Planned Parenthood is about contraception, real education, not just lectures about abstinence, and a woman's right to choose in the early phases of her pregnancy. Last I checked, our country was supposed to have separation of church and state, where religion cannot dictate rights and laws. It has been proven that abstinence only programs are no more effective at preventing teen sex than more valuable programs that actually teach about contraception, STDs, and being safe. So, the kids who are only told to avoid sexual activity are just as likely to become sexually active JUST AS YOUNG, yet they don't learn about the risks involved and how to protect themselves.

How many people, other than progressivegal, feel that someone other than a parent should be discussing "abortion, masturbation, and sexual orientation" to your children. How many people feel that it is OK for a stranger to discuss "proper use of latex condoms, along with water-based lubricants" to your children. That is what Planned Parenthood "comprehensive" education is throwing in the face of your KIDS. Not my kids for christ sake. These subjects may be discussed in my home but in line with my values to provide an accurate understanding of true moralistic behavior. I don't need some liberal telling my children how to masterbate, tell them how abortion is the easy way out or tell them that homosexuality is OK. These are subjects that only "I" will have a say in.

So you challenged the guy, he provided what he feels to be what you asked for and now you are changing the subject. Let's go back to this silly idea of teaching abstinence with public dollars. I agree it is decency to suggest this idea, but it is not a plausible solution. We are sexual creatures. Our libido often over rules our brain in such matters. It is simply what we are.

That was a well thought out approach to the problem and yes you hit the nail on the head of expecting the unfortunate but only if it is unfortunate. I can't, with good conscience, provide an atmosphere where irresponsibility is condoned with an easy way out at the expense of others. Yes, kids make mistakes and parents understand that, I am one. It is not conducive to the overall fabric of society to treat mistakes as if they were entitlement resolved. There has to be some middle ground where kiddie revolution is not accepted with handouts that promote irresponsibility. We are supposed to be teaching them what not to do for the sake of their livelihood not how to get out of it after the deed is done.

Please point the posting where I said PP doesn't provide abortion services. I dare you. I did say that abortion services are just 7% of the overall services Planned Parenthood provides in Virginia. And in addition, no state dollars are spent on abortion or abortion services.

Your "non-biased" study that you hold so dear to was performed by the Abstinence-Education Intiative of Virginia. Yet you clearly don't hold any esteem in the Mathematica study, or the APA, AMA, NEA, ASHA, SAM, and any other number of healthcare and education organizations and professionals. But I guess the Va. study that was sponsored by the Abstinence-Education Initiative is more accurate in your eyes, right? More credible than EVERY OTHER STUDY.

CB, please educate yourself a bit more before entering a conversation on reproductive healthcare. Unless of course you want to gladhand with Sen. Cuccinelli who has about the same amount of opinion and education on the topic as you.

This thing about sexual behavior among young people is like people working in a factory. As long as they have been well trained and the boss is there to make sure things go like they should, everything works pretty well. But if they are not well trained and the boss goes away for a time, anything can happen and usually does. You have to accept that you are not the child’s only teacher. There are kids at school, kids in the neighborhood, things on TV and the internet, other adults with different views on things, who all influence a child to one degree or another. If you haven’t established a strong moral/ethical base of conduct, by example and words, before the kids reach the age where, OMG, she’s pregnant, is a possibility, and you aren’t there to make sure things go like they should, then you had better lean toward the possibility that abstinence may not be the firewall that you hoped for and make sure that pregnancy prevention is an option.

Do I need to provide contrary proof for the fiftieth time once again that completely refutes your views? I have provided facts and figures from other non biased sources on numerous occassions including the Virginia State Department of Health on your blog but hence, my facts mysteriously disappear. I am a little confused because you claimed in another post that "PP" doesn't provide abortion services yet I quote "Abortion services are just 7% of the overall services Planned Parenthood provides in Virginia. In addition, no state dollars are spent on abortion or abortion services." Which one is it? Please make up my mind!!! If "PP" is funded by taxpayers, it is reasonable to assume that taxpayers are funding abortion. I am so tired of these liberal induced problems that suddenly become taxpayer funded feel good free cop outs for the irresponsible.

CB - I challenge you to find any part of what I posted inaccurate.

Here is a link to organizations and officials that support comprehensive sex education:

http://www.siecus.org/policy/in_good_company.pdf

Here is a link to an article which shows Iowa to be the 17th state to reject Title V funding for abstinence-only sex education:

http://qconline.com/archives/qco/display.php?id=377481

A snippet from the article, "Culver’s decision came shortly after Doug Kirby, Ph.D., a leading adolescent health researcher at ETR Associates, presented his findings on the effectiveness of both abstinence-only and comprehensive sex education programs at a briefing in Des Moines. Kirby’s research, published in Emerging Answers 2007: Research Findings on Programs to Reduce Teen Pregnancy and Sexually Transmitted Disease, concluded that the only programs with strong evidence to delay sexual initiation were comprehensive sex education programs."

Here is a link to the Mathematica study: "The study found that youth in the four evaluated programs were no more likely than youth not in the programs to have abstained from sex in the four to six years after they began participating in th

Pure bunk progressivegal...pure liberal bunk. I can't add anymore truth to the matter. Oh, by the way, I am not fundamentalist as you assume. Now that makes a what out of who? Funny that when I challenge you on your blog, all of my responses are deleted. You are a liberal liar!!!!

I was taught to go with out as is being suggested. Yet I found myself doing everything I could to bury myself in it since the age of 13. Get real. Those of you who beleive teaching abstinence matters are out of touch. You might as well burn the money. it is akin to shrugging your shoulders and saying your tried when you actually did nothing.

Comprehensive sex education is abstinence-based. That is why CB has nothing to contribute to the conversation. He has no basic understanding of the terms that are being used in the discussion - he just knows, like most fundamentalists, that he doesn't like women to have control over their own bodies.

Abortion services are just 7% of the overall services Planned Parenthood provides in Virginia. In addition, no state dollars are spent on abortion or abortion services. PP's overwhelming time, energy, and resources are spent on are prevention services like pap smears, cancer screenings, gynecological exams, family planning counseling and services, and testing and treatment for sexually transmitted infections.

No one does more to prevent unintended pregnancies than Planned Parenthood. And no one is a bigger advocate for women's health. While people like CB run around the internet trying to spread misinformation, organizations like PP will continue to serve the needs of women and families.

JMO, it is not my intention to say only teaching abstinence is the best route. There is middle ground but some people like progressive gal think that abstinence education doesn’t work at all. Data from the State Department of Health determined that neither educational approach faired better than the other. I see a difference in abstinence only vs only abstinence. I said to put the “primary” focus on abstinence as the “primary” means to control these problems. That is in stark contrast to only teaching abstinence period. What I have a huge problem with is when schools (Planned Parenthood) find it OK to provide birth control pills to 13 year old girls without parental consent or endorse an enabling atmosphere where we throw our hands up in moral defeat and pass out condoms like candy while yelling “have a happy whoopie”. But then again our “ACLU liberal” children think they have adult rights anyway, right?

Abstinence needs to be reintroduced into the minds of children as the primary means of STD prevention and birth control, not a graphic display of the clap coupled with a hand full of condoms, a package of birth control pills and a referral to the nearest abortion clinic.

With this statement you take it to the same extreme that you just finished complaining about. Do you honestly believe it's one extreme or the other? If so, you have a pretty biased view.

Why can't we teach the many benefits of abstinence while also discussing unwanted pregancy, STD's, and birth control? An education that doesn't include all the facts isn't an education at all. You may be naive enough to believe that the abstinence talk always works, but if it did we wouldn't be having this discussion.

jmo

Do not believe anything progressivegal says. She professed in an earlier posting that Planned Parenthood did not provide abortion services, hence taxpayers were not funding abortions. Total lie. Her “recent survey” did not include the surveying organization, what methods of survey were conducted, the demographics nor the questions asked. Just like a Pilot survey, the way the question is asked heavily skews the outcome. Another misleading term is “comprehensive”. Peoples understanding and ideas of what is content appropriate “comprehensive” education usually varies widely in the population as a whole. She is out of touch with general population, not the Senator, because she is convinced the population agrees with her hidden liberal agenda. Abstinence needs to be reintroduced into the minds of children as the primary means of STD prevention and birth control, not a graphic display of the clap coupled with a hand full of condoms, a package of birth control pills and a referral to the nearest abortion clinic.

One thing is for sure, if someone comes to Planned Parenthood for abortion advice, it is obvious that your feel good abstinence education objective didn't work. Abortion is a very poor planning tool but can't be ruled out where there is not a loving father and mother willing to take on the very serious and demanding job of properly raising a child to adulthood. Adoption is not always the ideal answer either. I do believe that in the case of an abortion, the man and woman should both have mandatory counseling, court ordered if necessary, to acquaint them with the seriousness of their actions, and there should be sanctions where these acts recur. If you are going to act like an adult you have to be responsible and think before you act (like an adult)or pay the price.

My teenage daughters know that abstinence is best but also know what a condom is, where to get one, and how/when to use it.

Abstinence is best, but lets get real here - teens have sex. Kids need to know how to prevent STDs and unwanted pregnancy.

BTW, abortion is not the only service planned parenthood provides that reduces teen pregnancy. That was an incredibly ignorant and biased statement.

jmo

Abstinence-only sex ed has been proven to actually INCREASE the rate of teen pregnancies. And when you say that "Virginia's families" only want abstinence taught to their kids, which "families" are you asking? I know plenty of families that want fact-based sex ed taught to their kids, but the only choice they have is fantasy-based abstinence-only programs. Your claim that PP isn't acting out of "altruism" is just plain absurd. Of course they make money by providing services - so do the Christian "crisis pregnancy centers" that shame young girls into giving birth to babies they don't want and aren't ready to have. PP also reduces teen pregnancy by providing low-cost birth control and realistic education about sex, which is - surprise! - a remarkably effective way to decrease the teen pregnancy rate. Try getting some real facts before you make ridiculous assertions.

Sen. Cuccinelli is out of touch with the general population of Virginia (and the country) who believe prevention through education... age-appropriate medically-accurate information...is the best way to reduce STDs and unintended pregnancy rates.

His slim margin of victory (92 votes) is because he played down his true fundamentalist agenda during the campaign. Hopefully, next time the voters in his district won't be fooled by his appeal to moderates.

Because he is certainly no moderate. And certainly not in step with parents, who overwhelmingly support comprehensive-sex education. In fact, a recent survey revealed that 8 in 10 parents actually thought comprehensive sex education was already being provided at their children's schools.