Ignorance is Strength: sex-ed, Republican style

Rudy Giuliani was on "Meet the Press" this morning responding to questions about whether John McCain's new ad, attacking Barack Obama for supporting a comprehensive sex education bill in the Illinois Senate. Republicans are charging Obama wants children to learn about sex before they learn how to read; this is an outright lie. What is amazing is how Republicans continue to sell their abstinence-only plan (see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil) as the moral choice, and paint Democrats as intent on sexualizing American children.

The bill Obama voted for, but did not write or sponsor, says in the very first section:

Sec. 27-9.1.  Sex Education.
8        (a) No pupil shall be required to take or participate  in
9    any  class  or  course  in comprehensive sex education if the
10    pupil's his parent  or  guardian  submits  written  objection
11    thereto, and refusal to take or participate in such course or
12    program  shall  not  be reason for suspension or expulsion of
13    such  pupil.

It goes on to specify:

  (1)  Factual   information   presented   in   course
10        material and instruction shall be medically accurate  and
11        objective.
12             (2)  All  (1)  course material and instruction shall
13        be age and developmentally appropriate.

Finally, it states the purpose of the plan for comprehensive sex education:

(c)  Notwithstanding  the  above  educational  areas, the
17    following areas may also be included as a basis for curricula
18    in all elementary and secondary schools in this State:  basic
19    first  aid  (including,  but  not limited to, cardiopulmonary
20    resuscitation and the Heimlich  maneuver),  early  prevention
21    and detection of cancer, heart disease, diabetes, stroke, and
22    the  prevention  of  child  abuse,  neglect, and suicide.

The bill states repeatedly the curriculum must be "age and developmentally appropriate" and explicitly allows for parents to pull their children out of health seminars. McCain's ad is simply the freshest example of Republican smear tactics; another attempt to scare the American people into submission.

There is nothing wrong with discouraging kids from having sex; however, simply saying "Don't do it!" is obviously not the answer. A 2005 report by the American Academy of Pediatrics advocated for comprehensive sex education in schools, citing a rise in teenage pregnancies as abstinence-only education was reinstated during the Bush administration. Dr. S. Paige Hertwick, who consulted on the report, said in an interview with MSNBC, "Teaching abstinence but not birth control makes it more likely that once teenagers initiate sexual activity, they will have unsafe sex and contract sexually transmitted diseases." While the Academy stressed the importance of emphasizing abstinence as the only truly safe choice, it acknowledged 2003 US government data showing almost 50% of high school students admitting to being sexually active.

Whether Republicans wish to acknowledge reality or not, teenagers have sex and will continue to do so. John McCain has called Barack Obama naive and idealistic; I think Obama's position shows that he is the candidate grounded in reality, advocating for policies based on how the world really works, while John McCain supports a policy based on how he would like the world to be. The reality is teenagers will have sex; we can either teach them to be responsible or shut our eyes, put our hands over our ears, and pretend it isn't happening.

The real shame is ads like this work; how many people will take the time to read the actual text of the bill and understand what it means? Republicans stole their script from George Orwell, and are hoping the American people have become too mindless to notice: War is Peace, Freedom is Slavery, Ignorance is Strength. Oh yeah, and babies come from the Ministry of ARTSEM, but we'll tell you about that when we decide you're ready to know.