By Jessica • 14 years ago

Are you a condom worshipper? (Or, When the purity pushers lose their damn minds)

condom Pictures, Images and Photos
Anything you say, oh divine one!
Abstinence-only education advocates are not too pleased that their federal funding is pretty much kaput (though I’m still keeping my eye on that “teen pregnancy prevention” money). In fact, they are freaking out.
Leslee Unruh, president of the National Abstinence Clearinghouse and all-around fun person to watch lose their shit, had this to say about losing federal funding:
“We’ve got news for the condom worshipers, abstinence education is not going away any time soon. Taxpayers will not tolerate their money being used for ideological latex-only programs and the molestation of their children’s minds and future.”
You know, this is why folks in the virginity movement need to rebrand their image – they can’t help but reveal how radical and on the fringe they are. Most American parents want their children taught about contraception; most American women will use contraception at some point in their lives. Calling the majority of the country – who want their kids to learn medically accurate information about sex so they can make healthy decisions – condom worshipers and molesters is simply stupid.
That’s why the more media-savvy abstinence-only leaders are now using more mainstream-friendly language and attempting to frame themselves as folks interested in “holisitic approaches” and “healthy lifestyle choices.” In fact, last night I was on the Alan Colmes radio show (link forthcoming) debating Valerie Huber of the National Abstinence Education Association (NAEA) – and Huber continued to claim that abstinence-only education did teach kids about contraception and gave them all the information they needed to make healthy decisions. It was bullshit sound bite heaven, and it was desperate. (She also referred to comprehensive sex education as condom-only or condom-centered a couple of times; classy.)
While I’m glad to see that these organizations are scrambling, I’m also a bit wary of writing them off completely – sadly, I don’t think we’ve seen the end of Huber or Unruh. And we have to continue to be vigilant on a state and community level. Even now, in California, there’s an abstinence-only debate ranging in Sonoma County schools.
So, please, keep up-to-date on what’s happening with ab-only nonsense – make sure to check out Advocates for Youth’s Amplify and SIECUS (in addition to us, of course!).
Thanks to Rebecca for the link.

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