| By sekai.no.kakumei - Apr 30th, 2007 at 4:27 pm EDT |
| Also listed in: Campus Progress Blog |
America loves sex, doesn’t it? Take a look at movies, TV, or any type of media: sex, sex, sex! And, on the same page, we are also a country of high moral standard. The government provides funding to states for abstinence-only education. A few mixed messages, huh? Here’s something to make your blood boil: over the past ten years, the Senate has poured $1.5 billion dollars into abstinence-only sex education programs. Has it decreased the number of teenage pregnancies? NO! According to the study done by the Mathematica Policy Research group, the number of pregnancies, in direct correlation to the abstinence-only programs, has increased (and we’re not talking about young marriages here). Guess teenagers aren’t following the abstinence program too closely.
So that brings us to the topic of comprehensive sex education. Now, before the conservatives start blaming the liberals for killing babies and corrupting America’s youth (after all, abstinence-only is solidifying our moral fiber…excuse my cynicism), it’s comprehensive. That means abstinence is taught along with condoms. This is in the form of the Responsible Education About Life Act (REAL Act, S. 972, H.R. 1653). The set up is very similar to Title V, which allots the money for the abstinence-only education. Here’s the breakdown:
Title V:
» Every Congress, money is set aside (a cool couple million) for abstinence-only education.
» States can choose whether or not to take the funding (currently, eight states have chosen not to take the Title V money).
» Abstinence-only education programs cannot have a religious affiliation (this was a problem in a few states due to lack of oversight).
» Because there is not proper oversight, there is no scientific accuracy. This means students are given wrong and exaggerated information about condoms in order to scare them.
REAL Act:
» There is no money attached to the bill this Congress. The next step is getting funding.
» States can choose whether or not to take the funding. If states chose not to take funding from the REAL Act, they can still take funding from Title V. Although the REAL Act does include abstinence, this does not dissolve abstinence-only education funding.
» Most importantly (especially as a science major), all education has to be scientifically accurate. Education would include proper information on condoms, birth control, and how to deal with rape and sexual assault.
Now, the next step is getting it passed in the Congress. Last Monday, the One Voice Summit (which I was lucky to be a part of) went to Capital Hill to meet with members of Congress (mostly aides) to lobby for the REAL Act and repeal of the Global Gag Rule (a future blog entry). Surprisingly, some Republicans were in support of the bill, including the representative from my hometown who co-sponsored both bills. Each vote that we can get in favor of these bills is important, especially when the margin of difference is so small.
~世界の革命
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Thanks the diary. This topic gets a lot of play on this site, but you provided far more specifics than the average poster -- we all get that abstinence-only sex ed is bad, so diaries like yours that fill in the specifics on the pending legislation are especially helpful.
｢世界&# 1239 8;革命｣ ; 399;｢少女&# 0; 38761;命ウテ ナ｣の&# 1251 3;ッセー ; 472;です。&# 0; 31169;の写真 はウテ&# 1249 0;です。
すみま&# 1237 9;ん、で ; 418;、日本&# 0; 35486;のメッ セージ&# 1243 4;読まれ ; 414;せん。
1974 was World Population Year. The year saw the convening of a World Population Conference in Bucharest which brought together representatives from 137 countries to discuss the population situation and its variations in different parts of the world, and to draw up a World Population Plan of Action which would put population phenomena in perspective and recommend action which could be taken by governments and international agencies and organizations.
One part of Unesco’s activity on the occasion of World Population Year was a global survey of population education programs and, in co-operation with the International Bureau of Education, the preparation of this annotated critical bibliography of school and out-of-school materials. The bibliography and narrative introduction to it are the work of Dr. Noel-David Burleson, an anthropologist who is an internationally known specialist in population education as well.
The task of compiling the bibliography was not an easy one, in view of sometimes extremely divergent views of what constitute the most important elements of population education.
These differences in conceptualization and perception which stem from different experiences in various parts of the world led Unesco to initiate in 1974 an International Study of the Conceptualization and Methodology of Population (ISCOMPE) to which this bibliography will lend support as an early major step towards collecting and analyzing data on a global scale. Leaving the author the responsibility for the content of the bibliography, the Secretariat avails itself of this opportunity to express appreciation for Dr. Burleson’s contribution and those of the hundreds of individuals and organizations who have given of their time and experience to make this publication possible.
The first para of my preface reads: “There is nothing in the realm of population education about which I am more certain than that this essay and annotated bibliography are needed: yet it is very clear to me that both are inadequate in definitions, incomplete in coverage, and insufficient in detail. It has been a rewarding but taxing experience to be on the receiving end of population education materials from all the continents except Antarctica, from a large number of public and private international organizations, from foundations, from governments, from professional groups, and from universities, schools, and private individuals deeply concerned that the children and youth of today should have the opportunity to develop a keen understanding of the processes of population dynamics and the social and biological consequences thereof.”
David Burleson, UNpoet@aol.com (UNESCO Advisor to Unicef, retired)