As if we needed any more proof that America needs REAL sex education, Sen. John McCain provided it last week. McCain was completely baffled [6] by a question about whether he believed that federal funding for contraceptives—including condoms—in Africa could help slow the spread of HIV/AIDS.
He must have gotten his information from one of many federally funded abstinence-only programs that seem designed to undermine confidence in contraceptives.
Or, maybe this was just another example of political prevarication. But political calculation like this is exposing American youth to ideologically driven abstinence-only programs that leave them woefully ill-prepared to make healthy, responsible decisions about sexuality. That these programs are often filled with wild exaggerations of contraceptive failure rates and other gross medical and scientific inaccuracies [7] leave many young people truly unsure of whether condoms can help protect them from unwanted pregnancy and STD's.
That's unacceptable. Especially since the United States has the highest rate of teenage pregnancy [8] in the developed world. Indeed, some twelve percent of births every year in this country are the result of teenage pregnancy. And young people themselves—and their parents—are crying out for REAL sex education so that they can make healthy choices, now and as they grow into adulthood.
Today, one of Sen. McCain's colleagues—Sen. Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ)—together with Rep. Barbara Lee (D-CA) will be introducing the Responsible Education About Life [9] (REAL) Act [10] to create a federal program to fund responsible, comprehensive sex education across the United States. It's a critical part of reducing teen pregnancy and giving young people the information and the confidence they need to lead healthy lives.
And once it passes, perhaps Sen. McCain can sit in on a few classes.