Some Abstinence Programs Mislead Teens, Report Says

A congressional report has found that many American kids are being taught lies in their abstinence education classes. Some of the interesting assertions being taught include the idea that half the gay male teenagers in the United States have tested positive for the AIDS virus, touching a person's genitals can cause pregnancy, that a 43-day-old fetus is a "thinking person", HIV can be spread via sweat and tears, and condoms fail to prevent HIV transmission as often as 31% of the time in heterosexual intercourse.

Who needs scientific facts when you have moralistic good intentions? There's $170 million of your tax dollars well spent.

The closing paragraph of the Washington Post article reads like a punchline to the ridiculous nature of the curriculum under scrutiny:

Some course materials cited in Waxman's report present as scientific fact notions about a man's need for "admiration" and "sexual fulfillment" compared with a woman's need for "financial support." One book in the "Choosing Best" series tells the story of a knight who married a village maiden instead of the princess because the princess offered so many tips on slaying the local dragon. "Moral of the story," notes the popular text: "Occasional suggestions and assistance may be alright, but too much of it will lessen a man's confidence or even turn him away from his princess."