I may as well get a confession out of the way: I deliberately chose a provocative - and somewhat misleading - headline for this diary. I figured hey, if it's good enough for Fox News, it's good enough for me, right?
Last week the Buffalo News printed a letter to the editor from Tom Minnery, Senior Vice President of Government and Public Policy for Focus on the Family. Since Tom isn't a Buffalo resident and the letter was in reply to syndicated columnist Kathleen Parker, I suspect this letter may have been sent to newspapers all over the country as well.
The letter defended against what I assume was an attack on President Bush's plan to fight AIDS in Africa. The usual vague warnings about "radical liberals" using your tax money to promote "legalizing prostitution and drug use" were trotted out in a rather heavy-handed manner. Also trotted out was an outright lie. Quelle surprise.
Mr. Minnery states that the ABC model is the only strategy that has effectively combated AIDS in a general population. The ABC model is A. Abstinence, B. Be Faithful, and C. Condom Use. It's important to note that C. Condom Use is grudgingly accepted as part of the ABC model only within a heterosexual marriage.
Now here's the problem. One of the first things the Bush administration did was to shift funding for family planning and AIDS prevention to programs which followed the ABC model, rather than those which taught abstinence combined with harm reduction. This is despite the fact that CDC (and other) studies have shown abstinence-only models less effective at preventing unwanted pregnancies or transmission of STDs including HIV. That means we're spending the same amount of money for programs that are up to 13% less effective.
There's no denying the effectiveness of abstinence. Despite my provocative headline, I'm all for encouraging teens to practice abstinence as their best bet for avoiding unwanted pregnancies or STDs which could change - or end - their lives.
But.
There needs to be an acknowledgement that abstinence isn't going to work for everyone. There needs to be a plan B in place for those who are unwilling - or unable - to abstain from sexual activity. We need to recognize and accept that young people have desires and urges that often outstrip their ability to control or understand. We need to give them the skills and information necessary to deal with those pressures and urges, rather than pretending they simply don't exist.
I know it's difficult for parents to see their children as sexual beings and help them navigate around the hazards. But the moral posturing that leads to an ABC model of prevention places our young people at risk, and they are paying a high price. They can't afford it and neither can we.