Abstinence education not providing protection

Vice President of Public Policy at the Sexuality Information and Education Council of the United States (SIECUS) William Smith said there has not been "a single sound peer review study" that abstinence-only education in schools has any positive long-term effects on children. Smith added that abstinence-only education "does not work."

SIECUS says that 25 states have withdrawn from the "Abstinence-Only-Until-Marriage Program," which includes a 40 percent decrease in participation of this program in the last two years. Smith called this a "paradigm shift" in the way sex education is taught in schools.

Vice President of Communications and Information at SIECUS Martha Kempner said much of abstinence-only education is "based on religion." She added that many of the facts taught "present stereotypes and biases as fact." She cited one such curriculum, "Healthy Images of Sex (HIS)," that said that a married couple has health, money, and a happy child. Conversely, HIS says that a single parent has an increased risk of illness, poverty, and child abuse.

Kempner said that "gay and lesbian couples are never acknowledged" in abstinence-only education. She said the purpose of this type of education is to "promote heterosexual marriage."

In regards to abortion, Kempner said that this type of education has an "anti-choice agenda." She continued, saying HIS says that abortion leads to higher potential for infertility and cancer. She said that first trimester abortions are "completely safe." She added that abstinence-only education is "an attempt to advance the social conservative agenda."

SIECUS reports that over the past 25 years, Congress has spent $1.5 billion on abstinence-only education. Smith advocated the passing of the Responsible Education About Life Act, an act that would provide federal funding for "responsible sex education" in schools.

Pro-Lifers March in Denver

by Emma Hills and Jessica Sall

At an anti-abortion rally today in Skyline Park downtown Denver, CO. a speaker said, “The holocaust is here.” Kaitlyn Mahoney, a coordinator of the event, described the protest as a peaceful “prayful” presence. The rally was comprised of multiple pro-life organizations from around the country, most prominently the Christian Defense Coalition and Stand True. Brian Kemper, the president of Stand True, explained their presence at the Democratic National Convention by saying, “The Democratic party says they stand for social justice. We just want them to stand for social justice where it begins: in the womb.”

The rally featured the story of Brandi Lozier, a woman whose mother tried unsuccessfully to abort her. “Just because a baby is in the womb doesn’t mean it’s not a baby,” she told the crowd. When asked if she would be voting for Sen. Barack Obama (D-IL) she said, “He didn’t vote for me, why should I vote for him.”

Besides the music, prayer, and the speakers in Skyline Park, members of the rally have walked to the Pepsi Center where the DNC is being held where they placed roses in the fence surrounding the center to symbolize fetuses that have been aborted. “We hope to have 3,000 roses placed for the 3,000 babies that are killed each day,” Mahoney said.

"The Pill Kills," says American Life League

The American Life League held a press conference to announce “Protest the Pill Day”, its effort to raise awareness of the birth control pill’s lethal effects. Dr. Marie Anderson, an OBGYN, said that the birth control pill induces a chemical abortion by thinning the uterine lining. She said that as a result, the five-to-seven-day-old baby dies because the lack nutrients prohibit it from attaching to the uterine wall. When asked about barrier methods of contraception, she said that they do not have harmful effects. But, she encourages natural family planning, including periodic abstinence.

Peggy Hamill, the state director of Pro-Life Wisconsin, explained the significance of June 7th for “Protest the Pill Day.” On June 7, 1965, in the case of Griswold v. Connecticut, the U.S. Supreme Court reversed a law that criminalized the use of contraceptives. Hamill said that the ruling was the foundation for Roe v. Wade. She said that pro-life organizations around the country are planning protests against the birth control pill on June 7th.

Jim Sedlak, the vice president of the American Life League, said that the League has a broad base of support and will focus its efforts on raising awareness that the birth control pill kills babies in the first few days of life by preventing implantation.