Great op-ed on the facts of drugs and sex, and the removal from the human condition. Yeah Right. alternet.org
Recently it was revealed that the 17-year-old daughter of the Republican vice-presidential nominee is pregnant. This announcement was particularly ironic, as Gov. Sarah Palin is a staunch advocate of abstinence-only sex education.
This high-profile pregnancy is stirring a larger debate about how sex education is taught in the United States. What’s clear is that despite strong messages urging young people to abstain, most teenagers, even those who have been admonished time and time again, are not listening.
Our national surveys confirm doubts about abstinence-only education. Last year, a study commissioned by Congress revealed that students receiving abstinence-only sex education are just as likely to be sexually active as those who do not. This research is consistent with the conclusions reached two years ago by a joint Yale-Columbia study of teenage virginity pledges.
The same is true for the other big concern about teenagers — drug use. Look at abstinence-only drug education and you get the same disappointing results as with sex education. Read the rest here.
