The Sex Problem

In one of the most startling revelations in recent history (sarcasm intended), US teenagers aren't buying the Republican's "abstinence only sex education"; furthermore, it appears that even among the "Greatest Generation" - women born in the 1940's - nearly 90% of them of had sex before marriage. The federal government spends $176 million per year on the abstinence program. Harry Wilson, of the Department of Health and Human Services, told the Washington Post that $176 million: "...is not that much money when it comes to offering an alternative to the other message." The "other" message? Does he think that contraception is such a dirty word that he cannot even mention it in public? Even when it seems to work? Sarah Brown, executive director of the National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy, thinks that teaching abstinence-only is not the most effective tool: "The most effective programs are those that say abstinence is the best choice but birth control and protection are also worth knowing about." Wow, somebody call a press conference.