Let's see here... Bush picks:
An illegal torture advocate as Attorney General...
Corporate sympathizers to lead the EPA...
Global Warming deniers to head posts at NASA...
Could he possibly screw up the government any more? Apparently so.
WASHINGTON (AP) -- The Bush administration, to the consternation of its critics, has picked the medical director of an organization that opposes premarital sex, contraception and abortion to lead the office that oversees federally funded teen pregnancy, family planning and abstinence programs.
http://www.cnn.com/...
[Eric Keroack's organization] opposes contraception, saying its use increases out-of-wedlock pregnancy and abortion rates.
Look's like it's a done-deal too (sorry, no fillibuster).
Keroack's appointment as deputy assistant secretary for population affairs does not require Senate confirmation. He is expected to start work in the next several weeks, Department of Health and Human Services spokeswoman Christina Pearson said.
This is an outrage! It's not even that this person is pro-life, but he is anti-contraceptive and against sex education! our federal family planning should provide resources for people to AVOID becomming pregnant in the first place by providing education, condoms, and birth control to Americans.
I simply cannot fathom why this administration is appointing a guy like this to lead the federal family planning agencies. Abistence-only education has proven to be a miserable failure-- "asbstinence-only" educated teenagers who engage in sex are more likely to use NO protection than sexually active ones who were taught to use birth control. Europe embraces birth control too-- in most countries teenage girls can go to the doctor and get birth control without parental notification. It is also highly embraced and encouraged there and as a result teen pregnancy is lower than in America.
The best way to prevent abortions is to prevent pregnancy. Abstinence is a great thing to teach in school but it shouldn't be the only thing. Additionally, every effort should be made to let people know where they can go to receive contraceptives and education.
I can't wait for this administration to GO. I'm going to pull my hair out if another Republican wins though! If McCain were president I bet he'd be giving the Christian Right a blowjob too in order to maintain his base.
UPDATE: Looks like this has been diaried already but I'll keep it up just in case anyone missed it yesterday (as I did). It's an important issue.