Government Sex Education Website Draws Fire

The United States Department Of Health And Human Services has put up a new sex education website, 4parents.gov that stresses the promotion of abstinence.

CNN is reporting that a variety of groups are very unhappy with this situation and are attempting to shut down the website:

"There's this misconception that giving young people negative information about contraception will encourage them not to have sexual intercourse, when all it will do is encourage them not to have contraception, so the strategy backfires," Monica Rodriguez, an official at the Sexuality Information and Education Council of the United States, said Thursday.

The council, which also provides sex education materials, sent a letter addressing its concerns to Michael Leavitt, secretary of the Health and Human Services Department.

More than 100 organizations, primarily liberal advocacy groups, signed on, including the American Civil Liberties Union, the Human Rights Campaign and Planned Parenthood.

Predictably, groups at the other end of the political spectrum disagree. --------------------------An Invitation: All writers and readers of education-related posts are invited to contribute to the ninth edition of The Carnival of Education. Please send your submissions to: owlshome [at] earthlink [dot] net. We should receive your contributions no later than 10:00 PM (Pacific) Tuesday, April 5, 2005. The Carnival midway will open here at the 'Wonks Wednesday morning. Get the easy-to-follow entry guidelines here. View the latest edition of the Carnival there.

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