The Houston Chronicle has an article about the Texas Freedom Network Education Fund study showing that more school districts in the state are finally adding information about contraception to sex education classes. But here’s what a representative of the abstinence-only lobby told the newspaper about what schools should be telling teens when it comes to sexuality and health:
“We tell them what we know: They should never do it.”
The solution is just to tell teens “never have sex”? The vast majority of people will have sex at some point in their lives. But never mind that — just what does he think Texas schools have been doing anyway? For decades the vast majority have been simply telling teens to abstain. In fact, Texas has received more federal abstinence-0nly funding than any other state — and it still has one of the highest teen birthrates in the nation.
Pro-ignorance, abstinence-only activists want all of us to bury our heads in the sand. But Texas parents know we have to change course — 80 percent of likely voters in the state support teaching teens about contraception along with the importance of abstinence. So TFN will keep working to ensure that even more Texas students have access to the medically accurate information they need to protect their health and their future. Just click here and we’ll tell you how you can help in your own community.
This representative is obviously one of the “ignorance is bliss” crowd.
The best way to make sure students have access to medically accurate information regarding sex is to pay attention to the races for State Board of Education. Every seat is up for election this year, so there’s a real chance to make a difference in the future of Texas education. For those of you in District 6, there are finally some Democratic candidates this year (Disclaimer: I am one of those candidates) and I encourage you all to make this and other SBOE races a point of emphasis this election year.