Misinformation that can kill you

Last night, I was watching "60 Minutes" and this segment came on about abstinence-only sex education.

Silver Ring Thing is an organization that goes around the country, promoting abstinence. You listen to their propaganda, then take a pledge of abstinence. The silver ring you wear reminds you of your pledge, and then when you are married, you give the ring to your spouse, symbolizing that the spouse was important enough to wait for.

I have nothing against abstinence. Go for it, if that's what you want to do. I think that some teens take the pledge very seriously; others don't.

I do have something against abstinence-only education that talks about only the failure rate of condoms, rather than the success rate. In fact, as I watched the segment, I got very annoyed. Condoms have a failure rate of less than 1% if used correctly every time. The teachers are not supposed to say anything about that. They are also not allowed to say how condoms can prevent disease. Granted, condoms don't protect against all STD's but I think that AIDS would be a good reason to wear a condom, don't you?

The leader of Silver Ring Thing said that he would not advise his son or daughter to use condoms, EVEN IF THEY WERE GOING TO HAVE SEX.

That is just plain ignorant.

Some teens will have sex. Give them the information they need to protect themselves. I believe that in the future, abstinence-only programs will be shown to have failed in their mission.

I would rather know that my daughter is protecting herself than listening to the misinformation these programs spread. Sex education should begin at home, anyway. Again, it's a case of something the schools have stepped in to educate because parents don't talk about it in the home.

No glove, no love.


*Added: I'm not the only one who gets annoyed by the continuing misinformation. Check out this parent's blog entry about her daughter's health education.