Abstinence education misleads students, report finds.A congressional report says the federal government's abstinence-only programs include bogus health information. The report, issued by U.S. Rep. Henry Waxman Henry Arnold Waxman (born September 12, 1939 in Los Angeles, California) is an American politician. He has represented California's At-large congressional district (map) in the U.S. House of Representatives since 1975. (D-Calif.), concludes that abstinence-only programs contain "false, misleading or distorted information" about contraceptives and sexually transmitted diseases Sexually transmitted diseases Infections that are acquired and transmitted by sexual contact. Although virtually any infection may be transmitted during intimate contact, the term sexually transmitted disease is restricted to conditions that are largely , The New York New York, state, United States New York, Middle Atlantic state of the United States. It is bordered by Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and the Atlantic Ocean (E), New Jersey and Pennsylvania (S), Lakes Erie and Ontario and the Canadian province of Times reported in early December. For example, part of the curricula included claims that H.I.V. can be contracted via sweat and tears and that pregnancy may result by merely touching another person's genitals. Waxman's study concluded that 11 of the 13 most frequently used programs contain misinformation mis·in·form tr.v. mis·in·formed, mis·in·form·ing, mis·in·forms To provide with incorrect information. mis . The Times reported that the federal government will spend $170 million on abstinence-only programs next year, double the amount spent in 2001. Religious Right groups, the leading proponents of abstinence-only education, sprang to the defense of the programs and attacked Waxman as an out-of-touch liberal. The Rev. Jerry Falwell This article is about Jerry Falwell, Sr. For the article about his son, see Jerry Falwell, Jr. Jerry Lamon Falwell, Sr. (August 11 1933 – May 15, 2007)[1] was an American fundamentalist Christian pastor and televangelist. sent a Dec. 3 e-mail to his supporters deriding Waxman as one the House of Representative's "most liberal members" and including information from Focus on the Family's "Sexual Health Analyst." The Lynchburg, Va.-based televangelist tel·e·van·gel·ist n. An evangelist who conducts religious telecasts. [Blend of television and evangelist.] tel also praised the Bush administration's support of abstinence-only programs. "I thank God that we have a president in the Oval Office who understands that school-based abstinence programs that teach personal responsibility and morality can provide a positive alternative to the media's barrage of sexual images and messages," Falwell's e-mail stated. |
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