Governor Ted Strickland's budget defunds abstinence programs in schools. It seems like his national Democrat colleagues on the Iraq War, Gov. Teddy boy the Child Predator Employer is all over the place on this issue. In other words, he wants to play it both ways. From Ohio News Now:
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.
In other words, they are going to do it anyway, so let's just teach them to be safe. Rather than teaching them the importance and intimacy of sex, let's instead just break it down to some instinctual thing and reduce the act so that we spread AIDS and STDs and more children are sexually exploited so my former campaign staffer can continue to surf around for more victims, right Ted?
The sad part is, the figures don't lie. Abstinence education works:
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
So, I guess, a successful program gets nixed in favor of continued welfare state programs which have not worked for 40 years and have produced a quagmire in the "war on poverty", right Teddy Boy?
