I find this galling and imagine that “consternation” is a big understatement. Putting aside the abortion issue, birth control as demeaning to women – give me a break. 2008 cannot come soon enough for me. The new Democratic Congress must, MUST perform well to set the stage for a credible run by a Democratic candidate for president.
WASHINGTON (AP) – The Bush administration, to the consternation of its critics, has picked the medical director of an organization that opposes premarital sex, contraception and abortion to lead the office that oversees federally funded teen pregnancy, family planning and abstinence programs.
The appointment of Eric Keroack, a Marblehead, Massachusetts, obstetrician and gynecologist, to oversee the federal Office of Population Affairs and its $283 million annual budget has angered family-planning advocates.
Keroack currently is medical director of A Woman’s Concern, a Christian nonprofit. The Dorchester, Massachusetts-based organization runs six centers in the state that offer free pregnancy testing, ultrasounds and counseling.
It also works to “help women escape the temptation and violence of abortion,” according to its statement of faith. And it opposes contraception, saying its use increases out-of-wedlock pregnancy and abortion rates.
“A Woman’s Concern is persuaded that the crass commercialization and distribution of birth control is demeaning to women, degrading of human sexuality and adverse to human health and happiness,” its contraception policy reads in part.
“The appointment of anti-birth control, anti-sex education advocate Dr. Eric Keroack to oversee the nation’s family planning program is striking proof that the Bush administration remains dramatically out of step with the nation’s priorities,” Cecile Richards, president of the Planned Parenthood Federation of America, said in a statement.
A message left with A Woman’s Concern was not immediately returned Friday.
Keroack’s appointment as deputy assistant secretary for population affairs does not require Senate confirmation. He is expected to start work in the next several weeks, Department of Health and Human Services spokeswoman Christina Pearson said.
The department’s assistant secretary for health, Dr. John Agwunobi, cited Keroack’s experience in working primarily with “women and girls in crisis” in lauding his appointment.
“He regularly speaks to youth audiences on sexual risk behaviors and has been nationally recognized for his work on preventing teen pregnancy,” Agwunobi said.
How dare the president promote family values, protect unborn children, *and *try to increase sexual health!! This is an outrage!!! Thank you so much for bringing this to our attention AmyCO.
I fail to see how trying to get teenagers to stop having sex is a bad thing.
I am 100% behind Bush on this issue.
Flame away.
Its not a bad thing to try and stop teenagers from having sex. But it is a bad thing to refuse to acknowledge that no matter how hard you try, some teenagers are going to have sex because teenagers have always had sex and always will have sex. It is a bad thing to prevent sexually active teenagers from knowing about contraceptive options and having access to contraceptive options. Its a bad thing to spew bullcrap like educating teens on how to avoid pregnancy promotes sexual promiscuity.
This country has the highest rates of teen sexual activity in the developed world and the highest rates of teen pregnancy because we still think we can stop teens from having sex by not talking about it.
I think we really need to bust the mold on how we handle teenage pregnancy. On top of leading the world in teen pregnancy, we also lead in STD’s and abortions. I’m not sure what the answer it but is has to start with some frequent frank, honest and open talks with you kids and maybe a serious public service campaign with humor and straight talk. I’m not sure the religous angle is entirely the answer. I don’t have stats on it but my observation is that kids in private religous schools are doing it as much as anyone.
On top of leading the world in teen pregnancy, we also lead in STD’s and abortions. I’m not sure what the answer it but is has to start with some frequent frank, honest and open talks with you kids and maybe a serious public service campaign with humor and straight talk.
Or we could look at it from the opposite angle.
We have widely available contraceptives, an education system that does not promote chastity as a workable alternative, a society that is completely obsessed with sex from billboards to the internet and a “value” system that says since kids are kids and will engage in sex anyway, we might as well make it easy for them.
The result being, leading the world in teen pregnancy, STD’s and abortions.
It’s kind of clear that our current policy is not working so maybe we should be teaching abstinence and making contraceptives less widely available.
Do you really think that being more liberal on these ideas is going to help?
We, as a society have become more and more liberal and it hasn’t worked out too well so far.
The countries with the most “liberal” policies towards teen sex education, Holland and the Scandinavian countries have the lowest teen pregnancy rates, the lowest teen STD rates and the lowest teen abortion rates.
**I am a proponent of both of those from a personal standpoint. **
If more people who were opposed from a personal standpoint actually supported those who tried to do something about it, maybe something could be done about it.
If more people who were opposed from a personal standpoint actually supported those who tried to do something about it, maybe something could be done about it.
Could you make any less sense? Done about what? *I *am not married. *I am in a long term commited relationship. We have sex (gasp!). * I use a contraceptive method. Hence my personal standpoint on pre-marital sex and contraception.
It’s kind of clear that our current policy is not working so maybe we should be teaching abstinence and making contraceptives less widely available.
Do you really think that being more liberal on these ideas is going to help?
We, as a society have become more and more liberal and it hasn’t worked out too well so far.
Casey, I have two very good looking, social, teenage boys 16 and 19 years, so I feel like I am out there in the trenches on this issue. I live in a conservative part of CA, sort of the bible belt so to speak, and our area leads the state in teen pregnancy. What we are doing just ain’t working. The people I know that have had success with this are very open with their kids about sex. I include my boys in this as I believe they are both virgins. I know I know, how do I really know this? I don’t with 100% certainty but talking with them, their friends and others I believe it to be true.
There are a lot of reasons for the problems with teenagers and I believe it starts with the breakdown of the family unit in America. What you are doing with your kids is what is needed most of all.
But, to fix the problem, I don’t think you should make it easier for kids to engage in sexual activity and I think by providing education (parents job not the schools) and making contraceptives more available, you are not going to fix anything.