Kate Walsh: Abstinence-Only "Not Working"

(CBS)  Actress Kate Walsh is pushing for federal sex education programs to teach strategies beyond abstinence-only.

Walsh, who played a doctor on "Grey's Anatomy" and stars in its spin-off, "Private Practice," is a member of the board of advocates of Planned Parenthood, and went to Capitol Hill Thursday to take part in a congressional briefing on sex education.

She's been lobbying for sex ed to include birth control and the prevention of sexually transmitted diseases.

---

Photos: Meet Kate Walsh

---

On The Early Show Friday, Walsh told co-anchor Julie Chen, "Abstinence-only is not working. It's a $1.5 billion program over the last ten years that has, quite frankly, failed. The CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) reported that one-in-four teenage girls (in the US) between the ages of 14 and 19 are infected with STIs (sexually transmitted infections), and that, to me, is appalling and shameful. And in the age of information, these women are just not getting adequate information."

Walsh says there's urgent need for a change in the way sex ed funds are appropriated: "In addition to abstinence, which is fine, there just needs to be a comprehensive sex education program, and we can't be relying on, you know, private foundations or parents or, you know, teens' peers to be educating each other. We really do need government help on this.

"It's a shame to me that we spend money on educating our kids on history, math, science, English literature, and we can't educate them sexually. And it's proof in these statistics. It's just shameful to me that, in our country, that these young women are being infected because they honestly just don't have the information.

"Abstinence is one aspect of sex education," Walsh continued, "but it is not the complete aspect. And to expect, I think, everybody to remain abstinent, it's like asking them not to grow. It's like we don't ask people to not try out for sports. We don't ask people to stop learning. It's just a natural human process, and we need to be educating people. If abstinence-only did work, we wouldn't be seeing these kinds of statistics. We wouldn't be seeing these young women suffering like this."

[newsterl]

newsterl, I know many people who are not religious and still disagree strongly"

Sorry but I guess I dont see that as being a large number, they may be a minority to the rule, but by and large the religious reich is 100% against abortion at any stage because its in their teachings and book of death.

" By the way, do you have children of your own, and do they live with you.."

I dislike children totally, they are additional mouths for this already overpopulated planet to feed- another car on the road, another person in line and another house being built.
If I was female Id certainly have an abortion w/o question.

" or dont you know how many you have???. or are you yourself a homosexual and this is why you so ferverently argue in favour this way"

I dont have s3x with people, Im a zoophile exclusively and have been for over 35 years, so I know exactly how many children I have out there; ZERO

youtube.com/user/dersheeple

"I was taught at school that we were better than animals, that we had a more advanced brain, etc, has this changed???"

We are the SAME as animals, (mammals at least) we share some 94% or 96% of the same DNA

", do we no longer care about our young, does our own selfishness and desires come before the importance of bringing up happy, well, ajusted children???
Posted by Gaye5"

Gaye- we are OVERPOPULATED to the breaking point in a finite environment, we need to STOP breeding for ten years and let the numbers decline!

[SuzieH212006]

Wow - it''s amazing how most of these comments have nothing to do with the article. I am a firm believer that we need to arm kids with more than just the "don''t do it" idea, that''s the only knowledge we are them with! The right wing government thinks that if we don''t tell kids anything except - *** is bad, wait till you get marrier, which i am pretty sure was an idea they came up with in the 20''s when kids still had respect for authority. But alot of them believe if we arm kids with the knowledge and resources to make informed responsible decisions that we are giving them the green light to go out and fornicate with everyone! This is the most ***-backward thinking i have ever heard of!! It''s bad enough that the government refuses to condone condom use - because of all the religous conservatives, but they are refuse to cover my birth control pills, so according to their thinking and what all of their welfare programs show me is that they would rather have me pop out 15 kids before i am 30, sit and collect my welfare checks, but i am going to hell if i use a condom!!! Gosh *** hypocrisy!!!

[gaye5]

newsterl, just because someone doesnt believe in abortion, homosexuality doesnt mean that they are religious, I object to that. I know many people who are not religious and still disagree strongly with the left wing extreemist views on these things..

stop denegrating those who have different views. By the way, do you have children of your own, and do they live with you, or dont you know how many you have???. or are you yourself a homosexual and this is why you so ferverently argue in favour this way..
I was taught at school that we were better than animals, that we had a more advanced brain, etc, has this changed??? are we no longer any better than animals, do we no longer care about our young, does our own selfishness and desires come before the importance of bringing up happy, well, ajusted children???

[gaye5]

Well, I from some of what is being said here it appears that we have no more brains than animal so then I supose that it is ok to lower ones self to the same standards of other species.. passing on disease like it is going out of fashion, causing horror lives for our children, and general tom catting around will do it for most men I supose. I couldnt stand it to think that my husband had been sticking it up someone else stinken rear end or what ever.. I have no intentions of lowering myself to the standards of those animals who do..
There are reasons why we dont have many partners, and one of them is disease, another is that children who are brought up in a loving two blood parent family are more likely to succeed in life and have less problems.. generalizing of course.

[gaye5]

hypnotoad72, well said. If we could make it so as we didnt get pregnant many years ago, and we didnt have the pill etc that they have today, then why cant kids of today.. The answer was a simple no.. but of couse that was unrealistic eh.. and of course there were still the odd 16 year old girls who had to go away to have their babies but the whole town knew who they were and they were counted as tarts..

[newsterl]

The study of animal sexuality (and primate sexuality especially) is a rapidly developing field. It used to be believed that only humans and a handful of species performed sexual acts other than for procreation, and that animals'' sexuality was instinctive and a simple response to the "right" stimulation (sight, scent).

Current understanding is that many species that were formerly believed monogamous have now been proven to be promiscuous or opportunistic in nature; a wide range of species appear both to masturbate and to use objects as tools to help them do so; in many species animals try to give and get sexual stimulation with others where procreation is not the aim; and homosexual behavior has now been observed among 1,500 species and in 500 of those it is well documented.

It might be a treasured value in many human cultures, but monogamy is rare in the animal kingdom at large.

Of the roughly 5,000 species of mammals, only 3 to 5 percent are known to form lifelong pair bonds. This select group includes beavers, otters, wolves, some bats and foxes and a few hoofed animals.

And even the creatures that do pair and mate for life occasionally have flings on the side and some, like the wolf, waste little time finding a new mate if their old one dies or can no longer sexually perform.

Staying faithful can be a struggle for most animals. For one, males are hardwired to spread their genes and females try to seek the best dad for their young.

[newsterl]

"Plus, if we gave more concern about each other, abortion would be a non-issue too. Nobody would want to have one because, both for pre-born and post-born, wed HAVE a better society."
Posted by hypnotoad72

Maybe, but there will always be those who simply do not like or want children, the anti abortion foes should step up to the plate, put their money where their mouths are, not breed, and adopt EVERY fetus themselves.
The religious reich needs to mind their own business and stop trying to mind everyone elses''

[newsterl]

"having the media foist sexuality, without even hinting at protection, monogamy, or"

Loads of porn clips on the web show no protection is ever used, including one I saw with about a dozen men all ejack into a wine glass and a woman drinking it, obviously she was getting a nice HIV cocktail potential along with hepatitus and a whole assortment of stuff.

"Of course, one night stands are an insult against "

I disagree, if they both want it then who are WE to say otherwise?

"Why do people so conveniently divorce? "

Its too easy to GET married in the first place, marriage is all about control and taxation of property, assets, inheritances, minors, estates, real estate and oh yeah- the vitally important license fee the state charges!

"species of animals that DO live monogamous lives."

VERY, VERY few out of the whole which is estimated to be one million;

Most scientists agree, however, that there are about 1 million species of animals.
www.factmonster.com/ipka/A0934288.html

However;
Homosexual behaviour has been observed in 1500 animal species.
www.news-medical.net/?id=2071

I submit that the number of species who have been observed in homosexual acts (1500) is greater than the ''monogamous'' species- one of which I recall being a BIRD, and their brain is about the size of a pea.

[hypnotoad72]

Spanish Flu 1918%u20131920 40 to 100 million deaths

Makes HIV pale by comparison.

Posted by newsterl
--------------------

Quite. More proof we need cures for spanish flu... and no free spanish fly to be dispensed... :)

[hypnotoad72]

Oh, the next time someone tells ya "Do not knock it until you have tried it" -- seek out those who tried it. Beware, some might tell you why it deserves to be knocked BEFORE being tried. I mean, we don''t let murderers and rapists get off with the same excuse...