Maine Refuses Sex-Ed Funds
By Montag | Related entries in Education, Good DecisionsThere is an old saying, “As Maine goes, so goes the nation.” Which could mean bad news for abstinence-only advocates. Maine has become the third state to refuse federal abstinence education funds.
Good.
Under newly tightened federal rules, “This money has to be part of an abstinence-only program,” and that would prevent the state from providing “comprehensive information” to simultaneously encourage abstinence and help sexually active young people, said Dr. Dora Anne Mills, the state’s public-health director.
The federal government is attaching strings to funding that prevents states “from providing ‘comprehensive information’” in sex education… Hold on, I’m letting that sink in… Learning about abstinence is an important part of sex education and should remain so. But not to the exclusion of good information that helps the over 50% of kids that do have sex make better decisions.
For instance, isn’t it wrong to introduce condoms solely in terms of how risky they are? Isn’t it much better to honestly tell kids how to use them correctly to maximize their efficacy? In driver’s education we teach kids to use a seatbelt even though it is possible that a seatbelt will fail to save one’s life in an accident. Kids will take risks. Isn’t it preferable that they take calculated risks with the benefit of all the best information possible?
So, is Maine’s comprehensive sex education program working as it is? Maine public-health director Dr. Dora Anne Mills points to the stats.
Mills said one in 14 teenage girls in Maine was pregnant in 1985, and that fell to one in 27 in 2003, one of the lowest rates in the country.
If it aint broke, don’t fix it.
Portland Press Herald: Maine turns down sex-ed funds
This entry was posted on Wednesday, September 21st, 2005 and is filed under Education, Good Decisions. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
September 4th, 2006 at 5:34 pm
What a courageous and intelligent decision. Doing what is best for the children in your state in spite of the “money tag” is a brave thing to do, as well as the right thing. Hope other states take your lead. As the parent of teenagers who have participated in successful sex education programs, I applaud you.
September 5th, 2006 at 12:40 am
As a displaced Maine-iac, once again, I’m proud to be one!
September 5th, 2006 at 1:47 am
I am happy to hear about the success in Maine, but had no idea the pregnancy rate among teenage girls was so high. Sigh , what a way to ruin your life and another’s as well.
November 10th, 2007 at 6:57 pm
Wow. What planet are you people from. We can argue healthcare but children should not be having sex. It is like people who say if my kid is going to drink alcohol it should be at my house. This is a place I hope our society does not evolve to.