Friday, March 23, 2007

Strickland to end Abstinence Programs in schools

Feeling that teaching our school children responsibility is highly over rated and a waste of tax payer dollars, programs promoting abstaining from sex will no longer be funded under the states new budget.

This important tool has had positive effects in helping combat STD's, HIV & teen pregnancies. Statewide, teen pregnancy rates have dropped from 42.3 pregnancies for every 1,000 females ages 10 to 19 in 1997 to 33.1 in 2005.

Speaking of tools, Rev. Strickland, goes from saying abstinence programs don't work, then says he believes in them and ultimately moves to defund the programs.

Ohio News Now reports:

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) -- Gov. Ted Strickland's proposed budget strips funding for programs that focus on teaching schoolchildren abstinence from sex until they're married.

The removal of $1 million in state aid to abstinence-only education marks a shift in state support for programs that advocates say serve as a national model.

The administration says it also has no plans to apply for federal money for the programs after the current funding ends Sept. 30.

"Quite frankly, I don't believe abstinence-only education programs work in the long run," Strickland told the Dayton Daily News. "There is some evidence that they may delay the onset of sexual activity, but over the long term there's not data there that show they prevent, in a statistical sense, sexual activity outside of marriage."

"I believe in a comprehensive approach," Strickland said. "I think, obviously, abstinence should be a part of any education curriculum.....

Under a 1999 Ohio law, public schools must stress in health courses that abstinence is the only surefire way to prevent pregnancy, sexually transmitted diseases and HIV. ......that law has contributed to Ohio being a national leader in abstinence education. More....

2 comments:

  1. King, you wrote, " programs promoting abstaining from sex will no longer be funded under the states new budget."

    But you know that that is not accurate. Programs that teach abstinence-only are affected. Sex education programs that include abstinence in their curriculum, in addition to other methods for not getting pregnant, will remain and continue to teach about abstinence.

    Unless you have proof otherwise that none of the remaining programs include abstinence in their curriculum?

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  2. Um, pardon me, Mr. the King? The two quotes you highlight above in red don't actually contradict one another. Which renders the premise of your post sort of, oh, I don't know, invalid? Intentionally misleading? Fraudulent? Some combination of those things.

    Let me put it this way: Do you think the following quotes contradict one another?

    1. Geometry-only programs are not successful in teaching students a complete understanding of mathematics.

    2. Geometry should, of course, be taught in schools.

    Really? You can't find a way to reconcile these two things? It's that hard? Really? I mean, really?

    Because it seems kinda like you're picking nits. And also that the nits you're picking don't actually exist. Call me looney.

    ReplyDelete

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