sacrificing the virgins!

turns out that not only is the current obsession with abstinence naive and misguided, its also actually destructive.

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/nationworld/2002212720_std19.html

"Teenagers who take virginity pledges — public declarations to abstain from sex — are almost as likely to be infected with a sexually transmitted disease (STD) as those who never made the pledge, according to an eight-year study released yesterday. "

hmm - people are still having sex. quel suprise.. further, teens are not being provided with the information they need to have sex safely. even in the rare case of an individual who is abstinent until marriage, information about contraception and protection from std's is still relevant. thats where the real harm comes is - the deliberate witholding of pertinent information.

"Not only do virginity pledges not work to keep our young people safe, they are causing harm by undermining condom use, contraception and medical treatment," said Bill Smith, public-policy vice president for the Sexuality Information and Education Council of the United States. "

score another one up for bush and co. way to go, guys.