Attention

The opinions expressed by columnists are their own and do not represent our advertisers

Sunday, August 22, 2010

Obama Administration Blocks Release Of Pivotal HHS Abstinence Study

The Obama administration is, once again, entangled in controversy over sex education.

Yet this time, it is not about what the administration is trying to implement, but about what it is withholding – and apparently for political reasons.

A taxpayer-funded study that indicates parental and adolescent support of abstinence education is not being released by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), as it does not support the administration’s objective – or that of vocal “safe sex” activists – of eliminating all abstinence-education funding.

The Administration for Children and Families (ACF), a division of HHS, funded a survey of 1,000 adolescents between the ages of 12 and 18 and their parents, in order to measure parent-adolescent communication and adolescent attitudes toward sex and abstinence.

The American Public Health Association’s (APHA) website reveals the results of the survey:

“Adjusting for all other factors in the model, parent and peer factors are more consistently associated with differences in adolescent attitudes about sex and abstinence than are measures of adolescent exposure to sex and abstinence topics in a class or program.

Additionally, parent attitudes are more important in influencing adolescent views than the level of parent communication with their adolescent.”

The executive summary revealed that:

* 70 percent of parents agreed with the statement: “It is against your values for your adolescents to have sexual intercourse before marriage.
* 70 percent of parents agreed with the statement: “Having sexual intercourse is something only married people should do.”
* Adolescents had similar responses for the two questions.

During an APHA conference, researcher Lisa Rue, Ph.D., who specializes in adolescent behavior, was intrigued by the study and requested the full report. She was summarily denied access.

Rue then resorted to submitting a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request, which was also denied because it was “pre-decisional and deliberative” – even though it was presented in public twice.

Here is more

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

this administration doesn't seem to want to reveal anything that may "hurt" their base. in this case it would be planned parenthood and the teachers union.

it truly is a shame we have all the tools needed to teach this topic responsibly; yet there is an agenda that goes against most parents and this is certainly not working for our young people.

"truth - what a concept"

Anonymous said...

So much for transparency..

Unknown said...

So what teenagers get at home on this topic is more important than what they get in school. Most parents don't want their kids having sex.
And most teenagers agree they should not be having sex before marriage?
That last one is hard to swallow.
That's a lying bunch of teenagers.

Chimera said...

I feel that if parents are open and frank in speaking to their kids age-appropriately about sex AND contraception,their kids have a better shot at avoiding STD's and/or unwanted pregnancy. Also,girls who have a strong positive father or father/figure in the home are less likely to become teen mothers.
You cant just tell them "dont do it".And most of us would like the Government to leave tese issues to the families.

Anonymous said...

Bill- "should not be", and "are" are two different things.
They know better, but do it anyway. It's a difficult world, especially when the kids walk around dressed like hookers and stud-muffins.
Hormones can get the best of you sometimes.
But parents need to teach these young 'uns right from wrong, and it would be helpful if they live what they say.
You don't have much credibility when you have 5 kids and you've never been married.

Anonymous said...

so, your saying that the report with all the results was released online and there were press conferences, yet Obama is trying to hide?