Roundup: Studies Show Comprehensive Sex Ed Makes a Difference

Aug 7, 2009, 11:42am

Amy Dempsey

"Family Guy" episode axed; studies on sex education find comprehensive sex ed useful; change in support for abortion rights?

‘Family Guy’ Episode Axed
As RHRealityCheck.org
recently reported, Seth MacFarlane, creator of Family Guy, created an
episode dealing with abortion for the upcoming season. He said Fox was
unlikely to air it, and he was right. On Tuesday, Fox declined to show
the controversial episode because of advertiser concerns, according to the live feed.

Kevin
Reilly, Fox’s entertainment president, said, "We don’t censor Seth…It
was a business decision. It was fragile subject matter at a sensitive
time."

MacFarlane said he was fine with Reilly’s decision, the article said.

Studies on Sex Education
According to the Amherst Bulletin,
many studies have taken place over the years regarding comprehensive
and abstinence-only sex education programs. In 2007, researchers from
the National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy looked at
48 comprehensive sex education programs and found there was a decrease
in unprotected sex, a delay in when young people chose to have sex and
a reduction in the number of sexual partners.

Again
in 2007, Mathematica Policy Research studied abstinence-only programs.
They found that students enrolled in these programs were no less likely
to have sex than those in comprehensive sex education, the article said.

Another study conducted by the Journal of Health Communication in 2001
found that some abstinence-only efforts resulted in young people
wanting to wait until marriage to have sex, the Bulletin reported.

Change in Support
The Washington Monthly
reported that in May, Gallup released a poll that revealed 51 percent
of Americans identify as pro-life, and 42 percent as pro-choice.
According to the article,
it was the first time the majority of U.S. citizens identified as
pro-life, and it was the largest margin abortion opponents had ever
seen.

This has changed in the new Gallup report. It shows that public opinion changed after the George Tiller murder, according to the article.
It also said:

Generally speaking, there just aren’t significant shifts on this. Most
Americans oppose a constitutional amendment prohibiting abortions, and
that hasn’t changed. Most Americans want to see the Supreme Court leave
the Roe v. Wade precedent intact, and that hasn’t changed,
either. This matters far more than ambiguous labels like "pro-choice"
and "pro-life."

OTHER NEWS TO NOTE:

August 6: Beliefnet:Is Health Care Reform Covering Abortion or Not?

August 6: THRFeed.com: ‘Family Guy’ abortion episode details

August 6: Catholic News Agency: Pro-life congress in Colombia calls on politicians to defend life and family

August 6: Fox News: Senate Dems Get High-Level Coaching for Those Townhalls

August 6: EmpowHer: Contraceptive Use Common Among New Mothers: Study

August 6: Washington Monthly: A SHIFT BACK ON ABORTION RIGHTS?

August 7: IPS News:Family Planning: Expand Role For Private Sector

August 6: Lemon Drop: A New Plan B for When Things Don’t Go As Planned in Bed

August 6: Feministing: Defying Gravity Writer James Parriott Responds

August 6: LifeNews: Minnesota Planned Parenthood Gets Infertility Ed Grant, But Abortions Cause It

August 7: Amherst Bulletin: What the studies say