Recently, the troubling issues surrounding abstinence-only-until-marriage programs -- like that they don't work -- have started getting some public attention. This newfound spotlight on sex-ed (or the lack thereof) has come from discouraging sources, whether it was cries of hypocrisy spurred by Bristol Palin's pregnancy, or a recent rise in teen STIs and teen pregnancy after years of decline.  

But attention is attention, and the 2008 election is a great chance to re-examine what kind of sex ed Americans want for their kids. Here are some of the different bullet-points being batted back and forth in the debate, and where the candidates stand on them in their own words. 

I'll tell you when you're older: The facts when age-appropriate  

Democratic candidate Barack Obama has made it clear that in his mind, comprehensive sex ed is the pragmatic approach, and should begin before kids begin experimenting sexually - even while valuing the belief that young people should hold off on sexual activity. At an appearance in the summer of 2007, ABC reported Obama as saying: 

"Keep in mind: I honor and respect young people who choose to delay sexual activity. I've got two daughters, and I want them to understand that sex is not something casual. That's something that we definitely want to communicate and should be part of any curriculum. But we also know that when the statistics tell us that nearly half of 15 to 19 year olds are engaging in sexual activity, that for us to leave them in ignorance is potentially consigning them to illness, pregnancy, poverty, and in some cases, death." 

Age-appropriate sex-ed means increasing kids' knowledge as they get older, starting from how to recognize inappropriate touching in grade school, and building up towards explaining puberty, relationship dynamics, and eventually, contraception and protection against STDs when those topics become pertinent to students' lives. 

Obama was a supporter of age-appropriate legislation in Illinois, which made him the target of ads from his opponents' campaign. The misleading ads implied that Obama wanted to teach kindergarteners about sex, when in fact the program he sponsored stipulated age-appropriate education: that at this early age, they learn how to recognize sexual abuse. 

Marched towards the altar: Promoting heterosexual marriage and gender-norms. 

One of the complaints against abstinence-only education is that it doesn't allow for alternate sexualities. In June 2007, Republican candidate John McCain and other Republican legislators signed a letter addressed to the heads of the Senate Finance Committee, expressing their wholehearted backing of the Title V abstinence-only program. This program doles out funds to the states for education programs that specifically leave out information about birth control. It's a $50 million dollar juggernaut, as the legislators noted in their letter, which included the following line:  

"... saving sex until marriage and remaining faithful afterwards is the best choice for health and happiness." 

Of course, this leaves out those who don't fall into heterosexual partnerships and those teens who have already begun to be sexually active. 

A related critique of abstinence-only programs is about their use of gender norms and "shaming" -- such as the infamous "tape/candy" exercises where women are told that once they have been sexually active, they're as desirable as chewed candy or used-up tape. Obama linked this shaming aspect with the importance of medical accuracy: 

"I'm going to teach [my daughters] first of all about values and morals, but if they make a mistake, I don't want them punished with a baby. I don't want them punished with an STD at the age of 16."

While this comment garnered some heat, it showed his understanding of the gendered-double standard-and the undue burden on women to be the sexual gatekeepers that is part of the abstinence-only worldview. 

Look it up: Medically accurate information 

Barack Obama is one of several secondary-sponsors of a bill now up for consideration, the "Prevention First Act" which is a comprehensive family planning umbrella bill with a number of subsidiary goals, from rape victim assistance to emergency contraception (his running-mate Joe Biden is also a sponsor).  The Prevention First Act states that, 

"Any information concerning the use of a contraceptive provided through any federally funded sex education, family life education, abstinence education, comprehensive health education, or character education program shall be medically accurate and shall include health benefits and failure rates relating to the use of such contraceptive." 

Among Prevention First's daughter bills is the REAL (Real Education About Life) Act, which includes several stipulations that those programs be truthful about the advantages and risk of each kind of contraception. 

Obama also proudly notes his position on his campaign website, and uses his sponsorship of  "Prevention First" as an example of what he would do to promote women's reproductive health. 

On the other hand, McCain's stance on medically accurate information is unclear, since he famously hemmed and hawed over a question by a reporter that touched on the fundamental science that would be taught to students in a sex ed program. As Cristina Page and others reported, this exchange with a reporter took place on McCain's campaign bus. Here is a partial transcript: 

Q: "What about grants for sex education in the United States? Should they include instructions about using contraceptives? Or should it be Bush's policy, which is just abstinence?" 

Mr. McCain: (Long pause) "Ahhh. I think I support the president's policy." 

Q: "So no contraception, no counseling on contraception. Just abstinence. Do you think contraceptives help stop the spread of HIV?" 

Mr. McCain: (Long pause) "You've stumped me."

... 

Q: "But you would agree that condoms do stop the spread of sexually transmitted diseases. Would you say: 'No, we're not going to distribute them,' knowing that?" 

Mr. McCain: (Twelve-second pause) .... I've never gotten into these issues before." 

Abstinence-Only on the wane 

A search of McCain's campaign website for the terms "sex education" and even "sex" yielded zero results. But the Republican platform calls for a replacement of all family planning programs for teens with abstinence-only programs. 

In fact, states are now trending towards rejecting federal funds for abstinence-only, due to the growing belief that those programs do not work effectively. 

Sex education has become one of the reproductive health issues that is most winnable for the reproductive justice crowd, be it Democrats or pro-choice Republicans. Obama and his allies have an opening to hammer home the importance of truthful education for teens at an appropriate age, and they might actually score some points in the "culture wars."