The discussion of abstinence-only sex education in schools has fallen off the radar.  The idea that sex education in schools should be based on abstinence and not on a more comprehensive approach seems to be a topic of the past.

But is it? This divisive issue returns every year as federal funds are doled out to pet projects.

I've decided to conduct a sort of social experiment, right here at DKos.
It goes something like this:
The Pro-Life movement encompasses much more than anti-abortion legislation. Let's give conservatives everything they want with regards to the Pro-Life agenda and see what becomes of America.
We'll end abortion, support the growth of families, limit the spread of disease, and aid America in a long needed return to Family Values. Sound good conservatives? Come with me on this little journey and see just how good the Pro Life agenda will be for America.
What if we followed Pro-life principles to their logical end? What sort of society would we have? A free democracy, where  America's citizens could be free to fall in love with and marry whoever they choose? Or, would have something else? come with me on this sociological journey. You'll be surprised to see where we end up.

Are you so obsessed with not having sex that it’s all you can talk about or think about?  Do you want your daughter to flaunt her non-sexuality to strangers?  Try these virgin-wear sweat pants from K-Mart!  According to the K-Mart website, "These athletic pants boldly proclaim just where she stands by pointing out that ‘True Love Waits’" on both the front and the back.  Right there below the waist where you want everyone staring!

the Senate will be back to business this week, and some activists are hoping we can overcome a senseless hold that 7 Republicans (led by Coburn-OK) have placed on a bipartisan global health bill.

The House has passed the reauthorization bill for the 5 year program on AIDS, TB and malaria, and activists (and the Bush Administration--yes, that's right) see a tremendous amount of urgency in getting this bill passed and signed in June, before the G8 meeting in Japan in early-July.

please sign this petition from MoveOn to Sen. Reid that says

"Senator Reid, the lives of millions around the world matter more than the feelings of 7 of your Senate colleagues. Bring the global AIDS, TB, and malaria bill up for a vote as soon as possible."

and please read on.  I've put in a good amount of work here in order to explain something about the Abstinence, Be faithful and Comdomize model that the Bush Administration claims came from Uganda.  I'm trying to forward a hugely important argument about why Uganda did have a successful HIV prevention program, before the introduction of the ABC model.

Kevin asked about sex-ed and the war on science today. Here's my answer.

UPDATE: I added and changed some things on this post until 9:22 AM.

With her presidential wedding just weeks away, First Daughter Jenna Bush will once again be the subject of celebrity and political gossip alike.  Just a few years ago, the bar-hopping the Bush twin seemed destined to follow in her father's footsteps as a Republican Party Animal.  As it turns out, on abstinence policy and the election of John McCain - two issues near and dear to her GOP father's heart - Jenna Bush may not be much of a Republican at all.

I've now outlined how Bush's Abstinence-Only Crusade=1/4 Of Teenage Girls Get STDs and how Bush's Abstinence-Only Crusade=Big Money For Religious Right.

Still, even with the explosion of these abstinence-only programs (and the directly related decline of comprehensive sex ed programs), our teenagers are better off than the people of HIV/AIDS-ravaged Africa. There George Bush and his evangelical/religious right pals have exported tax payer-financed abstinence-only HIV/AIDS programs via Bush's PEPFAR.

Previously, in Bush's Abstinence-Only Crusade=1/4 Of Teenage Girls Get STDs, I connected Bush's abstinence-only crusade to the high rate of STDs among America's teenage girls. Today I delve into real the motivation behind another harmful Bush policy.

A critically important piece of research is likely to go unnoticed in the media brouhaha over Hill and Barack, rather like Sibel Edmonds' story was obscured by speculation regarding Britney Spears' panties.

Read this: UW researchers say comprehensive sex ed cuts teen pregnancies

Students who receive comprehensive sex education are half as likely to become teen parents as those who get none or abstinence-only sex education

Last week the CDC released the results of its first-ever study of Sexually Transmitted Diseases in teenage girls...

On his five nation swing through Africa, President Bush once again revealed the two inescapable truths of his AIDS diplomacy.  First, as I noted last May, Bush never hesitates to use AIDS funding to provide air cover in his failing struggle to sway global opinion.  And second, even thousands of miles from home, George W. Bush will kowtow to the religious right back in the United States.

The AP reported this weekend that there will be an upcoming battle over the U.S. global AIDS program.

The good news is that both the President and the Democratic Congress want to increase monies for the program. One of the bright lights of common ground in the past few years is a growing recognition by conservatives (both political and religious) that we have a moral obligation to address the HIV/AIDS pandemic around the world.

But that commitment has been hamstrung by the insistance that US monies be reserved for abstinence-only-until-marriage efforts -- in the case of the PEPFAR program, one third of the prevention monies must be used to promote abstinence-until-marriage regardless of the country or the culture. And US policies forbid any monies from being used with prevention programs aimed at sex workers.

Today, instead of another edition of The Daily Pulse, I am posting an update on what is happening in the Indiana legislature. It is in a short session and all the focus is on property taxes. This means all kinds of absurdities and evils are going to get slipped into bills.  Take the flip and you can see what is being considered, including pharmacist refusal, defining life, giving pharmacists the right to question doctors, and even promoting prisoner suicide by death penalty.  Yes, you read that right, so go below to read some more.

The teenage birth rate rose 3% in the United States in 2006. Take a look at this New York Times article for the details. This is the first increase in the teenage birth rate since 1991. Thanks to the Bush Administration and their right-wing allies in Congress, we have seen huge increases in federal funding for ‘abstinence-only sex education.’ Anybody see a connection here?

Join me after the jump for more.

It's about the SEX stupid!

or

Everything you always wanted to know about why the Republicans hate SEX, but were too afraid of finding out to ask...

It looks like those hypocritical conservatives living in the dark ages in the White House basement have been proven wrong once again. A study just released from the non-partisan National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy, states what progressives and all reasonable people have known all along. A singular focus on abstinence does not affect teenager sexual behavior.

The study said,

At present there does not exist any strong evidence that any abstinence program delays the initiation of sex, hastens the return to abstinence or reduces the number of sexual partners among teenagers.

This is but the latest in a string of studies that have shown that stand-alone abstinence programs are ineffective. Ironically enough, a spending bill before Congress at present calls for an additional $141 million in assistance for community-based, abstinence-only sex education programs.

An AP article linked via Huffingtonpost.com  

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/...

reveals the results of another study on abstinence education. It doesn't work.

Unbelievably, it looks like the Democratically-controlled US Congress is going to agree to the Bush Administrations request for MORE monies for abstinence-only-until-marriage education. The new total in the reconciled appropriations bill is $141 million, $28 million more than it was this year.

Here's some news from our friends at SIECUS: