The Bush Administration wastes
$115 million on abstinence only education, a model that have repeatedly been shown to be useless at best, and sometimes counterproductive. In a time of $400 billion deficits, we don't need to be throwing money down a rat hole.
3 comments:
Abstinence is often confused in the high school sex "education" with such nonsense as withdrawl and the rhythm method. If the "educators" actually taught true abstinence, perhaps kids would get a clear message.
And then, if the kids want to go ruin their lives, that's up to them. Just give them the facts first.
But I don't disagree that this is unconstitutional pork (along with most social programs).
I don't think you have to reach the issue of constitutionality (the legal basis under current law is that the Congressional power under Article II to spend for the general welfare is plenary), to conclude that "true abstinence programs" which is what these grants fund, have a track record increasing the number of pregnancies and the spread of STDs where used.
The argument that telling people that they shouldn't do something, makes it less bad from society's perspective if the students then get pregnant or get STDs doesn't cut it in real life.
In any case, abstinence until marriage is not a universally held, or even very widely held social norm. I'm certainly not in favor of it for my kids. No, you don't want teen pregnancies, but that idea that unmarried people should never have sex is ostrich like policy.
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