New York Times Editorial Addresses Trump Administration’s Promotion Of Abstinence-Only Education

New York Times: The New Era of Abstinence
Editorial Board

“The administration of Donald Trump … is promoting abstinence with a zeal perhaps never before seen from the federal government. … The administration’s approach defies all common sense. There is no good evidence that abstinence-only education prevents or delays young people from having sex, leads them to have fewer sexual partners, or reduces rates of teen pregnancy or sexually transmitted infections. … Disinformation is at the center of this agenda. It makes it more difficult for women to acquire the knowledge they need to control if and when they become pregnant — a problem that is exacerbated by the administration’s hostility toward abortion rights. Beyond that, abstinence-only education keeps all people who are subjected to it in the dark about critical aspects of their health, and treats a normal part of life — sexuality, and women’s sexuality in particular — as aberrant and shameful” (5/5).

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