Mother Talkers

Where Do the Candidates Stand on Sex Education?

by Elisa

Tue Mar 25, 2008 at 09:42:04 AM PDT

If you need anymore reason to fear a John McCain presidency, check out his response to a sex education inquiry by the New York Times. (Thanks Salon for the tip!):

Q: What about grants for sex education in the United States? Should they include instructions about using contraceptives? Or should it be Bush's policy, which is just abstinence?

McCain: (Long pause) Ahhh. I think I support the president's policy.

Q: So no contraception, no counseling on contraception. Just abstinence. Do you think contraceptives help stop the spread of HIV?

McCain: (Long pause) You've stumped me.

As Salon’s Rahul K. Parikh, M.D., pointed out, McCain’s continuation of Bush’s policy of abstinence-only education is not only disturbing, it is ineffective. Almost two-thirds of female adolescents have had sex by their senior year of high school, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Most recently, the CDC found that one in four teen girls has a sexually transmitted disease.

McCain does support Bush's ideologically based policies. He has voted against legislation to ensure that sex education be scientifically accurate instead of just abstinence based, has voted to impose parental consent for teens seeking birth control, and has opposed legislation that birth control be covered by insurance. He has also voted against programs to increase awareness about emergency contraception.

How do Sen. Hillary Clinton and Sen. Barack Obama stack up? In Dr. Parikh’s view a heck of a lot better. They both have received a 100 percent rating from pro-choice groups and favor sex education that is based on science, including information on contraception. Clinton, however, has a longer record and has received the endorsement of all the women’s rights groups, including NOW and NARAL.

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Like many issues in this campaign, it's not easy to separate where Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama stand on sex education. Both have been solid supporters of reproductive rights, although Obama's time in the Senate doesn't give him as deep a congressional record as his rival…

In the face of a war in Iraq and a staggering economy, sex education for teens may not loom large on voters' minds. But with so many young Americans deeply engaged in this election, they deserve to know the facts about where their candidates stand on an issue that affects them this personally. As a doctor and a parent, I want those issues upfront as well. The last thing I want to see is my time with teens restricted by views or laws that force me to bury my head in the sand. Restricting access to reproductive education and choices is not good for any young person's health.

And the politics surrounding this important topic don't end in the classroom. The balance of the Supreme Court -- and protection of laws like Roe v. Wade -- are at stake. Teens and their parents have much reason to worry.

Tags: sex education, abstinence-only, women's health, NOW, NARAL, presidential candidates, contraception, Roe v, Wade, pro-choice, Salon, New York Times, Sen, Hillary Clinton, John McCain, Barack Obama (all tags)

Permalink | 14 comments

  • This is SUCH an important issue (0 / 0)

    and the latest news of 1 in 4 teen girls having an STD, well, it's an issue we all have to take very seriously. We have seen what kind of justices Bush has appointed to the Supreme Court and we have no reason to believe McCain would choose differently.

    It is imperative that we get a Democrat elected. Our rights are hanging by a thread right now, and our lives, and the lives of our children, depend on stopping this nonsense.

    by Lisa in Austin on Tue Mar 25, 2008 at 12:09:53 PM PDT

  • Yes, what about boys? (0 / 0)

    From my understanding, I thought boys could be carriers but not necessarily showing symptoms or developing any obvious signs of infection (as compared to girls) and that the younger the girl who becomes sexually active the greater the risk of becoming infected and being symptomatic -- I had read that the reason for that is a young girl's immune system is not as developed as it is when she is older -- the ages that seemed to pose much greater risk was the young teen ages...13-17 or so.  The quote below came from an article online as part of the Health section of the Wall Street Journal.  I thought it was an interesting comment.

    In several of the other links I found when searching STDs and boys seemed to also question both this study and the lack of information regarding boys.

    Here's the paragraph that interested me and is at least part of the reason why the viruses continue to spread since many people can be asymptomatic and not have a clue that they carry a sexually transmitted virus.

    The concept of “disease,” as in STD, implies a clear medical problem, usually some obvious signs or symptoms. But in truth several of the most common [sexually transmitted infections] have no signs or symptoms in the majority of persons infected. Or they have mild signs and symptoms that can be easily overlooked. So the sexually transmitted virus or bacteria can be described as creating “infection,” which may or may not result in “disease.” This is true of chlamydia, gonorrhea, herpes, and human papillomavirus (HPV), to name a few.

    karen

    by karen m on Tue Mar 25, 2008 at 01:02:25 PM PDT

    • Your paragraphs (0 / 0)

      aren't showing up...

      I think I react more to the 'slut shaming' headlines and hand wringing about girls sexuality when, in fact, they are not being sexually active in a vacuum.

      I do appreciate your comments and am particularly struck by this one,

      In several of the other links I found when searching STDs and boys seemed to also question both this study and the lack of information regarding boys.

      That issue seems to go hand in hand with the focus on girls and really leaves boys in the dust. It's a shame.

      by GiGi on Tue Mar 25, 2008 at 03:21:09 PM PDT

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  • OOPS (0 / 0)

    sorry about the snafu on the paragraph... here it is:

    The concept of “disease,” as in STD, implies a clear medical problem, usually some obvious signs or symptoms. But in truth several of the most common [sexually transmitted infections] have no signs or symptoms in the majority of persons infected. Or they have mild signs and symptoms that can be easily overlooked. So the sexually transmitted virus or bacteria can be described as creating “infection,” which may or may not result in “disease.” This is true of chlamydia, gonorrhea, herpes, and human papillomavirus (HPV), to name a few.

    To your point, it seems bizarre to me when I think of how much attention is paid to girls' and women's sexuality and so little mention of boys' and men.  Just another way our society is out of balance.

    karen

    by karen m on Tue Mar 25, 2008 at 06:52:30 PM PDT

    • girls get regular gyno exams (0 / 0)

      In this case the difference is not a conspiracy, it's just better information.  More medical attention is paid to our more complex reproductive system because we need it, they don't.  So our STDs are detected before there are symptoms.  Based on what we know about how often women go to the gyn, we can make a reasonably accurate estimate of disease prevalence in the female population.  Lord only knows what's going on with the man parts; they only get those things inspected when there's a burning sensation.  

      by lyn on Tue Mar 25, 2008 at 08:52:20 PM PDT

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      • yes..I had thought (0 / 0)

        about that fact also.  Would the idea of having young boys also examined in the way teen girls are encouraged to do (especially once sexually active) make inroads into prevention and knowledge?  That would seem a good way to go all the way around....though my guess is it won't happen anytime soon.  The way we seem to do medical care in this country would suggest that waiting until the penis is about to fall off is when we should address the problem....or admit there is one.

        karen

        by karen m on Wed Mar 26, 2008 at 08:43:07 AM PDT

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        • Do teen girls really (0 / 0)

          go to the gyno? Most of my peers did not...

          Again, I'm not disputing the claim, I just don't like the way the issue is framed in the media.

          by GiGi on Wed Mar 26, 2008 at 08:52:35 AM PDT

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          • they're encouraged to go (0 / 0)

            when they are sexually active --- because this is when they are exposed to so many infections/viruses, etc.

            karen

            by karen m on Wed Mar 26, 2008 at 09:33:45 AM PDT

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            • But do they go? (0 / 0)

              I'm not trying to be belligerent or dense, but am really wondering how many teenage girls go to a gyno...I did but my sister did not...nor did many of my (sexually active) peers...

              by GiGi on Wed Mar 26, 2008 at 04:15:54 PM PDT

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              • well, good point. (0 / 0)

                I don't know what the stats are for that, and thinking more about your question, probably the majority don't.  I did when I was a teen, but for irregular periods and intervention regarding hormones.  I don't know that I would have gone otherwise, at least not until after high school most likely which would have put me at turning 18.  There's a lot of education now though that I did not receive from public schools -- we had zero sex ed.

                karen

                by karen m on Wed Mar 26, 2008 at 10:08:15 PM PDT

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        • TSE (0 / 0)

          boys (and men) should be doing monthly testicular self exams much like girls and women should be doing breast self exams.  

          More publicity about this technique of self-screening might increase the amount of time and attention that boys and men are spending on their genitals (though I know arguments could be made that plenty of attention is already spent in that arena for many men).

          kati

          by circularchaos on Sun Mar 30, 2008 at 05:46:13 PM PDT

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