Dec 3, 2004
Feds Say Sex With Boys Will Give You Cooties
A law school friend sent this story from the WaPo about how all of those federal funds for abstinence-only sex education are being put to good use. Among the things public school kids are being taught:
Full report is here. Even better is the reaction from one of the developers of the curriculum:
-- HIV, the virus that causes AIDS, can be spread via sweat and tears.
-- One curriculum, called"Me, My World, My Future," teaches that women who have an abortion"are more prone to suicide" and that as many as 10 percent of them become sterile.
-- Half of gay male teenagers in the United States have tested positive for the AIDS virus.
-- Chlamydia causes heart failure.
-- 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."
-- Some course materials . . . present as scientific fact notions about a man's need for"admiration" and"sexual fulfillment" compared with a woman's need for"financial support." One book in the"Choosing Best" series tells the story of a knight who married a village maiden instead of the princess because the princess offered so many tips on slaying the local dragon."Moral of the story," notes the popular text:"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."
Full report is here. Even better is the reaction from one of the developers of the curriculum:
McIlhaney Jr., who runs the Medical Institute for Sexual Health, which developed much of the material that was surveyed, said he is"saddened" that Waxman chose to"blast" well-intentioned abstinence educators when there is much the two sides could agree on.And then there's this:
McIlhaney said Waxman misinterpreted a slide that warns young people about the possibility of pregnancy without intercourse. McIlhaney said the slide accurately describes a real, though small, risk of pregnancy in mutual masturbation.Like much in the news these days, the story represents the coming together of real news with satire -- in this case, the hilarious, spot-on episode of South Park dealing with sex education in public school, called"Proper Condom Use." I ran a partial transcript on my site.