[Paleopsych] Tom Coburn on abortion

[Steve Hovland]

Whether science-based or not, the most
visible people in right-wing sex education
tend to promote abstinence, which is
totally unrealistic.

I'm not comfortable with the fact that
pre-teens may be commonly engaging
in oral sex, but it I have heard from my
wife, who teaches pre-high-schoolers,
that it does go on and there is a lot
of concern because the kids seem to
think that there is no disease danger
involved.

It may be that parents need to be involved
when the issue is abortion, but perhaps
kids should be able to get contraceptives
on their own initiative without their
parents being involved.

I know this flies in the face of the beliefs
of a lot of people, but the fact is, when
the kids decide to have sex, they are
going to have it with our without
contraceptives.

Steve Hovland
www.stevehovland.net


-----Original Message-----
From:	Lynn D. Johnson, Ph.D. [SMTP:ljohnson at solution-consulting.com]
Sent:	Saturday, January 15, 2005 9:17 AM
To:	The new improved paleopsych list
Subject:	Re: [Paleopsych] Tom Coburn on abortion

Good c omments, Steve, except for the last paragraph. There is no study 
I am aware of that suggests that 'science based sex education' will 
prevent unwanted pregnancies. Can you find one?

What evidence I am aware of suggests that values-based education - 
"indoctrination" - does help substantially. Look at Uganda's experience 
for an example, when the ABC model did appear to reduce AIDS. Programs 
without the AB part seem to have a track record of failure (there are 
informal AB components going on in Brasil & Jamaica if those are your 
counter examples). If you can find an actual study to the contrary, I am 
open.

We might conclude that both Right and Left have substantial blind spots 
when it comes to abortion. While the Right may balk at the C component, 
liberals I am personally acquainted with seem horrified by the AB 
components.
LJ

Steve Hovland wrote:

>A lot of us on the left don't think abortion is
>a good idea.
>
>Anyone who knows a woman who has had
>an abortion knows that she pays an emotional
>price for it.
>
>But we also know that women do make that
>decision, and we don't think it is moral for
>them to be forced to go to dangerous
>back-alley abortionists when they do make
>that decision.
>
>The right needs to get in touch with reality
>about the actual sexual behavior of people
>from the age of 12 and up, and stop
>opposing the science-based sex education
>that would help prevent unwanted pregnancies..
>
>Steve Hovland
>www.stevehovland.net
>
>
>-----Original Message-----
>From:	Lynn D. Johnson, Ph.D. [SMTP:ljohnson at solution-consulting.com]
>Sent:	Saturday, January 15, 2005 6:25 AM
>To:	The new improved paleopsych list
>Subject:	Re: [Paleopsych] Tom Coburn on abortion
>
>Michael,
>You are correct. I tried www.news.google.com (I use news.google because 
>I want actual news stories and not internet rumors) and I found one 
>story from Oklahoma (Fox news) where they reported that. I did find a 
>lot of secondary sources with the term "death penalty" but only that one 
>primary source. Ironically he did perform two abortions himself in his 
>medical career:
>http://www.fox23.com/news/state/story.aspx?content_id=BF956298-934E-4B30-B9D3-DC274E134AF4
>
>I agree with you. His position is thoughtless. Such violent speech must 
>be opposed. I am personally repelled by abortion, but the right way to 
>deal with that is education and persuasion about better alternatives. 
>Violence is never the way. I plan to write to him and ask him to 
>moderate his views - using persuasion and reason again.
>
>I was doubtful because his profession - physician - should have taught 
>him to do no harm. But that is certainly no guarantee of reason.
>Lynn
>
>Michael Christopher wrote:
>
>  
>
>>>>Michael, this is a questionable report. I just 
>>>>     
>>>>
>>>>        
>>>>
>>did a Yahoo News search for the terms:
>>Tom Coburn Oklahoma abortion capital punishment
>>No returns.<<
>>
>>--Try Google (lots of matches). I'd give you a source,
>>but you'd have to tell me which sources you'd trust
>>first, so I don't waste my time only to hear "Well,
>>that's a liberal source, so I don't trust it". I've
>>learned to ask that question first, to avoid the
>>typical response.
>>
>>Michael
>>
>>
>>		
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