Monday, October 27, 2008

Palin consistent on sex ed

I voted for my senator Barack Obama for president and find the McCain campaign increasingly creepy. I do feel compelled to point out that Sarah Palin has been unfairly attacked as wavering on sex education because that is not true. I see at least a few of these stories every day.

Sarah Palin in 2006 took the position that sex ed should teach both abstinence and contraception, but should not be overly explicit. See my post from early September on this point which gives documentation. What overly explicit means varies by person: some mean that sex education shouldn't teach about fisting, sex with food, or BDSM, while others are squeamish about teaching that masturbation is normal (viz. Jocelyn Elders). Regardless, it's a consistent position, and it's actually the position of most parents: very few actual parents in the real world are opposed to teaching birth control. It's only the political lobbies which have staked out this position.

As I said in early September, Palin's position in 2006 shows what an outsider she was to the political scene that she took the position of most parents instead of that of the religious right.

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