The Following Contains Actual Quotes From Bush's Abstinence-Only Education Programs:
Under the Bush Administration, federal support for "abstinence-only" education
programs has expanded rapidly. The federal government will spend
approximately $170 million on abstinence-only education programs in fiscal year
2005, more than twice the amount spent in fiscal year 2001. As a result,
abstinence-only education, which promotes abstinence from sexual activity
without teaching basic facts about contraception, now reaches millions of children
and adolescents each year.
At the request of Rep. Henry Waxman, this report evaluates the content of the
most popular abstinence-only curricula used by grantees of the largest federal
abstinence initiative. This and other federally funded programs are not reviewed for accuracy by the federal government.
The report finds that over 80% of the abstinence-only curricula, used by over two thirds of abstinence education grantees in 2003, contain false, misleading, or distorted information about reproductive health.
Here it is- a specially prepared summary of the lies being pedaled by our teachers:
1. Many of the curricula misrepresent the effectiveness of condoms in preventing sexually transmitted diseases andpregnancy. One curriculum says that "the popular claim that ‘condoms help prevent the spread of STDs,’ is not supported by the data"; another states that "in heterosexual sex, condoms fail to prevent HIV approximately 31% of the time"; and another teaches that a pregnancy occurs one out of every seven times that couples use condoms. These erroneous statements are presented as proven scientific facts.
2. One curriculum states that 5% to 10% of women who
have legal abortions will become sterile; that "premature birth, a major
cause of mental retardation, is increased following the abortion of a first
pregnancy"; and that "tubal and cervical pregnancies are increased
following abortions." In fact, obstetrics textbooks teach that "fertility is not altered by an elective abortion."
3. Many of the curricula present as scientific fact the religious view that life begins at
conception. For example, one lesson states: "Conception, also known as
fertilization, occurs when one sperm unites with one egg in the upper third
of the fallopian tube. This is when life begins." Another curriculum calls
a 43-day-old fetus a "thinking person."
4. One curriculum teaches that women need "financial
support," while men need "admiration." Another instructs: "Women
gauge their happiness and judge their success on their relationships.
Men’s happiness and success hinge on their accomplishments."
5. One curriculum incorrectly lists exposure to sweat and tears
as risk factors for HIV transmission. Another curriculum states that
"twenty-four chromosomes from the mother and twenty- four
chromosomes from the father join to create this new individual"; the
correct number is 23.
6. Another curriculum presents misleading information about the risk of pregnancy
from sexual activity other than intercourse. The curriculum erroneously states
that touching another person’s genitals "can result in pregnancy."
7. The curriculum also misrepresents the relationship between abortion and serious
mental health issues. The curriculum states: "Following abortion, according to some studies, women are more prone to suicide and therefore need extra support from family and health professionals." (In fact, an expert panel of the American Psychiatric Association found that "[f]or the vast majority of women, an abortion will be followed by a mixture of emotions, with a predominance of positive feelings." A longitudinal study of young women aged 14 to 21 found that "[a]lthough women may experience some distress immediately after having an abortion, the experience has no independent effect on their psychological well-being over time."
8. In some of the curricula, the moral judgments are explicitly
religious. For example, in a newsletter accompanying one popular curriculum,
the author laments that as a result of societal change, "No longer were we valued
as spiritual beings made by a loving Creator." The curriculum’s author closes the
section by signing, "In His Service."
9. In other curricula, moral judgments are misleadingly offered as scientific fact.
Although religions and moral codes offer different answers to the question of
when life begins, some abstinence-only curricula present specific religious views
on this question as scientific fact. One curriculum teaches: "Conception, also
known as fertilization, occurs when one sperm unites with one egg in the upper
third of the fallopian tube. This is when life begins."68 Another states:
"Fertilization (or conception) occurs when one of the father’s sperm unites with
the mother’s ovum (egg). At this instant a new human life is formed."
10. Several curricula offer as scientific fact moral or religious definitions of early fetuses as babies or people, in the processsupplying inaccurate descriptions of their developmental state. One curriculum that describes fetuses as "babies" describes the blastocyst, technically a ball of 107 to 256 cells at the beginning of uterine implantation, 70 as "snuggling" into the uterus.
11. One curriculum depicts emotions as limiting girls’ ability to focus. It states:
"Generally, guys are able to focus better on one activity at a time and may not
connect feelings with actions. Girls access both sides of the brain at once, so they
often experience feelings and emotions as part of every situation."
The curriculum also teaches: "The father gives the bride to the groom because he
is the one man who has had the responsibility of protecting her throughout her
life. He is now giving his daughter to the only other man who will take over this
protective role." AND PERHAPS THE MOST SHOCKING: "Occasional suggestions and assistance may be alright, but too much of it will lessen a man’s confidence or even turn him away from his princess."
12. In a chart of the top five women’s and men’s basic needs, the curriculum lists
"sexual fulfillment" and "physical attractiveness" as two of the top five "needs" in
the men’s section. "Affection," "Conversation," "Honesty and Openness," and
"Family Commitment" are listed only as women’s needs. The curriculum
teaches: "A male is usually less discriminating about those to whom he is
sexually attracted. . . . Women usually have greater intuitive awareness of how to
develop a loving relationship."
13. Where the Center for Disease Control chart showed that 41% of female teens with HIV reportedly acquired it through heterosexual contact, the abstinence curriculum’s chart suggests that 41% of heterosexual teens have HIV. It similarly implies that 50% of homosexual male teens have HIV.
***The website of one "Crisis Pregnancy Center" receiving major government funding states: "Our objective at the Crisis Pregnancy Center is to defend life. We desire to bring wholeness to lives traumatized by abortion; sharing the love of Jesus Christ and educate our community to adopt a Godly view of sexuality and the sanctity of human life." Crisis Pregnancy Center Anchorage (online at www.cpcanchorage.com/9073379292/aboutus.html).
Research shows youth who pledge abstinence are significantly less
likely to make informed choices about precautions when they do have sex. (big surprise)
take action here
Can't believe it? Check it out for yourself: http://www.democrats.reform.house.gov/Documents/20041201102153-50247.pdf
No comments:
Post a Comment