The Montgomery County, Maryland, Board of Education has identified the members of a sex-education curriculum development panel. This panel is is being recreated after the previous panel’s work was protested by an abstinence-only group and the antigay group PFOX, challenged in court by the religious-right Liberty Counsel, and subsequently discarded.
Among the new panel members is antigay activist Peter Sprigg of the Family Research Council. He will represent PFOX.
Other panel members include representatives from PFLAG and NARAL Pro-Choice Maryland. What abortion has to do with sex education is beyond me. (That’s an invitation to a food fight in the comments section, hint hint.)
FOOD FIGHT! FOOD FIGHT! FOOD FIGHT!!!Urghm sorry. Just transported back to high school for a moment.Mike, I think you may be assuming that NARAL Pro-Choice is only about abortion (not so, it seems); but I imagine abortion per se has quite a fair bit to do with sex education, whether one is pro or anti about having abortion as an option:
To parallel it with something else: quite a few feel that homosexuality itself is a topic that has no place in a sex ed. class…
The link doesn’t work for me.
Didn’t they say they were going to have 2 anti-gay people on the panel? They only have one?
Abortion is more or less the last resort of birth control methods. That is why it is included. I can not imagine why this is controversial.
Um, it should be obvious to anyone that, if birth conrol–avoidance of unwanted pregnancies–was an issue, these people would be pushing homosex. Homosex won’t result in unwanted pregnancies. Homosex won’t result in any pregnancies at all.
These people must really be stupid.
The Teach The Facts web site that I linked says the abstinence-only group broke the rules for applying for a panel position, and failed to secure a seat on the panel.
PFOX/FRC also broke the rules, according to TTF, but they were allowed a seat anyway.
Thanks for the summary.
I guess they allowed one of these groups a seat because they didn’t want to go through even more lawsuits and PR wars, with the media trying to attack them and accusing them of wanting to suppress anti-gay voices. The media will always take the side of those who hate gays. They think they have to because they think that anti-gay attitudes are what “normal” Americans believe.
I feel sorry for the kids in that area. Most schools have very anti-gay students and they get away with most of their hostilities. This will just encourage them even more.
Several things:
First, I’ve heard that the area is very liberal and pro-gay. The way I understand it, the school administration is supportive of the gay students. In fact, the problem arose because they had a sex-ed program that mocked certain religious beliefs as being homophobic (they mentioned Southern Baptist as an example). Though PFOX disgusts me, the curriculum did go too far.
Second, abortion is – and should be – a part of sex education. I hope that the curriculum mentions the negative emotional and physical (not religious) impact as well as just the mechanics. But, regardless, it would be insane to pretend like it didn’t exist and to not teach the facts – otherwise the kids will have street knowledge of it which will be inaccurate.
Third, by selecting Peter Sprigg, PFOX loses any credibility as an advocate for ex-gays. Sprigg is not involved in the ex-gay movement but rather is a leader in the anti-gay movement (to the extent they are separate). Sprigg has no authority or information to provide relating to “other choices” that kids who are same-sex attracted could make. His contribution is simply a litany of hate and lies.
If PFOX was sincere, they could have selected from a dozen or so people who at least come from the ex-gay ministries. I would not agree with what they say, but at least they would be representative of the people that PFOX claims to represent.
Clearly PFOX us a fraud.
If they could get young people to come to church and not be bored to death by their messages, they wouldn’t have to intrude on PUBLIC SCHOOLS!
If their message of abstinance only hadn’t failed so miserably in the communities it matters most in, they wouldn’t have to beg for a position with a county school board.
Abstinance only until marriage was sold to the previous generation….and that didn’t do so well.
Now we have BIRTH CONTROL and reliable STD tests and profilactics.
We also have young girls hopefully who are far more autonomous about their emotional health and self protection.
Same for gay kids.
PFOX is trying to sell an old fashioned notion that won’t work in the 21 st century and won’t prepare young people enough for EVERY eventuality….like NEVER marrying and alternatives for a healthy sex life with far less risk.
Planned Parenthood is about being well informed for EVERYTHING.
Abstinence only is limited and gender biased as well as gay biased and will be ineffective for other kid’s realities.
When will PFOX get it that their time is over?
If kids need church teaching, they can go to church. If they don’t want it, it’s a requirement that they be taught everything available for a healthy and most productive life with or without church.
Mike,
If you wanted a food fight, you were supposed to like abortion rights to gay rights! 😉
As Dalea said, no controversy here when linked to sex ed. What kind of an instigator are you anyway?
Like = Link in the above post.
Grrrr.