--
Richard Chudacoff, MD
A countryman between two lawyers is like a fish between two cats.
Benjamin <http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/b/benjaminfr128081.html>
Franklin
Heaven grant that the burden you carry may have as easy an exit as it had an
entrance.
[Prayer To A Pregnant Woman]
- <http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/d/desiderius148996.html>
Desiderius Erasmus
_____
From: ob-gyn-l@obgyn.net [mailto:ob-gyn-l@obgyn.net] On Behalf Of
RModugno@aol.com
Sent: Wednesday, August 11, 2004 5:21 PM
To: Multiple recipients of list OB-GYN-L
Subject: don't mess with Texas
New Sex-Education Textbooks in Texas Likely to Ignore Contraception
By Jon Herskovitz
DALLAS (Reuters) Aug 05 - Texas educators are debating what will be taught
in new sexual education textbooks for its high school students. The
15-member Texas Board of Education is considering and will likely approve
four books, all of which extol the virtues of abstinence. Three make no
mention of contraceptives at all while one makes passing reference to
condoms.
Critics are crying foul, saying that a lesson of abstinence alone is
dangerous because it could lead to more teen pregnancies and more teens
becoming infected with sexually transmitted diseases.
The battle in Texas has national implications because the state is the
second-biggest market for textbooks in the United States. Books approved by
the state's school board are typically marketed nationally.
According to Centers for Disease Control figures, Texas has been among the
top five states in the country for teenage pregnancies for several years.
When he was governor of Texas, George W. Bush pushed for an abstinence-based
sexual education curriculum. He raised his concerns to a national level when
he said in this year's State of the Union address: "We will double federal
funding for abstinence programs, so schools can teach this fact of life:
Abstinence for young people is the only certain way to avoid sexually
transmitted diseases."
National surveys indicate that a wide majority of parents support a strong
abstinence message to teens in sexual education.
The Texas Freedom Network, a group that regularly battles social and
religious conservatives in the state, along with Planned Parenthood and
others are asking the board not to approve the four textbooks under
consideration.
They say the books are lacking. For example, one textbook under review
advises that a good way a teenager can prevent a sexually transmitted
disease is to get plenty of rest so he or she can have a clear head about
sex and choose abstinence.
"The key thing here is that the textbooks do not contain a trace of
information about family planning and prevention of sexually transmitted
diseases other than through abstinence," said Dan Quinn, a spokesman for the
Texas Freedom Network.
Critics want the board to ask the publishers to revise the books to include
more information on contraceptives, but the board is expected to approve the
books without changes since officials say discussion of contraceptives in
their teachers' supplements is enough to meet state curriculum requirements.
"There are other contraceptive methods in addition to abstinence and you are
just not going to find it in these textbooks," Quinn said. He charged the
textbook publishers have engaged in self-censorship to appease social
conservatives in the state at the expense of the health of Texas
adolescents.
The board will meet in September to discuss the books and will vote on
whether to approve them in November. If approved, the texts are likely to
appear in classrooms in August 2005 - where they could be the standard text
for about 10 years.
Local school districts are not required to use one of the new books but they
receive state funding to buy them if they do.
The publishers of the books are Holt, Rinehart and Winston, Glencoe/McGraw
Hill and Thomson Delmar Learning.
Some of the books currently in use in the state have more information about
contraceptives than the books up for consideration, but once the new books
are approved, they will for the most part replace all the current texts.
The education board has been at the center of many political and religious
battles over the years including a recent proposal by evangelical Christian
groups to have the state's textbooks include items debunking evolution.
Texas standards require sexual education books to "analyze the effectiveness
of barrier protection and other contraceptive methods, including the
prevention of sexually transmitted diseases, keeping in mind the
effectiveness of remaining abstinent until marriage."
State Education Agency officials said mention of condoms and contraceptives
in the teacher's editions or in supplements to the books enable them to meet
Texas curriculum standards.
Richard Blake, a spokesman for Holt, Rinehart and Winston said his company
offers a supplement for students that goes into comprehensive detail about
forms of contraceptives.
The supplement for students is free with the purchase of the textbooks. It
is excluded from the main text in order to offer flexibility and meet the
needs of school boards across the United States that have differing views on
how to treat a subject many see as highly sensitive.
"Teachers and educators across the country, and not just in Texas, have told
us they wanted it this way," Blake said.
****************************************************************************
*****************
--
Robert Modugno MD MBA FACOG
Marietta, GA
