by: 
AFY_Joe
AFY_JoeMonday, March 30, 2009 at 2:29:00 PM EDT
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Stacie Murphy of Population Connection wrote an op-ed yesterday for the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, and ooooh is it a good one.
She name drops everyone's favorite abstinence-only educator (Derek the Abstinence Clown), and goes on to tell about her successful effort to become a "Certified Abstinence Educator", just like Derek!
Congrats Stacie! Now you just need to work on your juggling...After watching Derek's shtick, I got curious; what does it take to become a Certified Abstinence Educator?
Not much, as it turns out.
A little digging led me to the Web site of the Abstinence Clearinghouse, which, for $50, sent me a password to the online Certification Exam. The site also helpfully suggested that I purchase their publication "Abstinence 101," which, I was assured, would enable me to pass the test and "fight the war against comprehensive sex education" -- for just another $20. Instead, I decided to wing it by choosing for most questions the most absurd answer from the options available.
One question asked me to identify the founder of "Playboy" magazine. Another asked whether premarital sex or abstinence was more likely to lead to "stunted personal development," and "corruption of character."
A true/false question read, "Contraception may be appropriate for some unmarried adults and teens." Knowing my audience, I (correctly, according to my testers) chose "false."
Finally, I was asked to write a paragraph about why abstinence was so important. I purposely made my statement as vague and inane as possible, just to see what would happen. How did I do? I passed with 89 percent.
This is what passes for sex education in too many places across America. The idea that passing this absurd test makes me or Derek or anyone else a qualified educator is ridiculous. But it's not as ridiculous as continuing to use taxpayer money to fund this nonsense.
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Wow. That's amazing. In a really...frightening way.
# Posted By Mahayana
| 3/30/09 11:26 PM
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