When the Homily is about Immunology

Abstinence Only Programs turn kids into murderers

Another laughable exercise in Hollywood stupidity. It really is astonishing that a program like this would be produced period, let alone actually aired. Not just because it is such a blatant attack on religious faith (particularly the kind that might actually spill over into everyday life decisions), but also because it is so amazingly ludicrous in its plot to begin with. But I am sure....SURE...there is no agenda at work here.

All of this being said, a conversation began recently at work in which people were offering mock surprise at a study's results in which abstinence education was shown not to work. I expect some may be surprised to know that I too am not at all surprised and I have blogged about this before.

Abstinence education will not work in the public school system and perhaps not anywhere else either. Not because, as some are inclined to believe (like liberal policy makers), kids are unable to control themselves but rather because we have created an environment where we do not expect them to control themselves.

Abstinence education today is a little like throwing a vegetarian menu into a pit filled with half-starved dogs who are in the process of ripping apart a young calf and asking them to consider a healthier diet. It's not as much the dog as it is the fact that they are half-starved and in an environment that rather encourages the eating of calves.

How can abstinence education compete in today's world? A lone voice in the wilderness...the kids "hear" the lecture and then return to the "real" world where their friends push sex on them, their parents are too busy or don't care or buy their condoms, their music glorifies sex, their movies glorify sex, their idols glorify sex, their television glorifies sex, their art glorifies sex, and on and on it goes. Is it any wonder when we hear that abstinence education fails? However, it's not the program's fault, its our society's fault. Without a strong support structure including family, friends, church, role models, and exhortations from art (for example)...how can it hope to succeed? Everything surrounding most kids today does nothing but contradict the message of waiting and being patient (whether this involves sex or not).

So let me ask this: how well are health and physical education programs working today for American kids? Haha, that's right...back to obesity: we have an epidemic on our hands! Gee, I wonder why they are failing? Well, lo and behold, how many times now are we hearing about schools getting rid of junk food in their vending machines and in their lunch programs? Are they discerning that more needs to be dome that just education? Hmmmm...anyone see an analogy here? You mean to tell me that our kids can go sit through a lecture about being fit and about eating right and yet will STILL go out into the world of advertising and self-satisfaction and eat a Snickers Candy Bar, a Big Mac, a Bag of Cheetos, and a 98oz cup of Pepsi if given the opportunity? You mean they will opt to sit in front of the TV playing Halo 3 instead of going out and riding their bikes? At what point do we give up trying to get kids to abstain from junk food? (Have you also heard rumblings about "fat" or "sugar" taxes? Wow...they are taking this serious...maybe if they considered some similar policies about other abstinence programs...oh nevermind...) Maybe we should simply admit that kids are going to eat crappy food and be lazy? C'mon, you can't expect kids to abstain from something that comes so "naturally."