From the SOTU "We will double federal funding for abstinence programs..."

[Dirty Hippie]

Now I know we are a liberal lot, but does anyone...ANYONE... know of anyone alive who has never had sex outside the boundaries of Holy Matrimony? Personally I do not know a single soul who has practiced abstinence over their lifetime.

Abstinence is such a joke.

[snippy]

1. Does this mean Bush will stop fucking the American people?

[crushbush04]

27. LOL

I have no problem teaching abstinance but it must be backed up by good sex ed and condom programs.

[snippy]

33. I agree. That seems like nothing more than common sense.

Welcome to DU.

[onethatcares]

34. how much is he gonna give Neil?

maybe that's the key. Thanx for all the welcomes to DU,

[TyroneStryker]

2. Jessica Simpson?!?! Mandy Moore?!?!?!

My Mom?!?!?!?! I can think of one person. My sister-in-law.

[judge_smales]

3. Well,

if he's gonna pay for single people to not do it, can my wife and I get paid *to* do it? It would be a nice second income.

[SlavesandBulldozers]

4. Teaching abstinence in high-school

Straight from the Department of Doomed Causes.

[sweetheart]

5. It is misogyny from the woman haters

The whole programme is to show women their place from god, "HIS" will be done. Fuck the women, leave them with AIDS, pregnant, homeless and disenfranchised... make them beg for marriage and a good whipping.

Fuck him, he's going down.

[Kathy in Cambridge]

7. It's disgusting

another method of disenfranchising a whole segment of the population...

[HawkerHurricane]

6. One of the people...

in my 'From the Deck' posts, Fire, is a good Catholic and a virgin when he married his wife, as was his wife.

I cannot claim any knowledge of anybody else, though, not even my own parents (Mom, Dad; I can do math... my birthday-9 months=2 months before your anniversery...)

[terrya]

8. I believe the "good" Reverend Pat Robertson had a child conceived

out of holy wedlock.

Interesting factoid, eh?

Terry

[Beetwasher]

9. How I Wish A Reporter W/ Guts Would Ask the Chimp If HE

and Pickles were abstinent until they were married.

[papau]

10. Does this mean that those in nursing homes that swear off sex get paid?

Now this might pick up a few senior votes!

:-)

[Strapping Buck]

11. Yes. Several.

I was a virgin when I was married and have been faithful to my wife for almost 40 years now. I have no intention of being unfaithful-- plus, at my age, that's not so much of a temptation anymore. But I wasn't always old...

Additionally, I have a cousin who is unmarried and has remained celebate his entire life. And obviously, the majority of priests, nuns, and some lay apostolates have honored their vow of chastity for their whole life.

I'm not commenting on whether abstinence is a good idea to teach people or not-- just that there are more people than you think who have kept vows of chastity or who were celebate before marriage and remained faithful afterward.

(Edit for grammer)

[mike1963]

25. Just wondering how you know your cuz has been celibate...

(you could edit for spelling too, while you're at it)...no offense intended, just observation.
:D

[icymist]

12. Yeah. My Mom. But that doesn't mean that I or my Mom

support this insane idea that the government should teach the world about abstinence. That's up to the individual honey, that's up to the individual. In the Civil War the question was about states' rights. In this war the question should be about individual rights.

[newyawker99]

14. Hi icymist!!

Welcome to DU!! :toast:

[zbdent]

13. Me and Mrs. ZBD

Both virgins on the wedding night.

Unless, you count in my fantasies. Then I've been one prolific bugger.

[Muddleoftheroad]

15. You must be joking

You need to hang with a more traditional group of people.

I have known many -- even dated a few.

The reality is that abstinence is the only way to guarantee no pregnancy and no STDs.

[HawkerHurricane]

19. True, but...

promises not to have sex break even easier than condoms allegedly do.

I went to both a Catholic and public high school. I was taught abstinence by a priest, and basic sex ed (little to no details) by a biology teacher. By a amazing coincidence, both schools had almost the exact same number of pregnant girls in the graduating class, 45 in the Catholic school vs. 50 odd in the public school. Of course, the Catholic school's graduating class was 200, and the public school's was 2,000...

[Muddleoftheroad]

23. Ah, the ever popular anecdotal defense

Actually, I think it should be a combination of both.

I work with high school kids on a volunteer basis. Periodically, the subject comes up in group discussion. You'd be amazed how little they learn in public or private school.

It is little wonder to me that children get pregnant. That people get STDs, etc. Frankly, I've seen posts here claiming that condoms prevent all such STD occurance. They do not -- even when they funcion 100%.

Kids need to learn reality so they can make an informed choice. Otherwise, they will make unwise decisions that could haunt them for the rest of their lives.

[HawkerHurricane]

26. Truth

"Kids need to learn reality so they can make an informed choice. Otherwise, they will make unwise decisions that could haunt them for the rest of their lives."

Alas and alack, I got little reality both in public and Catholic school.
The Catholics gave no information, and the public school gave no useful information. (Tell me, does a teenage boy need to be able to draw a uterus? I mean, really?)

Better to teach ALL the choices. Abstinence, condoms, single partner, alternate methods to orgasm (flame away!)... 50 kids is too many...

(and my anecdote is just that, a anecdote. Not to be considered statistcal proof or even reliable. I have no idea how many abortions were performed, or how many of the students in either case hid thier pregnancies from their fellow students... I fully expect that the public schools numbers of senior pregnancies were double or even triple the Catholic schools, they just hid it better)

[July]

28. Coming from a very different place here

While I agree with you that kids need to be able to make an informed choice, information doesn't always prevent "unwise decisions," and, to me, an unwise decision is to some degree in the eye of the beholder.

What I mean is that the decision to have sex while a teenager is not necessarily "unwise" (nor "wise"). To me, it's more "understandable," "common," and "normal human nature." I don't think it's at all strange that people develop an interest in sex when their bodies become sexually mature. Throughout history -- including the time we live in -- people have married and had children shortly after sexual maturity (and in times and places where life expectancy was/is short, this made a great deal of sense in terms of perpetuating the species). There are plenty of arguments for waiting to have sex/have children, but I don't attach morality to the desire to have sex, and I think it's unrealistic to expect that all young people will abstain. That's where the importance of information comes in. And I don't mean just information about STDs and unexpected pregnancy, but about relationships and responsibilities (which I think is up to parents, not schools). I don't view information as a means to prevent sex, but as a means to make young people think about their choices, so that they have some ideas about what they'll do if a pregnancy occurs, so that they don't have unequal sexual relationships (e.g., one partner is just looking for fun, the other thinks it's love), so that they try to prevent STDs and unwanted pregnancies. I'm also okay with sex for fun; again, I think it's human nature.

And yes, I have teenagers.

[HawkerHurricane]

29. Good point!

To give one tradition...
The ancient Hebrew's 'Bar Mitzah' ceremony is held when the boy is 13, at which he declares that 'he is a man', taking full responsibility for himself. It was normal for the self declared man to be married within the year, and a father within two. His bride was, likely as not, his own age...

[maxrandb]

16. This is such a F*(%ing Joke

Do we actually spend any money on abstinence? If you double nothing, what do you get.

I learned all I needed to know from MY parents and MY church. Repukes are all for "limited" government except for when it comes to your bedroom, or your womb. Sick f%&ks.

Weren't the nazi's built on the BS that they were so morally pure?

[HawkerHurricane]

17. Yes

And thier pre-war pep rallies set records for teen pregnancies.

[Endangered Specie]

18. Keep in mind, that someconsider masturbating violating celebacy/abstinenc

With that in mind, NOW can you think of anyone fitting all those requirements?

[gate of the sun]

20. I think I have known a couple of people who waited

I've always thought it was a bad idea, I mean what if you really hate having sex with them well then your screwed and not in a good way.

[JCMach1]

21. Old-fashioned politcal patronage to REPUG organizations

THEY will receive the money and few others...

Yet another fine boondoggle from the * administration.

[dawn]

22. No, I don't know anyone who abstained before marriage.

I guess my friends are all sluts! :)

[mike1963]

24. Maybe Pickles insisted on it. Can you imagine having...er, well,

maybe once was too much?
:D

[InkAddict]

30. So Roche will make out --

http://www.findarticles.com/cf_0/m0CYD/1_37/82105183/p1/article.jhtml?term=accutane+injury

I'm not complaining that patient education should not be implemented, just that it appears the only folks standing to make out on this are the advertisers, et al since abstinence is a "free" choice.

Just look at the info this outfit collects for this "abstinence" program! I guess HIPAA took care of privacy aspects though, HAH!

They've also had to add "mental health" warnings to this drug program.

[Shadoobie]

31. Independent study in MN

A study was reported in Minnesota that examined the impact of abstinence education



"Abstinence-only education not effective, report shows
ASSOCIATED PRESS

MINNEAPOLIS - An abstinence-only sex education program used in some Minnesota schools isn't working, according to an independent study commissioned by the Minnesota Department of Health.

The study found that sexual activity among junior high students at three schools where the program was taught doubled between 2001 and 2002 and that the number who said they would probably have sex during high school nearly doubled."

..more..

See: http://www.duluthsuperior.com/mld/duluthsuperior/news/7635657.htm

You can also check out the actual report online at:

http://www.saynotyet.com/report.htm

-Greg

[Mari333]

32. Oh Lord save me from my clitoral lust and swelling genitalia

"Ive got a brand new pair of chastity belts and I swallowed the key"

sing along!


PS. Note to TEENS: Put this pic above your bed, and all sexual thoughts will cease immediately-->