An Abject Failure....

Nodin

Teenage pregnancies and syphilis have risen sharply among a generation of American school girls who were urged to avoid sex before marriage under George Bush's evangelically-driven education policy, according to a new report by the US's major public health body.

The CDC says that southern states, where there is often the greatest emphasis on abstinence and religion, tend to have the highest rates of teenage pregnancy and STDs.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/jul/20/bush-teen-pregnancy-cdc-report

..in this, as in all else.

5uspect

Abstinence is 100% effective. They're no denying that.
If you're a christian it's 99.9..% effective.

If you're rational the chances of abstinence actually working with teenagers are slim.

Genghiz Cohen

Teens are going to have sex, it is up to adults to make sure they are safe when they do.

Nodin

5uspect wrote: »

Abstinence is 100% effective. They're no denying that.
If you're a christian it's 99.9..% effective.

If you're rational the chances of abstinence actually working with teenagers are slim.

If they go at it in countries where theres a risk of feuds, honour killings and criminal prosecution (and they do) then its going to happen everywhere else too.....

Dades

The CDC says that southern states, where there is often the greatest emphasis on abstinence and religion, tend to have the highest rates of teenage pregnancy and STDs.

This could just as easy read:

"...southern states, which are statistically poorer states, tend to have the highest rates of teenage pregnancy and STDs".

So, much as I'd like to, I wouldn't put all the blame on Bush's doorstep.

seamus

It's also interesting to note that here in Ireland, since the Catholic Church has gone into decline, teen pregnancies have dropped significantly.

That could also be due to the same factors as Dades points out though - more money and more social freedom for women during/after the Celtic tiger era means that they're less inclined to want to be pregnant and so take less risks around it.

I'd agree with Dades.

I'd bet that the correlation that exists between poverty and teen-pregnancy also exists between poverty and fundamental religious belief. So, while it may appear that there is a causal link between fundamental religious belief and teen pregnancy, they're both probably, in certain instances, results of the same base cause: poverty.

MrPudding

Dades wrote: »

This could just as easy read:

"...southern states, which are statistically poorer states, tend to have the highest rates of teenage pregnancy and STDs".

So, much as I'd like to, I wouldn't put all the blame on Bush's doorstep.

-JammyDodger- wrote: »

I'd agree with Dades.

I'd bet that the correlation that exists between poverty and teen-pregnancy also exists between poverty and fundamental religious belief. So, while it may appear that there is a causal link between fundamental religious belief and teen pregnancy, they're both probably, in certain instances, results of the same base cause: poverty.

I would imagine that there is a connection here between teen pregnancy and poverty, but I would imagine that teaching abstinence, rather than proper sex education, will exacerbate any poverty related issues there may have been there already.

Teenagers will have sex. Not providing them with the knowledge they need to have sex safely is almost criminal.

MrP

Hivemind187

Dades wrote: »

This could just as easy read:

"...southern states, which are statistically poorer states, tend to have the highest rates of teenage pregnancy and STDs".

So, much as I'd like to, I wouldn't put all the blame on Bush's doorstep.

I bloody well would. We are talking about an "increase". The option was to encourage proper sexual education and help make contraception easier to get a hold of/less embarassing.

Instead the administration actively pushed the non-sensical and ludicrous position of abstinence as a solution to all lifes problems ignoring the contraception issue and even, in some cases, funding those that spread mis-information about the effectiveness of sheaths.

Simply put, the south may have statistically more poor people but the access to education is meant to be available in highschools which are state funded as well as youth centers, community outreach etc etc etc.

dvpower

Dades wrote: »

This could just as easy read:

"...southern states, which are statistically poorer states, tend to have the highest rates of teenage pregnancy and STDs".

So, much as I'd like to, I wouldn't put all the blame on Bush's doorstep.

Yeah. You couldn't blame Bush for getting poor teenagers pregnant or giving them STDs. Now Clinton; that's a different proposition:pac:.

Goduznt Xzst

To play devils Saurons Dades advocate here, this line piqued my interest:

"abstinence message is overwhelmed by a culture obsessed with sex."

Regardless of Bush's message, they had no control over the medias thirst for the sexualizing of teen idols and pushing sexuality as a means of advertising.

I admit archaic abstinence initiatives exacerbated the problem, but I also think there are a number of other factors at work here also. The poverty of the areas being one, the importance placed on sex by the media being another.

Zombrex

5uspect wrote: »

If you're a christian it's 99.9..% effective.

LMAO

Gregor Samsa

Dades wrote: »

So, much as I'd like to, I wouldn't put all the blame on Bush's doorstep.

There are two former US presidents that are responsible for most pregnancies, teen and otherwise:

Bush and Johnson.








I'll get my coat...

Shane_C

Dades wrote: »

This could just as easy read:

"...southern states, which are statistically poorer states, tend to have the highest rates of teenage pregnancy and STDs".

So, much as I'd like to, I wouldn't put all the blame on Bush's doorstep.

mmmhmmm


I don't think this is a religious matter.
They would probably have the same problems down there regardless of faith.

Nodin

...whereas they may well have had them, they have increased under the Bush admin, and previous gains been lost, which I think is the point.