It’s a happy day for reality: many state governments are rejecting funding for abstinence-only education.
Cool. As has been shown beyond any possible shadow of a doubt, abstinence-only education does not work. And as I have pointed out countless times, it results in more pregnancies and higher rates of STDs. Study after study shows this. The only reason it is pushed so hard by the government is because of the influence of the fundamentalist religious beliefs of some legislators.
I do so love it when people reject nonsense and embrace reality. If you live in one of these states, why not drop your politicians a little love note of support, eh? They deserve kudos for this!
June 29th, 2008 at 10:13 am
It’s too bad this will only result in the saner states being outbred.
June 29th, 2008 at 10:30 am
Unfortunately I saw a discussion on this on the news less than a week ago where the ‘expert’ said all data points to AOE working better. There was no one on the segment that had an opposing view point to her. Off hand I don’t remember what news show it was (it was on a national channel since that’s all the news I watch) but I can guess.
June 29th, 2008 at 11:10 am
Telling kids hitting puberty with their hormones lindyhopping about like jitterbugs that abstinence is the only answer is just SO not going to work. Were these people never teenage themselves. Most of the politicians advocating AOE lived through the 60s. The free love generation telling THIS generation to make WAR not LOVE. FRACKIN’ hypocrits! Teach the kids the facts and the responsibilities (emotional, social, ethical etc etc) involved in having adult LOVING relationships. Teach them to respect themselves and each other. Or is that too radical. Good job to all those states that reject this blind, fingers-in-ears la la I’m not listening to those “elitist” experts AOE BS!
June 29th, 2008 at 11:15 am
Knowledge and education was far more effective on me than preaching was. I never got anyone pregnant, not did I ever transmit a disease.
Of course I was a classic nerd so that might have had something to do with it…
June 29th, 2008 at 11:43 am
I LOVE reality, but it kinda seems we are going downhill. The works of skeptics is fabulous, but whatever we tell people about the reality seems to go down the drain. All these news about ID or whatever pseudo-science seems to be embraced by the media.
Lets battle on, though, reality always wins woo. Maybe I´m just tired.
Reality doesn´t disappear anywhere. Thats so great!!:)
June 29th, 2008 at 1:17 pm
“Knowledge and education was far more effective on me than preaching was. I never got anyone pregnant, not did I ever transmit a disease.
Of course I was a classic nerd so that might have had something to do with it…
”
Hey, that sounds like me.
Of course, the only “education” I got WAS preaching.
It wasn’t until my sex-ed course in boot camp that I got a real look into education, but it did little more than horrify me into not wanting any sort of contact with a strange person (that is, anyone I didn’t know well).
I wonder if it scarred me for life.
June 29th, 2008 at 1:20 pm
Oh yes, about the blog entry.
Church goers are likely to spin the oppisite story; that is, that AOE MUST be taught.
I know I sound like I’m bashing, but I’ve seen this type of thinking written about in a religious based newspaper at the church my parents attend (I don’t remember the name. All I know, is that it appears to be more than just a local publication).
Reality based edcuation still has quite a ways to go, it seems.
June 29th, 2008 at 2:01 pm
My analogy is: rather than teaching kids to wipe, let’s teach them not to defecate in the first place, it’s psychologically better.
Don’t know if you knew that AOE has a strong psychological component, which is how it gets around hard facts. Teach the psychological controversy, doncha know!
If you look at the states, it’s not the fact that AOE doesn’t work that is stalling the program, it’s purely the matching funds issue. So, sorry Phil, logic hasn’t won this battle. Guess you get to keep on keepin’ on.
June 29th, 2008 at 2:23 pm
Not necessarily. Rational world views spread faster than irrational through democracy and (for the purpose) enough levels of social security measures for a secure middle class to develop.
Oh, wait:
“the main reason the United States is the only prosperous democracy that retains a high level of religious belief and activity is because we have substandard socio-economic conditions and the highest level of disparity.”
US is doomed.
June 29th, 2008 at 4:41 pm
Indeed, the USA is doomed. I think the best thing that could happen to it is for it to break up into smaller states. The reality-based states would lie along the coast, stay rich, but improve their social policies to be more in line with Europe, while the magical-thinking states would be inland, and become poor, 3rd-world theocracies, or brutal, right-libertarian dystopias.
June 29th, 2008 at 6:41 pm
It’s not too radical, it’s just that the “free love” generation refused to actually grow up and probably don’t know how to have an adult, loving relationship themselves.
June 29th, 2008 at 7:09 pm
Ijon Tichy writes:
“The reality-based states would lie along the coast, stay rich, but improve their social policies to be more in line with Europe, while the magical-thinking states would be inland, and become poor, 3rd-world theocracies, or brutal, right-libertarian dystopias.”
Could you be more insulting?
As someone living in one of those inland states I am offended by your short-sighted, flippant remarks. Religious idiocy is not a matter just for the heartland. Rural communities do have a higher level of GDS (God Delusion Syndrome), but let’s not pretend that it doesn’t exist on the coasts.
State by state GDS http://religions.pewforum.org/maps
Grouping absolute and fairly certain belief in god, even Maine comes in at 82%. On the other end of the spectrum, Arkansas comes in at 92%. A modest difference. Nothing to crow about.
The national average is 87%. So, be smug if it helps you feel better, but I prefer to deal with reality and recognize it for what it is, a national issue.
For the record, I think these numbers are inflated (as they are with most polls on this topic) by the question asked. Look into the link and check the results for “Frequency of Attendance at Religious Services” and I think you get a better idea of how deep the average US citizen’s devotion goes. Most people give lip service to their god belief, but only 39% attend church weekly. Actions speak louder than words.
Even so, 39% scares me. I won’t be comfortable until all religions are relegated to their proper place as mythology and quaint superstition.
-OEJ
June 29th, 2008 at 7:35 pm
The answer is so easy.
Crush the pubescent child’s least hope of ever becoming a desirable sexual being. It worked for me!
Seriously, crippling impressionable children (as was done ruthlessly to me) is only good for making crippled adults. Where were the caring adults gently guiding me and my generation into becoming healthy, responsible sexual beings?
This “Don’t tell them and they’ll never find out” atrocity ruins generation after generation.
I’ve heard plenty from the folks who “found out” anyway and are paying child support now, but I hear nothing about the social wrecks like me who are withering away alone.
We are quiet and don’t make any trouble in our solitary little lives, but we are very, very aware of what has been taken from us by the Puritans.
Oppressive, hate-filled Christian “morality” (HAH!) continues to devestate lives long after the public witch hangings ended.
“The Centipedeon 29 Jun 2008 at 6:41 pm
“Teach the kids the facts and the responsibilities (emotional, social, ethical etc etc) involved in having adult LOVING relationships. Teach them to respect themselves and each other. Or is that too radical.”
It’s not too radical, it’s just that the “free love” generation refused to actually grow up and probably don’t know how to have an adult, loving relationship themselves.”
Nonsense! The hippies were crushed by the Puritans who couldn’t stand the idea of people exploring sexuality. The Puritans required that everybody be as repressed as they were brought up to be. The hippies were trying to recover the humanity denied them. Who knows what kind of peaceful, loving society we would have now if the hippies had been allowed to complete their social experiment?
June 29th, 2008 at 7:52 pm
As a former teenager (a long time ago and yes weren’t we all at one point) AOE kind of sucks. Seriously if teenagers are fully informed of all the implications and are fully protected what is the harm in being “active”. Lucky buggers should be able to enjoy their youth and vitality in its prime unlike us poor old rickety fat non-athletic wrinklies for whom that boat sailed long ago.
June 29th, 2008 at 7:56 pm
Norway does. As does Sweden. Finland. Denmark. Iceland. Holland. Germany and France to a somewhat lesser extent. These countries are at the cutting-edge of social development.
June 30th, 2008 at 2:36 am
Is it possible to fund/operate a website or other venue that gives the straight dope to teenagers without running afoul of the zealous cretins of the US?
On the one hand, everything is available to americans on the internet. On the other hand, you do see differences in places with AOE and high levels of fundamentalism or other faith-based movements.
Anyone can put up a webpage, but how do you get kids to look at it?
July 1st, 2008 at 8:15 pm
Conservatives Don’t Get STDs?
January 3rd, 2009 at 3:59 pm
[...] fingers in your ears and yell "LA-LA-LA-LA-LA-LA!" There has been some good news lately with states rejecting abstinence-only education funds, but this kind of anti-reality garbage is unlikely to go down without a fight. I suspect its [...]