Penna Dexter

The US Centers for Disease Control has declared April STD Awareness month. They cite the latest data to point out that Sexually Transmitted Diseases are at record levels and that young people, for behavioral and biological reasons, are at high risk of contracting STDs. The CDC's plan of action is "Talk, Test, and Treat." OK. But how about let's tell kids that sexual promiscuity can be dangerous, even lethal. Be clear with them that they should practice restraint to save their health and their lives and the lives of others. Government bodies, including most public schools, simply don't want to be this blunt. "Talk, Test, and Treat" is part of the reason we've had a five percent rise in chlamydia from 2015 to 2016, a ten percent rise in gonorrhea, and an eighteen percent rise in syphilis. Yet governments refuse to hold abstinence as the standard. In honor of STD Awareness Month, a Stamford, Connecticut toy company called GIANTMicrobes, is "rebranding STDs as 'charming' and 'cuddly'" with a line of stuffed animals based on venereal diseases. Andrew Klein, the owner of GIANTMicrobes says this is to "break the stigma surrounding STDs." Stigma? What stigma? Planned Parenthood, which among other distinctions, is the nation's largest abortion provider, has succeeded in obliterating any stigma around premarital sex and its consequences. A Pennsylvania branch of Planned Parenthood tweeted "We need a Disney princess who's had an abortion." And yet, schools inexplicably bring in Planned Parenthood and its curricula to teach sex ed to kids. Currently, the organization, with the cooperation of groups like the ACLU and the Human Rights Campaign, is working to get model legislation passed that pushes yet another graphic sex ed curriculum into classrooms around the nation. This one will be taught without parents' knowledge or consent. On April 23rd, some parents are keeping their kids home from school in protest. To find out about it, go to SexEdSitOut.com.