mccain hates sex ed

Here's something you should know: if John McCain is elected president, you sure won't be getting any more sex ed. In fact, it's likely that the recent decline in the number of states funding abstinence-only- until-marriage education will be just a fond memory.

In a McCain administration, we can pretty much guarantee more money will be pumped into these faulty programs. That's because, like many republicans, McCain is an abstinence-only booster. His campaign is also trying to make comprehensive sex education sound like something dirty.

Take his latest ad. In it, he attacks his opponent, Barack Obama, for supporting comprehensive sex ed for five-year-olds.

The ad shows a still photo of Obama and says, "Learning about sex before learning to read?” It then implies that the only accomplishment Obama has had in education was to encourage an inappropriate style of sex ed for kindergarteners.

But as the New York Times explained the ad is based on lies. First off, the bill, which wasn't even sponsored by Obama, never passed. 

Additionally the paper reports,   

"In referring to the sex-education bill, the McCain campaign is largely recycling old and discredited accusations made against Mr. Obama by  Alan Keyes in their 2004 Senate race. At that time, Mr. Obama stated that he understood the main objective of the legislation, as it pertained to kindergarteners, to be to teach them how to defend themselves against sexual predators.

It is a misstatement of the bill’s purpose, therefore, to maintain, as the McCain campaign advertisement does, that Mr. Obama favored conventional sex education as a policy for 5-year-olds. Under the Illinois proposal, 'medically accurate' education about more complicated topics, including intercourse, contraception and homosexuality, would have been reserved for older students in higher grades."

We all know politics can get nasty but sadly, some Americans are so freaked out by the subject of kids and sex, that an ad like this might actually sway some voters!

What do you think of McCain's attacks on sex ed and on Obama's position on the matter?

Comments

[cynthia]

OK THIS IS FUCKING CONFUSING. SO OBAMA WANTS KIDS TO KNOW ABOUT SEX AND THEN HE IS CALLED A PERVERT AND MCCAIN DOESNT WANT PEOPLE TO KNOW ABOUT IT AND WHAT IS HE CALLED? IM FUCKING GLAD MCCAIN DIDNT WIN HE WOULD HAVE MADE OUR POPULATION INCREASE GREATLY. AND MOST THE THING HE SAID WERE SO FUCKED UP!!

[blah<3]

Obama educating five-year-olds about sex doesnt nessarily mean he going to teach them how to have sex, and that hes not.

[ami]

I agree with all the people that support teaching sex-ed to children.
And for those of you who feel otherwise, sorry, but that's gonna happen since liberals (yayyy) are the majority in the house and Senate. =)

[hannah]

okay ness i disagree very much. Abstainence is a practice by the christians. Its in he bible, which i personally think tht it even doesnt follow the constitution to put abstainence only education in public schools, because we have freedom of religion. Education is to inform, not to influence and dominate. it is a personal veiw. gurl is a very liberal site, maybe you should get off andstick to the soit you pointed out. no one hear cares about your religious veiws. i actually think republicans are atrangely unpatriotic, they put there personal veiws ahead of what our country wants, and they forget that a lot of ppl dont believe in god or the bible. some people are athiests. some ppl are buddhists. we dont alll belive n marriage. they haveno right to teach abstinence education as our only option. republicans are exstremely biased.

[bigyellowdinosaur]

um, ness? why are you on this website if you're obviously not a feminist? gurl.com is a pretty liberal website, if you haven't noticed. also, I was wondering, do you get your opinions from your parents? because it sounds like you're vomiting back up something you've heard before and not stating your own thoughts. likely, you never think about thinking for yourself.

[kelsey]

i mean i got bored reading this (sorry gurl.com) but I dispise mccain anyways hes just an old fashioned white guy, and yes i'm white but i want Obama, he seems that he might be better than the past retards we've had (bush,clinton) Sex ed is actually very helpful so i think mccain is wrong to think its wrong, i can't stand people like mccain

[TheLioness]

I think I found that what bothers me most is this: people try to choose for other people.
You can not, nor do you have the right to, govern other peoples personal lives.
I think that is why we should have these open laws where the choice is personal!
Gary marriage and abortion are two huge examples.
Of course it can't be that way for all laws, but as long as it doesn't directly hinder the funtion of society i.e murder is ok if it's a passion crime...that would be rediculous.

Honestly, if I was raped I would have an abortion. I don't think I could live through the pregnancy, knowing I carried this child of hate and crime.
Besides, how do you tell a child they were put up for adoption because their mother was raped?
Talk about serious emotional issues.
Or if I was carrying my fathers or brothers child... abortion. Not only would that child most likely end up handicapped, but I could never look at it the way I should love it. Even if it was adopted. I would want an open adoption no matter what, but could I see that child and love it, even if i wanted the best for it?

I don't know.
I just feel it is selfish for people to want to govern other human beings choice.
I thought this whole thing ended with slavery.
Not to mention racism.
I havn't seen so much racism at once, in my life.

It saddens me.

Vote!
-The Lioness

[TheLioness]

I'll try not to sound too biased when I say this, or too angry, but when I read things like what ness said, i literally get nauseus.
It's that kind of close-minded s--t that I can not put up with.
Probably because I can't understand it in the least.

let me make a few comments however though:

1) McCain has lied to us far too many times. I don't understand why people still support him even though he has gotten down to such a dirty level that he's still flingin personal accusations at Obama from years past that arn't even true. He also chose Palin. I feel disgraced as a woman to have so many people look up to her.
During an interview Palin was asked what she thought about the morning after pill aka Plan B. this is what she said "Well, I believe life starts at the moment of conception, so I don't believe in the morning after pill." (not her exact words, just paraphrased). I have so say though... does she know NOTHING? Here is what I learned from my SEX EX CLASS:
The morning after pill does not stop a pregnancy once it has started. It stops the egg from being released. If the egg is already in the fallopian tube and the sperm has already fertilized it, the pregnancy will continue.
It doesn't end pregnancy it keeps it from happening. Very good in a rape case, or when the condom breaks.

2) Sex Ed class is VERY important. As a catholic/christian, i was swayed much more by the information on stds and birth cotrol than i was by any religious doctrine. However, my mother had always been very open with me. from an early age, i was very thorough in what i knew, medically. Sex Ed is important! Teenagers are ghoing to have sex! simple. If your sons and daughters are going to have sex, shouldn't they be safe about it?

3) I'm 17. I am sexually active. I am safe about it. I do my research. I use a condom and birth control every time. My boyfriend and I were both safe even before we started having sex. Though neither of us had had sex before, we went and got checked up by the doctors. I did all of this because i knew what i had to do to be safe!

4) I'm sorry to say it but most right-wing people I know are the most hypocritical people I know.
Now when it comes to gay marriage...my god people... can you not let people live and be happy? Must you stick your nose into someone elses business, their personal life? We have amendments that let us pursue happiness. We have fought desperately to end slavery, to allow women to vote. Equality to all! And yet here you stand, selfg righteous, and claim that homosexuals may not take the benefits of marriage as we do. They may not share their lives in the way that we are privilaged to do.
Just because they love someone of the same sex? It is love all the same!
What right do we as humans have to judge?
It is in the bible!
Only God may judge, not us. We are supposed to love our neighbor and accept all as equals.
Yet there you go, claiming that gay marriage ruins the community, that it's wrong...so on.

5) Obama is for protecting children against sexual predators!
Oh thank god! I can't believe this isn't in schools yet! Our world has become a twisted place. Everyone needs to know how to defend themselves. And though you may not want to face it, so should young children. It's very easy to turn a blind eye to everything that happens, because you don't want to believe it's true. But it is. When I have children, I will make sure they know what is wrong or right. I'm not going to fill their minds with darkness, or perverted things. But I will make sure they know what is wrong, and how to protect themselves! I will make sure they are aware of their surroundings, and comfortable in the knowledge that they can stop things like molestation, and even rape, from occuring if they are forewarned.
And yes, i say this because i know it happens. Though not to me personally, my boyfriend and many of my friends were sexually molested as a child.
We need to end this.
Knowledge is our greatest defense.

Like I said.
I don't understand.
I just wish that people would open their minds instead of refusing to look around them.
Trust me... I have.
I have questioned each and every side of this campaign. I have looked it up and down and seen the pros and cons of each side.
I respect everyone's choice, even if I don't agree.
However...I can not respect people like Ness who say things like that...
and usually I wouldn't even rant like this.
But i was angered, and so now I expresss my thoughts.

Vote!
-The Lioness

[klgp]

i think it is insane how some of you people are freaking out just because someone shared their politic views. i always thought our country was about freedom, the right to think and say want you want. but then people like "ness" go and freak out because someone disagrees. whether i like obama or mccain that doesn't change the fact that politics need to be separate from religion. just because schools teach abstinence doesn't mean no kid will ever have sex before marriage, instead they will still do it just without a good knowledge of diseases, protection, or what will happen if something like pregnancy occurs. and seriously, i know you republicans are very strict and strong about your opinions but you need to stop trying to change everyone else or at least be a little kinder.
we need tolerance to have a successful country, cause its sure as hell clear the US is becoming a crap hole.

and by the way 'ness' your comment about homosexuality was completely irrelevant and unnecessary, and trust me. if you said this to me i would flip a huge liberal s**t on you. and this is coming from a girl who has been raised by a once-hippie.
its people like you that have ruined our country, people who have no respect for others. you would hate someone cause of who they loved. and thats not very godly is it? hate is a sin, sweetheart. god says love everyone doesn't he? i strongly suggest you get yourself in check. your welcome.

[Morgan]

I cannot believe that even after reading this article that there are still some people who support McCaine, even though he obviously lies.
Also, the problem with teaching abstinence in schools is that:
1) It is bringing religion into politics in an area where we can avoid religious involvement easily compared to other, more controversial topics.
Abstinence and saving sex for marriage is a christian view, and our country has a seperation of church and state.
2) It is unrealistic to think that teaching abstinence will have much of an affect on teens--whether or not you teach teenagers about sex in school, if they want to do it, they will. That is the bottom line. So, it is best to protect them through education and let them make their own decisions, whether or not we agree with their decisions. it is not up to us to decide.

[brittany]

YOU CANT BE PRO LIFE IF YOUR PRO WAR MR MCAIn!!!

[user226]

Woah, Woah, Woah ness. You need to calm down there.

I think its EXTREAMLY one sided of you to even SAY something like that! I am not for either side of the fence, since I honestly cannot say who I am for at this point in time. Both of them have very good points, and both of them have equally bad points. I really love this part of Obama though. I think it's a smart move to bring in comprehensive sexual education into the class rooms.

I personally never been touched innaportably, and niether has anybody I know, but GOD FORIB this happens to my children! I would like for them to know what's good and what's bad! We live in a world of sickos, people, and we has parents need to learn how to protect our children.

Now I used the word "protect". It's VERY different from "shelter". I have been sheltered most of my life by my parents about Sex Ed. The only reason I haven't had sex yet was because by a stroke of luck, I'm a hopeless romantic, and I want my first time to be spontaneous. And condoms just don't sound... romantic. My boyfriend of 1 year and half agrees with me, and that we will both wait until I can get birth control.

My parents never taught me anything! And I don't want that to happen to my kids either! Now I live in a northern state, and I don't think they teach the Sex Ed there very well. I learned more about sex and birth control on this very website than my school.
We need to revamp the WHOLE sex ed, in all grades.

And waiting and until marriage is nonsense to me. No matter how wonderful of a relationship you have, if the sex sucks, the relationship crumbles. A lot of people don't like to think that sex really matters, but it does people. It really does. People get divorced over it.

And yeah. I HATE the idea of casual sex. I HATE HATE HATE HATE HATE it! It's gross. I think this comes from bad parenting. Parents try to keep their kids "safe" so they don't tell them anything, and BECAUSE they know nothing they experiment.

And most relious gung-ho jesus-loving girls I know are the biggest sluts you'll ever meet. I'm catholic myself, and it hurts for me to say that.

And what does race or reliogion have to do with anything? As long as somebody can govern the country, and WELL, who cares if youre black, white, brown, male, female, catholic, muslim, jewish?

Stop being so close minded and remove your head from your ass you bigot.

@immature girls: learn to type please. typin lyke dis 2 be cool, really isn't. It just makes you look stupid, and you set women's movement back 50 years every time you do that.

And if you're wondering, I'm 16 years old. If I can type like an adult, you can too.

(excuse my misspellings. It's my kryptonite.)

[Ness]

OH, I AM HOT! First of all, I'm so sick of you liberals and your twisted views!! I'm sick of the media bias! And I'm sick of Barak HUSSEIN Obama! The truth is that 5 year olds should not be learning about sex!! Period, end of STORY!! And, you know what, sex ed in the public schools is screwed up! We should be teaching ABSTINENCE in our schools! SAVE IT FOR MARRIAGE! show TEENAGERS, I REPEAT TEENAGERS, the consequences of sex outside of marriage.(Oh, and by the way, MARRIAGE is defined by One MAN and One WOMAN! Kapish?) Just think, teenagers could focus on their studies, friendships, and families, instead of wondering which STD they picked up over the weekend during a casual hook up with some guy they don't even know!!

I urge you all to visit this site: http://whyknow.org/ (instead of reading this garbage)

[Ariel]

abortion is good in cases of Rape Incest that they pregnacy might kill the mother and some of the few reasons to be Pro Choice is great because who would want a father to rape her child at 13 and get them pregnat that is horribile and that is gonna be terribile for the child and her life so i guess it really should be legal they are allot sick people out there soooooooooooooo you better understand me

[Ariel]

i would vote for obama i agree with his veiws and we need a better type of sex ed when i was in Jr.High we had atleast 7 preg teens and atleast 30 or 40% of people at my old Jr High School had sex and what are they like 12 and its so crazy in High School theyre pregnat teens all over the place so sex ed needs to be improved even if we all hate it geezz them girls should have waited til high school and i dislike Mc Cains plan so starting early is not so bad we have like the most pregnat teenagers and if we tell them about birth control and condoms and stuff thats good kids cant have sex cause it doesnt make you a kid anymore enjoy bein a kid is funner than bein pregnat so they should enforce birth control condoms pro-choice ideals better sex ed and improving the knowlage in sex cuz its crazy with all the sluts McCains needs a reality check n everything and Obama is better fer sure if he wins i would be happy that he would and they should learn sex from the pros and people who know cuz there peirs and classmates dont know so much they might actually make a person ruin there life over silly little sex so Obama rules

[Ariel]

i would vote for obama i agree with his veiws and we need a better type of sex ed when i was in Jr.High we had atleast 7 preg teens and atleast 30 or 40% of people at my old Jr High School had sex and what are they like 12 and its so crazy in High School theyre pregnat teens all over the place so sex ed needs to be improved even if we all hate it geezz them girls should have waited til high school and i dislike Mc Cains plan so starting early is not so bad we have like the most pregnat teenagers and if we tell them about birth control and condoms and stuff thats good kids cant have sex cause it doesnt make you a kid anymore enjoy bein a kid is funner than bein pregnat so they should enforce birth control condoms pro-choice ideals better sex ed and improving the knowlage in sex cuz its crazy with all the sluts McCains needs a reality check n everything and Obama is better fer sure if he wins i would be happy that he would and they should learn sex from the pros and people who know cuz there peirs and classmates dont know so much they might actually make a person ruin there life over silly little sex so Obama rules

[Danni]

Okay, So here's what I have to say.

First, all of you immature young girls(you know who you are) need to get off of Ellen's back. Since when has it been illegal to give an opinion on a topic? All of you are jumping down her throat as if she said you have to vote one way, when in all actuality she didn't even say who to vote for let alone the candidate she supports. For all you know she might be a Mccain supporter but agree with this one aspect of Obama's campaign. exoticxbarbie, what the hell is your problem? How are you going to tell the author of an online sex ed forum that she doesn't know what she's talking about? You obviously are ignorant because you probably don't realize that almost everyone who works on Gurl.com are educated past high school and do research on subjects that they talk about unlike you. You just talk out of ignorance.

Next, THERE IS NOTHING WRONG WITH COMPREHENSIVE SEX EDUCATION!!! I am now seventeen, my mother started talking to me about sex at the age of four. She told me "Those are your private parts and if any person touches you there you come home and tell me. You won't be in trouble but they need to understand that they can't touch you that way." She told me about boy's privates and girl's privates and the difference between them. There is nothing wrong with starting sex education at an early age if you are teaching them appropriately according to age. As they grow, you slowly add onto that education. My mom first told me about sex when I was eleven. None of the specifics just the basics. Just that it caused pregnancy and STD's. She never told me to wait until marriage, she told me to wait until I found the right wrong. She knew that if she told me not to that it would just make me want to do it more. I'm very proud to say that her education did keep my urge down. I knew what it was all about so I wasn't that interested in having sex. I just lost my virginity 3 months ago to my boyfriend of 2 years, so I do agree with comprehensive sex education.

About abortion, I'm neither pro-life or pro-choice. First of all I think that comprehensive sex ed will help the number of abortions go down because teen pregnancy in turn will go down. I have to say that I understand some situations of abortions but not all. If you're using abortions as a mean of regular birth control, you are wrong. But hey people screw up, and if an abortion can give someone a second chance I can understand it. I mean I definately don't agree with bringing something into the world that you cannot provide for. I don't really agree with adoption either just because my mom was adopted and now I feel like I'm missing a part of me.

Finally, everyone shutup about how this article is biased. It's about ONE ISSUE!!! Not the whole campaign and this is just one issue that I feel Mccain is flawed and Obama has better plan for. On other issues I believe Mccain has a far better plan then Obama. I just think Obama has a better grip for this subject because he's grew up in middle class America and seen the hardships of real life Americans.

If you have a problem with my opinion you can suck it... If you like it visit my blog....

www.blogspot.com/politixremixed

[exoticxbarbie]

I'm absolutely sick and tired of hearing and reading all the negativity surrounding Senator McCain. Everywhere i go, looking for an unbiased, non partisan, informational site, I am bombarded with this nonsense. Whoever wrote this article is very clever, using words with a negative connotation to describe something very useful to our children. Abstinence is key. And for you information, since you as an author have no idea what you're talking about, Senator McCain and Governor Palin wan to show teens, NOT CHILDREN, the negative aspects of sex before marriage, not condemn it and hang everyone who isn't a virgin, as you are implying.

[brittany]

I have a very strong opinion about abortion. When i here peoble talking about abortion being wrong I think of that person as being sheltered and un a where of what realy goes on. I've heard storys about young 12 year old girls who just got there first periods father go into there room and rape them and they got pregnant is this young girl suppose to carry her fathers unborn baby and have it? I think people need to look around and realize that these things do happen.

[Dana]

well i totally agree wit obama with teaching the 5 year olds about sexual predators at an early age. wat if they came n contact wit a predator and obama wasnt here? the children wouldnt kno wat 2 do. everybody need 2 just chill out 4 a min cuz if obama was teaching them about sex early then its best if they know only so they wont b taken advantage of. so that chelsea chick needs 2 shut up.

[Katrina]

Haha seriously, all the girls (or guys) on here insisting that Obama is a muslim really need to stop getting their facts off google, youtube, wikipedia or where ever the heck else they are getting this false information from.
Turn on CNN one night and watch some segment on Obama and maybe you will learn a TRUE fact or two..His father may have been Nigerian, and maybe even a muslim, but Obama was raised by his WHITE mother and grandparents, he met his father once his entire life, how in the world does that make him a muslim?
Its pretty sad that even in year 2008 we have such small minded people. Its as if you have been locked up in a little cage for ages and have never been exposed to people different then yourselves. Even if Obama was a muslim, why would it matter? He still believes in god doesent he...? Just because he is a muslim doesent make him a bad person. How are you any better when you can sit there and bash people of a different religion/race then you...Thats not very christian-like now is it?
I believe Obama will make a great president. He seems to have a strong focus on the issues and is determined for change. Educating 5 year olds on how to protect themselves from sexual preditors is far from wrong. Just think how handy such a lesson would be if your 5 year old was being sexualy harrased one day (god forbid) but he/she knew what to do about it? you might wanna thank obama then, huh?
OBAMA FOR PRESIDENT! <3

[Carol]

I think all you girls need to take a chill pill.

Yes, a fiev year old should now how to protect themselves. I think so because my boyfriend was raped by his 17 yr old baby sitter when he was 11 and he had no idea that it was wrong untill he attended sex ed in school a few years later, by then he couldn't proove anything had happened and the girl denied it.

As for McCain...abstenance only education barely works in sunday school let alone in a public school. Some of my best friends believe in God a great deal, we go to church every Sunday and Wednesday and guess what...4 outta 5 of us arn't vigins. And the ones that are, claim they have not found the right person yet. They arn't waiting for marriage and niether is 90% of American teenagers. Sex ed or no sex ed...they don't care.

I am niether For nor Against Obama, some of you girls make a valid point. I'm not sure I want somebody to be the head of my country who's flag he wont honor. However, he has my vote. Black, Muslim, or whatever he may be, He's deffinatly got a better perspective on what the people want then McCain. McCain is in this for himself and his beliefs, not the people.

The times are changing. Teen pregnancy is up, but not because our current sex ed programs arn't working, because teenagers are just getting more ignorant. Sounds like a parenting problem to me, not the schools programs.

[Casey says Vote Punk]

Alright, may I please correct some of this horrifyingly biased mudslinging that's going on here.

For all of you who believe that Senator Barack Obama is Muslim: HE IS NOT MUSLIM. He worships as (I'm sorry, I don't know off the top of my head seeing as I don't practice any religion) some sect of Christianity. And also, how dare you girls call the Qur'an the "Muslim book thing." That's is inexcusably rude. While I will admit I do not know Obama's exact sect of Christianity, you should be ashamed to support any opinions if you are uninformed. Again, it is the QUR'AN.

But still, his religion should not be a factor in this, seeing as it's about birth control. I understand that religion does play a defining factor in opinions about issues like this, it is NO ONES place to decide for EVERYONE. You girls who claim that everyone should be governed by laws that restrict the population, such as those anti-abortion bills, have no right. Decide for yourselves, and be content with that. It is wrong to condemn someone for something that does not affect you in any way whatsoever. The women who choose to have abortions look the same as you do, girls, you cannot tell the difference. Let people make their own decisions. and especially in the case of abortion, seeing as it's such a personal topic. The idea of propaganda comes up when people claim a certain candidate supports sex education for 5-year-olds. Check the candidate's web sites for their platforms, not statements from their opponents.

I believe that the more knowledge people have, the safer they are. I believe that comprehensive sex-education is much safer and more effective than abstinence-only in my personal experience (I've received both from two different school districts). Enough said.

While I agree with Emily that this post is a tad politically biased, I agree more with many of the other gURLs that there is no such thing as an unbiased article. The author, Ellen Friedrichs, is a human being, and her opinions will affect what she is writing. It is an inevitability of journalism; don't take what she writes so personally. To each their own, you can't make EVERYONE happy.

I believe that situations like this should be a learning experience. While not everyone my wish to travel the world, learn a language, or have a foreign pen pal or something worldy along those lines, it is inexcusable to be totally uninformed. i do my best every day to learn as much as I can about things as distant as cultures on the opposite side of the world to something as close to home as the topic of sex education in terms of our upcoming presidential election, which may even rank as one of the most influential in history. Our nation's future is balanced on a pin, and uninformed, racist people who believe propaganda without necessary research (check snopes.com for simple true/false statements to explain much of this propaganda) are unfit to determine this future. Please, I ask all of you to learn your facts, research all sides of a topic, and ONLY THEN may you present your opinion. If you would be able to argue for both the pro and con of an argument, then you can pick sides.

And to all of you who are wondering; I'm 16, yes, 16, and I typed this based on my beliefs. If you disagree, hey, go for it, but don't you dare think once that I don't know what I'm talking about. I've done my part and believe I know both sides of everything I've said. AND I USED PROPER GRAMMAR. You should too, ladies.

[Paulina]

Hi! first of all i am not american, but this whole u.s. election thing is something i have been following since the very start.
i've been reading your comments and i'm shocked when i found things like obama hates white people, he is Muslim, etc. The fact that he is half black doesn't mean he hates them and SO WHAT if he is muslim or catholic or whatever, you should vote for him because of his abilities, and the things he proposes to do, not because of the colour of his skin or religion, the same goes for Mr. McCain, it is not about his age or the fact he is a veteran (which i personally consider a bad thing) it is the fact that you agree with him.
Now about the sex ed thing, i think it is something really important nowadays, i mean, honestly, how many people wait til marriage to have sex? almost nobody!! lets be realistic. Ignorance is way more dangerous than teaching sex ed to kids.
One last thing, to Melissa, America is a country in which a lot of different races "coexist" and every year it is starting to be less white and more everything else, the colour of your skin doesn't matter, people are people it doesn't matter if you're white or green. The colour of your next president's skin has nothing to do with his ability to govern.

[JimmyCudo]

I am originally from NYC and now i am attending college in another state, in a small town. What i have found here is that a lot of people are extremely against the idea of Obama for President, strictly on the bases of his ethnicity and to me that is just disgusting. i read the comments and people seem to be saying that McCain is getting bashed all the time and i strongly disagree. A lot of the time i notice how McCain takes Obama's statements out of context and this is one great example of this. I get that McCain is conservative on certain topics but at the same time, times are changing and i believe we need for our parties to realize that and stop being so afraid to bring awareness to topic and issues such as sex. To take sex education out of the schools would be one of the hugest mistakes ever. It's time for people to stop being so hush hush about things because ignorance and fear are a deadly combination.
Yes i am voting for Obama (I believe in change and right now its needed more then ever.)

[Melissa]

Dear Bonnie,
I read your rant to the girl who supports McCain. I also support McCain and women shouldnt have a choice when they get pregnant, if they dont want to keep the child they should put it up for adoption but you know what i think you really need to get more educated on BOTH candidates now i could be wrong but i have a strong feeling you dont know all of the facts!
I do no await a responce but i do expect you to brush up on your knowledge. Maybe visit both websites of both candidates becccayse you dont know what your saying. I'm no t super racist but i feel that if you are supporting a black man for a mainly white country that is wrong.
Thank You
_ mmz

[GG]

I really hate politics. I mean, most of it is political mudslinging, ludicris accusations, and lies.
I hope the best man wins.
(P.S. i'm voting for Obama)

[wow people.]

alright. my opinion on this has nothing to do with the story at the moment. This is a worldwide website. where's the dirt on obama? a website like this can't just trash one president and idolize the other. that's like trying to brainwash us so that we all lean for obama. it shouldn't be that way. americans should learn everything there is to know about BOTH candidates and then decide honestly on those facts.

[spree]

mccain is sooooo wrong!!! there was a survey tht the states tht teach sex ed have a lower teen pregnancy rate then the states tht only teach abstinence.

[jacquelinegrace]

what obama meant was to teach 5 year olds what is inappropriate.. I would picture this as a teacher showing on a doll if a grown up touches you hear that's bad and you need to tell another grown up (teacher, parents, etc.)

I live in one of the most liberal regions of the country and i am ashamed to say that there was false information given out through my sex ed on multiple occasions. And I learned virtually nothing about birth control. all i learned was use a condom or wait until your married. what if you plan on loosing your virginity to a virgin and end up being in a monogamous relationship for several years? That's what i did. luckily i had been on the pill in the past for a hormone imbalance so i had easy access. But seriously- everything i have learned about sex has been from gurl.com, plannedparenthood.com, and my older cousin. i learned nothing new from school and even caught some false facts.

I am the one that friends ask for sex advice. i have a friend who is abstinence only and right before she got married she had TONS of questions for me... i mean even if you are abstinence only i don't think you should be deprived of accurate sex education.

Another thing. it sickens me that people seriously think pulling out is a form of birth control and that if you have anal sex you don't need a condom, and it really bothers me that people don't get STD tests when they have multiple partners and don't use a condom.

[Lolita]

and for everyone's information sex ed tells of both. not every school dishes out condoms. and religion of ppl shouldnt matter thats wut this country was built on relief from religious procecution. thats y all the immigrants came to america in the first place...for some freedom. and to have a child should be a womans choice. im not for abortion bc thats my view. if you made it u should care for it. im not for putting a child up for adoption either. but if some ppl want to have children let them if some want dont or if they were too young or a victum of rape they should. and teaching 5 yr olds wuts right from wrong when a adult does something to you is very important. i have a friend whos father sexually assulted her when she was 3 and she didnt know wat was going on she just finally got over that and shes 17 now. i myself was beaten and raped. the point is that everyone has their own opinons and race, religion, sexual preference,or just the way the person was brought up shouldnt matter. ppl r ppl. this is america and america is full of choices. ppl should know. knowledge is wut ppl have the right to. but if all ya'll wanna be ignorant than so be it.

[Lolita]

Taking sex ed outta schools will make more teens have unprotected sex which will lead to more STD's and pregnancies. TEENS HAVE BEEN HAVING SEX FOR THOUSANDS OF YEARS THEY CANT TRY AND STOP US NOW! im sooo for Obama. At least he's not going to try and deprive us of information that is needed. The more teens know about sex the more they can be protected from any of the mishaps from it. And McCain could be a f*kn hippocrit for all we know! makes you wonder when he first got laid. i bet u anything it was when he was a TEEN! TEEN sex is not going to go away thats how its been done for thousands of years and it aint stopping now. you cant force someone to do something they dont want to its ridiculous. How's he gonna make us anyways? Kill us? bc there's no way im gonna listen to that crap. im too bull headed to. i swear if McCain is elected prez. we're gonna have alot of dead ppl in this country. not only from std's but from pregnancy too. women are closer to death during pregnancy than any time of her life. especially during labor. its ridiculous. Obama knows wat he's talking about. i like him not bc hes black. but of the content of his character. and what about gay rights??? they're ppl like everyone else. but alot of ppl think its wrong to be w someone you love even though its w a person of the same gender. its not their fault thats how they were born. The united states is treating gays the way they treated ppl of color n the 50's and 60's its outrageous. they're just like us there's no difference. if straight ppl are allowed to marry and be w who they want then gays should too. man can anyone imagine how much more of a hell hole the US is gonna be if McCain is voted Prez???? i garentee another great depression. this country is gonna die.

[zoe]

gosh. McCain needs a reality check! he also needs to drop out..... but thats not the point. could he just GET SOME OF HIS FACTS RIGHT? just the once? please? gosh...

[Rashanna]

This is just plain ridiculous. Obama knows whaty he's talking about. If you actually read the article correctly you wolud have seen that his opponet, while he was ruuning for senator turned his words around. Secondly Chealsea who are you. You have jacked up family values,child what are you being taught at home. You hateful little shrew, Obamam is not muslim, and if he was so what. Back up, it's his decsion. Please know your facts before trying to make a point. Plus, Obama is half white,your just a biased little prick. This country need's Obama. Not another 4-8 years of Bush. End of story.

[Diana]

Sex education classes which teach abstinence in addition to other forms of birth control do not necessarily provide condoms for its students. They definately do not, however, promote abortion. Most classes explain what abortion is and discuss the pros and cons. Whether you are pro choice or pro life you still have to know what abortion is.

Really, the most important argument against abstinance only sex ed is that kids will have sex regardless of their knowledge on how to protect themselves. Schools which only allow abstinence only sex education are putting their students at a disadvantage. In America we believe in a right to an education and that should include all of the unbiased facts.

[Bronnie]

Sigh...everyone seems to be shouting on this board. I feel a little bit taken aback, especially by Chelsea who said:
"for the people who agree that 5 year olds should be taught it, get lost. seriously... thats just outrageous. a 5 year old shouldnt know this crap. i still dont like Obama, and NOTHING will change it. Obama IS muslim, and against the white people. he is RACIST. and I think the people who support him are too."
Wow Chelsea. Simmer down, please.

1) There are sick people out there. It doesn't matter if you're 5, 15, or 55, but there is ALWAYS the possibility that you could be raped. THERE IS ALWAYS A CHANCE. Why shouldn't five year olds learn how to defend themselves? They'll get full sex ed when they're older, but until then, it's more than fine to let them know at least what kind of crazies there are out there.
2)Barack Obama is not Muslim. The Islamic religion is admirable and interesting in many respects, however he is part of the
Universalist Unitarian Church.
3) Obama is not against white people. He is from a partially white family! Just because he's black doesn't mean he hates whites, blacks, hispanics, or anyone. He is striving to make America a place of equality.
3) How dare you make the insinuation that I am racist because I support Obama. HOW DARE YOU. How can you even assume that I or anyone who supports Obama is racist? How do you know? Have you ever even MET an Obama supporter, Chelsea?
Or do you stay away from us because you think we're all scary homo pouffs who want women to have their own choice when they get pregnant?
I await your response.
Faithfully,
Bronnie

[Sarah]

I think we need abstinence only education, because you still learn about std's and stuff you just dont hand out condoms and promote stuff like abortion. ABORTION IS KILLING AN LIVE HUMAN BABY! Yes, kids are still going to have sex. But it takes the pressure off of them and lets them know that not having sex is okay. yes, Sarah's daughter is pregnant, but kids make mistakes, she is still a good mother. You cant blame her for her daughters bad choices.

[Briana]

So...McCain and Palin both want abstinence only education...

Which they had in Alaska...

Where Palin's daugher got pregnant?

Good plan, ladies and gentlemen. Clearly it's highly effective in preventing teen pregnancies.

[Shania]

What?This is crazy there are lots of young ladies that don`t want to talk to there mom.They don`t know why they are getting bumps and curves.People we need sex ed I don`t understand him. Another thing it`s not going to happen with waiting till marrige everyone knows prom night comes and bam!! almost everyone got some that night.Some people don`t even get believe in getting married what happened to a free country.That is not free.Some people believe you don`t have to have a liecene to show you care and are loyal.

[Fiction]

so...mccain doesn't belive in abortion, but then he doesn't want sex ed either? he wants to take away one of the ways to prevent teen pregnancy, and the way to get rid of the pregnancy too? does he just want everyone popping out babies at all ages or what? is he trying to grow the country so we'll have more military? the hell's going through this man's mind? is he gonna take away condoms and birth control next?

[Abbie]

I would just like to remind you that you are the media. Your job is to report neutrally, not try to sway voters to Obama's side of the fence. As for me, I believe that abstinence-only education probably wouldn't work for everyone. It's the values behind it and sadly a lot of people don't have those values. However, because you disagree doesn't mean that everyone else has to. This is America, just to remind you. Also, McCain will be getting my vote because there is no way that I can vote for someone who thinks that it is okay to take a life, even if that life hasn't been born yet. If someone doesn't value life, what do they value?

[Camilla]

Okay I'm a Catholic so I strongly believe in abtinence-only-until-marriage anyway but just because it occurs to me doesn't mean that it will occur to everyone in my school let alone the world.
The issue of teenage pregnancies is growing and we need to do something about it. Teenage pregnancies cans destroy families and trust so we need to be taught on how to protect ourselves.
If they take away Sex-ed or even describe it as "dirty or bad" that'll just increase the curiosity to find out about it even more. Or even worse encourage people to do it.
As for teaching 5-year olds to defend themselves against sexual predators I don't see anything wrong about that. Of course little children will be confused and curious but they're children they're naturally like that and they need to be taught that how certain things adults say or do is wrong. Also I don't think telling them it's wrong is going to encourage children to do it. Little children depend on adults to tell them right or wrong so if they're told not to do it I'm sure they won't do it. I always listened to my mum or I thought something bad would happen to me if i disobeyed her.

[ellen friedrichs]

Hi Jessica,
You say "I am in no way against protecting children from sex offenders, but we must realize, they are children. How will any sort of education really protect these kids against an adult? It won't. More than likely it will just scare them and introduced them to the idea of sex themselves."

I'd like to respond. Sex ed. can protect a child in a few ways.

Children are more likely to speak up if they are being touched inappropriately or tell a trusted adult after the fact if they know the facts. For example:

1) It is not okay for a grown-up to touch him or her in a sexual manner.
2) There are certain tactics that abusers use and these aren't ok. EG: If an adult say to a child, "I am going to teach you how to kiss."
3) The proper words for body parts. This allows the kid both to tell the abuser that what they are doing isn’t ok. EG: "My mom says no one is allowed to touch my vagina but me." (A lot more persuasive than, "Don't touch my down there or privates.") Plus, kids with proper vocab have an easier time later telling adults if something happened.

Those are just a few ways sex ed, more than karate can help kids stay safe!
Thanks for reading,
Ellen

[Rachel]

I am just speaking out to all of those people that think their way is the only way (in anything). If you have gathered information from all of the sides before you made your decision, so be it, but I think in order to make a proper decision it must be an educated decision. I have learned a lot just reading what everyone else had to say. I hope everyone takes the time to listen to people with other beliefs.

[stef]

I'm canadian first off. So I'm not 100% aware of all yournpolitical happenings, therefore I will refrain from commenting on things I dont know about. I will however say, that I believe it is better to keep Sex Ed. I dont understand how some people think that educating children about sex is bad. Sex ed offers the best options for those who already WANT to have sex. Teaching abstinence is not going to remove this desire from them. How can we expect our kids not to want to have sex when they plainly know that the majority of adults do it, they arent stupid. Whether it is by their parents or their classmates or by tv, they will eventually learn that sex is available to them. The least we can do is make sure they dont get themselves in trouble from doing it. I believe there is an age for sex ed. I think five years old is a bit young personally. Though I do believe they should be taught about predators, and in response to the person who said that 'their parents can teach them about predators' well, what about parents THAT are predators? Or parents that are just absent in their childrens' lives? Eventually though, even young children will ask about how babies are made. You cant lie to them forever, you will have to tell them about the basics eventually. Sex ed would take over when it would be time to go into further detail. Determining this time would be the most complex part of the Sex ed I think. Anyways, to conclude, I think there can be nothing but positive outcomes from a Sex Education programme.

[Mandi]

really..wow. it's just sad that mccain has to go to this leval, i mean it's enough with all the lies he is spreading, but this, it's just insane. he really needs to stop flipping Obamas words around, it's getting very sad. if i could vote, Obama would be my man. : ]]

[Katie]

Haha...You know John McCain had sex before he was married. He just wants to look like Mr.Goody Two Shoes to his voters. I think it's a bunch of crap if you ask me! All McCain does is talk about Obama in bad ways. I mean have you seen the commerical about how Obama wants to raise taxes. And Obama keeps the subject on the American people and what he can do to help this world today. If you ask me we need Obama!!!

[Illgrove]

McCain is ignorant in saying that Sex-Ed isn't necessary. By the age of ten half of the kids in America learn to masturbate. This means that they are most likely thinking about some sort of sexual act. As a seventeen year old, I'm very happy that we have sex-ed. It teaches you about contraception and how it should be used. Not only that but it teaches you about the consequences of having sex. We're teenagers! If we want to have sex then guess what? We're going to go out and DO IT! You can't stop us, you can't go out on dates with us, and you sure as hell aren't going to spend the night at a friend's house with us. it doesn't work that way. If anything, McCain should be promoting sex-ed. With a Vice President candidate who has a pregnant seventeen year old daughter he should know what happens. This is stupid. With the growing rates of teen pregnancy out there we should be teaching about how to prevent it. Not telling kids that they shouldn't do it. Not to mention the fact that the Obama law is perfect for such a corrupt society that we live in right now. Sex-ed should be taught along with potty training. "Don't ever let anyone else touch you here unless it's a doctor. If you ever feel scared around someone you should tell Mommy or another person you trust." These are basic things we should be telling our children. If anyone heard of the little girl who was raped by her step-dad you have to remember that she was THREE YEARS OLD. She was almost ripped in half. This day and age in society is not one where we should be ashamed to say "Hey guess what, little kid? Everyone in the big bad world does whatever the hell they want. Here's what you need to do." Providing children and teenagers with the necessary lessons to protect themselves is not a bad thing. I believe we should have more of it. This does not meant that pornography should litter the hallways of every school. It means teaching from a very young age that some types are touching are wrong and at a teenage age that if you're going to have sex then do it safely.

[Deanna]

Why in the hell does John McCain not believe that early childhood education is a great thing? I think it is. You should see how many KIDS these days are having sex and getting pregnant! Let them know ahead of time and give them the real facts and knowledge of sex and its consequences. They will grow to believe in it more and start to practice their word. Obama supports sex ed education for 5 year olds. At first, I thought that "yea, maybe this isnt such as good idea because of the fact that they might not even be able to read yet", but then I thought, " That if John McCain thought that teaching 5 year olds how to defend themselves against sexual predators is inappropriate for they're age type, then he is very wrong for that." Im glad Obama supports that because if you watch the news, many kids, even helpless and defenseless BABIES out here that aren't even in their years yet, are being sexually touched by some disgusting parents or/and guardians.

[Sion]

Ok, I just have to say one thing: Pro-choice DOES NOT mean pro-abortion. The two are completely different. For one thing, pro-abortion would mean encouraging women to abort their babies. I don't think I've ever heard anyone say "Go out and get an abortion - the population's too big anyway!" Pro-choice, however, means giving women the right to choose, based on their own personal situation, whether it would be in the best interest of themselves and their child to keep the baby. Personally, I would never, ever get an abortion. It scares me, and I couldn't just get rid of my child that way. But what gives me or anyone else the right to decide for everyone that abortion is wrong and should never be allowed? The problem is that certain people (and I'm not trying to insult anyone here, but in my experience many [but not all] devout Christians have done this) think that everyone should believe the same things as them, simply because they believe these things are true. But the truth is that just because you may believe that abortion is never an option, does not make that true for everyone else, like a woman who has been raped. Everyone should be given a choice. You made yours, I made mine, and the woman who's been raped should get to make hers, too.

Also, some politicians like Sarah Palin and John McCain have said that they are pro-life because it will improve family structure and if abortion is illegal it will reduce teen pregnancy. I respect both Mr.McCain and Mrs.Palin greatly, but this simply cannot be true. If anything, all the banning of abortion will cause is more illegal, unsafe abortions. The same amount of women will get abortions, I guarantee it. However, since it will not be legal, these women will have to go to shady doctors in dark alleys whose cleanliness and expertise are questionable. These conditions could cause great harm to the mother, like illness, severe pain, etc. Also, the banning of abortion will not bring families closer together or create better family values. It could tear families apart, as the same amount of teens will get pregnant, but they will not be able to make the same choices they can now. The thing about people is, they're going to do what they want whether the government gives them permission or not.

This is where sex ed comes in. Instead of trying to ban abortion and promote abstinence only, we need to teach children and teens about safe sex and how to protect themselves. If they become educated about sex and the possible consequences of having sex before marriage, maybe more of them will think twice before just going for it. Maybe, if teens know the truth about sex, they WILL wait until marriage, and then abortion won't need to be an option anymore. Another reason not to tell teens "Sex before marriage is bad and dirty, you're not allowed to do it," is because the more teens are told they're not allowed to do something, the more they want to. The more taboo something is to the general population, like underage sex, the more appealing it is to them. And do we really want our youth thinking that sex is dirty and bad? It isn't dirty or bad. It's how every single one of us came to be on this earth.

Ok, so maybe that was more than just one thing, and it was a lot longer than I thought when I started, but I just had to put my two-cents in. Thanks for your time!