Originally published November 5, 2009 at midnight, updated November 5, 2009 at 11:59 p.m.
There’s an old saying that the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results. We all have our moments of insanity. We try to make a pass at someone who we know isn’t interested. We try to cook a recipe we don’t have the right ingredients for. For my own part, I’m a Chiefs fan. It’s a tough life.
When somebody keeps trying something over, it’s usually harmless. Sometimes, though, there are people who don’t give up on an idea that won’t work, and will cost them dearly. Or, to be specific, will cost the country dearly. Something like $50 million dearly.
In all the excitement surrounding the public option health insurance debate, somebody has tried to bring his own insanity into the chambers of Congress. No, it wasn’t Glenn Beck (this time), but rather Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah). Hatch, most famous for his personal crusade against the BCS, was able to sneak in an amendment to recent health care legislation that would refund federal programs supporting abstinence-only sex education.
The amendment, which passed the Senate Finance Committee a few weeks ago by a single vote, restores $50 million to abstinence-only education. It was removed from the budget by President Barack Obama earlier this year, a move that upset some people. They were upset at the end of a program that they apparently expected to start working if we’d just keep it going a little while longer.
Just for everyone’s information, abstinence-only programs established in the mid-’90s did nothing to curb teen pregnancy or the spread of STIs among high school students. A federal report on such programs done by the Department of Health and Human Services mentioned that abstinence-only programs “did not affect the age at which sexually experienced youth first engaged in sexual intercourse.” There were also sections of the study mentioning that students who had this kind of sex education were just as likely to engage in unprotected sex as those who received more comprehensive education.
Now, Hatch and a few other senators want abstinence-only education to continue. They feel that a vaguely moral outlook, which paints premarital sex as rare and frightening, needs to be pressed upon people who have been empirically shown not to agree. I find it incredibly ironic that the same people who support measures such as this complain about the public option on the grounds that it would be expensive. Hatch wants to cut down on spending, yet at the same time spend millions on something that makes not a bit of sense. When I’m the one criticizing potentially wasteful government spending, something is seriously wrong.
The country is fighting back an economic recession. Meanwhile, teenagers run an increased risk of unplanned pregnancies and STIs because they weren’t given the chance to learn how to engage in sexual activity in a safe way. I don’t necessarily want to encourage more sexual activity among people who may not yet be mature enough to understand it, but closing our eyes and shouting, “La la, this isn’t actually happening,” isn’t the solution. Spending $50 million on just that — well, it’s just insane.
— Cohen is a Topeka senior in political science.
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Comments
Cohen: Abstinence-only education insane
Vladislav: While I can see your correlations between the two 'abstinence' programs, I'm not sure you're thinking clearly about this.
When considering tobacco, alcohol, and marijuana there are certainly safe and unsafe ways to enjoy those substances. However, when it comes to cocaine, meth, LSD, and heroin (just to name a few) I can assure you there is no safe way to enjoy those drugs. I encourage you to attend an NA (narcotics anonymous) meeting and speak with the individuals who regularly attend. Then I think you will gain a better understanding how these drugs are not just "I'll use when I want to" kind of drugs. Those drugs cause an addiction so powerful that people would much rather get their next high than to eat or even have sex!
Are you kidding me! An addiction so powerful you would skip out on food and/or sex. Furthermore, you must take into account the horrible effects that those drugs have on the body. Long time users will openly tell you that without their drug of addiction they literally can not feel life. The centers for emotion and pleasure within the brain have been 'fried' (in a very literal sense) by the drugs. Look it up in any pharmacology book and it will show you how detrimental those drugs are to the brain and body.
So vladislav, when you say that D.A.R.E. needs to teach kids more about drugs and how to enjoy them safely, I think you need to look deeper. I guess you could teach them to use clean needles and to never share needles but beyond that I'm not sure how one might safely enjoy any narcotic substance.
Cohen: Abstinence-only education insane
When considering sex and drugs, there are certainly safe and unsafe ways to enjoy those, but when it comes to Rock & Roll, the Devil's Music, even one song is too many.
Good gods you two are old and crotchety. You're like the not-funny version of Waldorf and Statler.
Now if you'll excuse me, I'm off to smoke crack while having unprotected sex with an acid freak.
Cohen: Abstinence-only education insane
LSD is addictive and there's no safe way to use it? Hmm.
Anyways, Ben, I enjoyed this piece and all of the comical asides. You noted that kids who get comprehensive sex education are just as likely to engage in unprotected sex as those who are put through an abstinence only program. This is counter-intuitive to say the least.
What are some advantages of comprehensive sex education? I'm all for it if it has a demonstrable positive effect backed by research. Admittedly, I haven't looked into much research on the topic because I have always assumed that comprehensive sex education is superior. If not, it doesn't really matter how kids are educated either way.
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