Yesterday, Wade Horn, the HHS assistant secretary for children and families and widely known as the administration's abstinence-only cheerleader, resigned.
You may remember Wade Horn from back in October, when he defended the federal government's decision to target unmarried adults up to age 29 as part of its abstinence-only programs. According to USA Today, Horn said the revision was "aimed at 19- to 29-year-olds because more unmarried women in that age group are having children." The administration's mission against premarital sex among adults caused an outcry.
James Wagoner, president of Advocates for Youth, got it right when he said: "They've stepped over the line of common sense...To be preaching abstinence when 90% of people are having sex is in essence to lose touch with reality. It's an ideological campaign. It has nothing to do with public health."
Horn's resignation comes just days after Eric Keroack, Bush's appointee to run our nation's family planning program, stepped down. With these two extremists gone, President Bush has the opportunity to appoint two mainstream health experts who will advocate for the health of teens, women, and families. Anyone want to place bets on whether or not he will?