They fail, they fail in every way, on every level. They harm and damage individuals, and our larger society. They contribute to expensive injury to public health and ruin to private individuals.
They are wrong, and they are bad. They destroy the lives of the people they claim to want to protect, with lies, with factually inaccurate information, and with prejudice and bigotry masquerading as religion.
We should not allow conservatives to do this; we need to push back, hard. Religion like this, ideology like that of conservatives can be very destructive. We need to prevent that destructiveness.
From MSN.com :
Sex Education Efforts Lagging in Schools, CDC Says
Many states' schools fail to teach students how to avoid unwanted pregnancy, HIV and other STDs, study finds
-- Robert
Preidt
THURSDAY, April 5 (HealthDay News) -- There's been little
progress in recent years in boosting the number of American secondary schools
that teach students how to prevent pregnancy and protect themselves against HIV
and other sexually transmitted diseases (STDs).
That's the finding from researchers at the U.S. Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention who analyzed 2008 and 2010 data from 45 states
taking part in biennial surveys of school health practices.
The surveys assessed the percentage of schools in each state
that teach specific topics related to HIV, STD and pregnancy prevention. The
topics differ in middle schools and high schools, but generally include basic
information on the transmission and diagnosis of HIV and other STDs, as well as
pregnancy risk reduction. Condom use is one of the topics that's covered only in
high schools, the CDC said.
The surveys revealed few indications of progress between 2008
and 2010. For example, the percentage of middle schools that taught all
essential topics to grades 6, 7 and 8 declined in 11 states and did not rise in
any of the other 33 states.
In high schools, the percentage that taught all eight
essential topics to grades 9, 10, 11 and 12 declined in one state and increased
in two states. And the percentage of high schools that taught three
condom-related topics fell in eight states while increasing in only three.
Broken out by states in 2010, the report showed that the
percentage of middle schools that taught all topics ranged from 12.6 percent in
Arizona to 66.3 percent in New York. The percentage of high schools that taught
all topics ranged from 45.3 percent in Alaska to 96.4 percent in New Jersey. And
the percentage of high schools that taught all three condom-related topics
ranged from 11.3 percent in Utah to 93.1 percent in Delaware.
Education on avoiding infection with HIV and other STDs is
critical, especially for children in middle schools who most likely have not
begun sexual activity, experts said in an editorial accompanying the new
study.
"HIV prevention can also address misperceptions about how HIV
is transmitted," they noted. For example, they say, one poll conducted in 2011
found that "20 percent of persons aged 18-29 believe incorrectly that a person
can become infected with HIV by sharing a drinking glass, or are unsure of
whether this statement is true or false."
Schools remain integral to educating young people about ways
they can keep themselves and others safe, the experts added.
"Families, the media, and community organizations, including
faith-based organizations, can play a role in providing HIV, other STD, and
pregnancy prevention education," the editorialists pointed out. "However,
schools are in a unique position to provide [this education] ... because almost
all school-aged youths in the United States attend school."
The study appears in the April 6 issue of Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, published by the
CDC.
More
information
The American Academy of Pediatrics has more about teen sexuality.
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