Because politics are clearly more important than people’s health.Why am I not surprised by this? Quite frankly, Souder is a moron. He's a Christofascist piece of human filth who tries to inject his sick brand of self-hatred into everything that crosses his line of sight. I'm ashamed to say he's supposed to represent the state of Indiana.
The 2006 National STD Prevention Conference, which is government-sponsored, has been changed up (screwed up) after an abstinence-only-loving congressman made a stink.An aide to Rep. Mark Edward Souder (R-Ind.), sent an e-mail
April 26 to the Department of Health and Human Services raising questions about a panel titled "Are Abstinence-Only-Until-Marriage Programs a Threat to Public Health?"
"Just the title alone was enough to cause us concern," said Martin Green, Souder's spokesman. But the congressman also was alarmed because one of the speakers was focusing on a report produced by the office of Rep. Henry A. Waxman (D-Calif.) that was critical of abstinence programs, and because no one would be speaking in support of such programs.
Right. Because no one who cares about public health would support these programs.
In response to Souder’s objections the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the main conference organizer, changed the name of the panel to “Public Health Strategies of Abstinence Programs for Youth” and removed the panelist set to discuss the Waxman report. Take a wild guess who replaced the original speaker. Not one, but two abstinence-only panelists: Eric Walsh of Loma Linda University in California and Patricia Sulak of Scott & White Memorial Hospital in Texas, founder Worth the Wait.
You know, the plain facts are that abstinence-only programs just don't work. And the stupid "virginity pledges" that many of these programs (which are based almost solely on "GAWD SAYS DON'T FUCK" mentalities) tout don't work, and actually result in more sex that's less safe. And if you don't believe that, ask Rep. Waxman.
Instead of beating teens with a Bible and screaming that sex is evil, why not teach that there's something called a condom? And how to use it? Believe it or not, it doesn't make them want to have sex - no, being a teen does that all on its own.
