Jane Chastain : Politically Direct

Valentine’s Day is a day to celebrate love.

Love is a necessary ingredient in the life of every individual. Many years ago it was discovered that tiny babies need love. Babies left in orphanages or hospitals, without the warmth of a loving stroke or tender embrace, did not thrive.

Ask most people what they want out of life and it all boils down to this four-letter word, to love and to be loved!

The use of this one little word has the power to lift our spirits or send us into the depths of despair. It’s a word that has an enormous impact on our lives. However, its true meaning is often misunderstood.
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Have you ever wondered why some of the most permissive countries in Europe like Holland, Denmark and France have such low teen pregnancy and abortion rates?In April, I wrote a column that provoked this e-mail:

Does abstinence education really work so well? I wondered because Holland, which does not promote abstinence education, and instead teaches fully and frankly about contraception, has only 12 teenage pregnancies per 1,000 pregnancies, while the U.S. has more than 80 per 1000. … I would be pleased if you could offer me some instances where abstinence has lowered teen pregnancy rates.

These are good questions and they deserve honest answers. However, the research was much harder than I expected because of the bias that exists in the media for abortion and the anything-goes-as-long-as-it-goes-with-a-condom (”safe sex” or “comprehensive”) brand of sex education that is so common in our schools. Read the rest of this entry »

It appears the federal grant program that made abstinence education available to public schools will be allowed to expire at the end of this month, despite the fact these programs have helped cut the rate of teen sexual activity, teen pregnancy and abortion. Read the rest of this entry »