Actually this is quite clever. When one's learning about how Jesus invented DNA, studies show teenagers' sex drive dramatically decreases.

Teach both? Shit, teach all three.

Hmm, Matt. Jesus and 12 guys holed up in an attic drinking wine, eating "herbs" and chowing on lavosh bread while wearing togas on a Thursday night. Somehow I don't think everyone abstained that night. Oh, Lord, I feel the hate coming.

Tom, excellent article: You said: given that Governor Palin is a proponent of abstinence education, the recent revelations regarding her teenage daughter, Bristol serve as additional evidence that the abstinence-only message simply does not cut it with adolescents.
I dislike being rude or saying inflammatory things, but am not sure how else to express this: How can one expect rationality or consistency from the Christian Right? They have been programmed (maybe they were never allowed to think) to have a very strident and cruel response to anyone who suggests anything but abstinence, despite overwhelming proof that it does not work (Remember Nancy Regan's "Just say no"?). The attachment and monomania to ideas surrounding creating human life that may have been good at the end of the Plague or maybe the Flood is sad and confusing to the rest of us. The rest of us somehow manage to think and learned the Law of Minimum. We understand humans have no predators and have controlled disease, consequently, the population explosion is dangerous.
This knee jerk response is the factor that won George HW and George W their Presidencies. Until these monomaniacal people lose their political clout, and are relegated back into the dark ages where they belong, the rest of us somehow have to find an issue to re-focus those who have followed this vocal minority and try to get some sanity back as the predominant voice in this country.

Just say NO never works, never will.

My kids went to Catholic school, where abstinence only is the only thing taught. Did the students there follow the direction of their health and religion teachers? From what I can determine: NOoooo... They are kids, and the natural tendencies of most teenagers is to do exactly the opposite of what their parents and teachers preach.

Parents are most responsible, and they must provide all information and ALL options.

No matter how diligent, it's hard to just say "no" above the flush of raging hormones.

Wasn't "Just Say No" an anti-drugs campaign?

Still, the point is clear. Look how well that one worked out.

"Just say NO never works, never will."

Worked for most of the girls I dated.

With those eyebrows, Matt, I'm not surprised!

;-)

If your fear is that saying no might not work for your little girl, I recommend the gift of Pepper Spray and a stun-gun. These accessories go very well for the young lady on the go, and they're less controversial than a handgun or good knife. (though it would, imho, be better if we could give young women access to, and training with, both.)

If you're afraid she WON'T say "No", well...that's different. Democrats have their quixotic causes, and this one's the Republicans' quixotic cause. Whether SHE says "No" or not is strongly influenced by her natural inclinations combined with her own reasoning capacity and decision making structure. Obviously, for example, Bristol did what millions of Preachers' kids do, and defied Mom...with consequences. But I defy any Democrat to find five teenagers who don't know what a Condom is for, or that Condoms are widely available cheap in the same places they use fake I.D. to buy smokes and beer.

Studies have shown that abstinence-only education doesn't work, but abstinence-only programs do. They typically combine education with counseling or some reinforcements.

"Just Say No" was the anti-drug policy put in place by President Ronald Regan, the man who declared ketchup is a vegetable.

I was not referring to male rape, only that kids will experiment no matter what. Experimentation is part of the process towards becoming an adult. For healthy individuals, sex drive is farily strong during puberty and young aduthood. So having proper education on how human reproduction works and some options to hopefully delay the ultimate result, is not sinful or encouraging kids to experiment, it is recognizing a fact of human biology and giving kids CHOICES.

Isn't that what America is all about - education, choice and freedom of expression?

If you remember the culture of the 1970's, you'll know that "Just Say No" was actually a pretty important thing. It was the first time in a long while that anyone took an anti-drug stand.

I never knew a time from when I remember - early 1960's, ever since - when there was concern about drug use.

Even during the Summer of Love there was concern