There has been nearly a decade of disconnect between Washington and young women. If you have any doubts about the consequences, consider that the teen pregnancy rate recently rose for the first time in 15 years. That prompts the question: Who's going to stand up for teens over the next 10 years?
If your voting will be influenced by this issue, John McCain isn't your guy. His lack of interest and insight into the issue was best summed up during an interview last March, captured by the New York Times, on his Straight Talk Express bus:
Q: What about grants for sex education in the United States? Should they include instructions about using contraceptives? Or should it be Bush's policy, which is just abstinence?McCain: (Long pause) Ahhh. I think I support the president's policy.
Q: So no contraception, no counseling on contraception. Just abstinence. Do you think contraceptives help stop the spread of HIV?
McCain: (Long pause) You've stumped me.
McCain does support Bush's ideologically based policies. He has voted against legislation to ensure that sex education be scientifically accurate instead of just abstinence based, has voted to impose parental consent for teens seeking birth control, and has opposed legislation that birth control be covered by insurance. He has also voted against programs to increase awareness about emergency contraception.
Like many issues in this campaign, it's not easy to separate where Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama stand on sex education. Both have been solid supporters of reproductive rights, although Obama's time in the Senate doesn't give him as deep a congressional record as his rival. Perhaps his strongest stance was in cosponsoring legislation to reverse the birth control price hike last fall, but he hasn't pushed it forward. In 2007, he also introduced a bill to reduce teen pregnancy in minority communities. But it's a little odd, for someone who has attracted so much energy and support from young people, that Obama doesn't have any stance or position on his campaign Web site about any of these reproductive issues. The closest thing I could find was "Healthcare" under "Issues," where at the bottom he has a bullet point about women's health. But he makes no specific mention of reproductive issues.
On the other hand, his stances and statements in other places are quite clear. When members of his staff were interviewed about his positions on reproductive issues in 2007, they pointed out that he had a "100 percent rating from pro-choice groups," and that he was "an original co-sponsor of the Prevention First Act, which will ensure that all taxpayer-funded federal programs are medically accurate and include information about contraception." Finally, they noted that "in December 2006, Obama went to 'the political equivalent of the lion's den' when he told a conservative Christian audience in Southern California that abstinence-only education was not enough."
Clinton probably has the longest history of advocacy and action on behalf of young women. She led the fight against the FDA on Plan B by first by joining with other lawmakers to insist that the Government Accountability Office investigate the FDA's actions. Then, by blocking the confirmations of two consecutive FDA commissioners (first Lester Crawford and then Andrew Von Essenbach, who now heads the agency after he agreed to disregard right-wing ideologues and approved Plan B's going over the counter). Also, in 2005, she introduced legislation to require hospitals to dispense Plan B to rape victims. Unlike McCain, Clinton has favored and developed legislation to expand comprehensive sex education and to require insurers to cover birth control. In contrast to Obama, she has clearly posted her stances and record on reproductive healthcare on her campaign Web site. Finally it's worth noting that the National Organization for Women has endorsed her, in part because of her work on behalf of reproductive rights.
In the face of a war in Iraq and a staggering economy, sex education for teens may not loom large on voters' minds. But with so many young Americans deeply engaged in this election, they deserve to know the facts about where their candidates stand on an issue that affects them this personally. As a doctor and a parent, I want those issues upfront as well. The last thing I want to see is my time with teens restricted by views or laws that force me to bury my head in the sand. Restricting access to reproductive education and choices is not good for any young person's health.
About the writer
Rahul K. Parikh is a physician and writer in the San Francisco Bay Area.
Story finder (3 ways to search Salon)
Salon Directory (browse by topic)