Abstinence ed a needy ounce of prevention
G.A. Thompson
Boston Herald
Thursday, July 12, 2007
In the face of an epidemic rise in violent crime, sexually transmitted diseases and single-parent families, we need leadership to ask the hard questions and to seek the wisest innovative solutions possible. The critical problems facing us in the city require that our leaders are not married to traditional, status quo responses that have never worked and political allegiances with an agenda apart from the health and wholeness of the next generation.
Early sexual activity is increasing at an alarming rate. Could it be that our children hear words of approbation in our safe-sex teaching? What would happen if alongside the safe-sex message was an equally emphatic teaching of the hows and whys of abstinence?
Well, a tool exists that can help combat this dilemma; it is the federal middle school abstinence program. Created in 1996 under President Clinton’s welfare reform package, the middle school abstinence program provides Massachusetts with a $700,000 grant to teach middle-school students in a culturally-sensitive, age-appropriate manner and in conjunction with comprehensive sex education to delay sexual activity. By contrast, Massachusetts state government spends over $40 million per year on teenage parenting and child-care programs.
Thousands of Massachusetts 10- to 13-year-old students, mostly in inner-city schools, have benefited from the abstinence program, but it is now facing extinction due to heavy lobbying from special interest groups that are opposed to abstinence education.
The special interest groups pressuring the Patrick administration to end abstinence education claim that children will have sex anyway, so we may as well teach them the “right” and “safe” way to do it. That makes no sense whatsoever. Following that logic, would these same groups support teaching our children how to fight safely, or smoke cigarettes safely, or take drugs safely, since kids will engage in these activities anyway?
Our governor needs to listen to the thousands of his constituents who have benefited from the federal abstinence education program classes. Students, parents and teachers in Boston, Lowell, Lawrence, Chelsea and other communities have seen the benefits of this program and want it to continue. Many of these individuals have been flooding the State House with phone calls and supportive petitions, letters and essays.
Will Patrick allow his administration to be manipulated by nationally-driven special interest groups with a political agenda, or will he listen to the thousands of individuals whose lives will be negatively affected if the program is shut down?
The Legislature has included the acceptance of the federal funding in its conference committee report released on July 3. Now it is up to Patrick to apply for these funds from Washington and continue to allow our middle school students the option to hear about healthy choices for their future. We strongly encourage him to do so as the governor of all of the people.
- Bishop G.A. Thompson is senior pastor of Jubilee Christian Church.