork Times<\/span><\/span>\n<\/p>\n
\n<\/span>Pro-Choice<\/span>
\nAmerica Statement on Jury’s Conviction of Scott Roeder<\/span><\/a><\/span> Common Dreams<\/span><\/span>\n<\/p>\n
\ngroup promises to help teens obtain abortions in Mexico City<\/span><\/a><\/span> Catholic News Agency<\/span><\/span>
\n<\/span>If
\n"<\/span>Pro-Choice<\/span>"
\nis "<\/span>Pro Choice<\/span>,"
\nWhy the Controversy over Tim Tebow Ad?<\/span><\/a><\/span>
\nOpposing Views<\/span><\/span>\n<\/p>\n
\nangers anti-<\/span>abortion<\/span>
\nmilitants<\/span><\/a><\/span> Atlanta
\nJournal Constitution<\/span><\/span>\n<\/p>\n
\nDating Ad Sacked before Super Bowl<\/span><\/a><\/span>
\nCBS News<\/span><\/span>\n<\/p>\n
\nSex ed, <\/span>birth control<\/span> and
\nSTD<\/span><\/a><\/span> Salt
\nLake Tribune<\/span><\/span>\n<\/p>\n
\ntouts personhood amendment<\/span><\/a><\/span> Billings Gazette<\/span><\/span>\n<\/p>\n
\ncare system costs not just dollars, but lives<\/span><\/a><\/span> Cumberland Times-News<\/span><\/span>\n<\/p>\n
\nDetermined Quest to Bring Adoptive Ties to Foster Teenagers<\/span><\/a><\/span> New York Times<\/span><\/span>\n<\/p>\n