Monday, December 06, 2004

CNN.com - Frist: Abstinence-only programs need review - Dec 5, 2004

What the fuck part of any school program does "being faithful" belong in?? This just pisses me off. (Look for the bold in this post for what I'm refering to.) I've got two kids in school and damn, I just can't believe how - in a nation as "advanced" as ours - basic facts are allowed to be twisted in whatever manner a school wishes so that they are teaching what they feel is moral. Fuck it all. Maybe my husbands sister is right - every religion or non-religion should have a seperate school, send your kid there and if there isn't a school for your belief (We worship the Divine Tomato) then make one. I'd like to ask the country Christians to keep their filthy fucked up hands off of my kids, please - but what options do I have, really? Homeschooling? Hell, I'm not smart enough to do that, and I can't afford it either - damn it, I really should have taken Trig in high school. Who knew how bad skipping advanced math in 12th grade would hurt me today (got bumped down to general math because of my 'delicate condition' - pregnancy.)

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CNN.com - Frist: Abstinence-only programs need review - Dec 5, 2004: "WASHINGTON (AP) -- Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist said Sunday that the government should review federally funded sexual abstinence programs, under fire from Democrats who say they contain false and misleading medical information.

The 'abstinence-only' programs, which get $170 million from Congress this year, teach children and teens the benefits of abstaining from sex until marriage. By law, they are not allowed to discuss any benefits of birth control or condoms in preventing the spread of sexually transmitted diseases.

A report last week by Rep. Henry Waxman, D-California, found 11 of the 13 most widely used programs contain misinformation. He said they underestimate the effectiveness of condoms in preventing pregnancy and the spread of disease, exaggerate the prevalence of emotional and physical distress following abortion, blur science and religion or get fundamental scientific facts wrong.

Asked about these findings, Frist, a doctor who often calls on his medical expertise, did not directly address the issues raised. But he said the programs should be reviewed.

'Of course they should be reviewed,' Frist said Sunday on ABC's 'This Week' program. 'That's in part our responsibility to make sure that all of these programs are reviewed.'

He touted the benefits of a more comprehensive approach backed by President Bush in the global fight against AIDS called 'ABC' for abstinence, being faithful and use of condoms.

'Whether it's abstinence or whether it's a condom or whether it is ... washing hands in terms of the flu, all of these are public health challenges,' Frist said.

The Waxman report said one abstinence-only curricula incorrectly says that people can contract HIV through exposure to sweat and tears.

Asked if he thought that was true, Frist said it 'would be very hard' to transmit HIV through sweat and tears."

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wow, "very hard" ... everything about this presidential term is "hard" - "hard work" - HARD must be THE buzzword for this administration. You know, you type the word hard enough times and it looks and sounds really stupid, like when you say 'fork' too many times, or "drawer". I'm still pissed that Kerry didn't win - and sometimes I fucking wonder if he was in on it.

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