http://www.cnn.com/2006/POLITICS/11/17/ ... index.html

WASHINGTON (AP) -- The Bush administration, to the consternation of its critics, has picked the medical director of an organization that opposes premarital sex, contraception and abortion to lead the office that oversees federally funded teen pregnancy, family planning and abstinence programs.

The appointment of Eric Keroack, a Marblehead, Massachusetts, obstetrician and gynecologist, to oversee the federal Office of Population Affairs and its $283 million annual budget has angered family-planning advocates.

Keroack currently is medical director of A Woman's Concern, a Christian nonprofit. The Dorchester, Massachusetts-based organization runs six centers in the state that offer free pregnancy testing, ultrasounds and counseling.

It also works to "help women escape the temptation and violence of abortion," according to its statement of faith. And it opposes contraception, saying its use increases out-of-wedlock pregnancy and abortion rates.

"A Woman's Concern is persuaded that the crass commercialization and distribution of birth control is demeaning to women, degrading of human sexuality and adverse to human health and happiness," its contraception policy reads in part.

"The appointment of anti-birth control, anti-sex education advocate Dr. Eric Keroack to oversee the nation's family planning program is striking proof that the Bush administration remains dramatically out of step with the nation's priorities," Cecile Richards, president of the Planned Parenthood Federation of America, said in a statement.

A message left with A Woman's Concern was not immediately returned Friday.

Keroack's appointment as deputy assistant secretary for population affairs does not require Senate confirmation. He is expected to start work in the next several weeks, Department of Health and Human Services spokeswoman Christina Pearson said.

The department's assistant secretary for health, Dr. John Agwunobi, cited Keroack's experience in working primarily with "women and girls in crisis" in lauding his appointment.

"He regularly speaks to youth audiences on sexual risk behaviors and has been nationally recognized for his work on preventing teen pregnancy," Agwunobi said.

Copyright 2006 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

I shocked! SHOCKED! By this completely unexpecteds turn of events.

I wonder if this was the guy talking on campus a couple of days ago who used extension cords to simulate vaginal, oral and anal sex.

Jesus Christ.

That's how I feel about Jesus too.

Wow. So what do you advocate there G_V?

Telling people overseas to not have sex before they get married, to abstain, and to not get abortions is bad to you huh? Why am I not shocked.

You know what, we should put up big billboards across third world nations advising these uneducated people to not abstain, to fuck all the time because it's cool, just use contraception and all, and then go get abortions. I bet that would forward the continent of Africa a whole long way.

Where did the article mention Africa?

This is just another way of using a Gov't office to push Christian beliefs upon the entire nation and ignoring common sense. The Church has been promoting abstinence for its entire existence and it's never worked. There are still unwanted pregnancies and there will always be. Why not appoint someone without a religous bias and let the Christians continue to promote abstinence outside of the government inside of their churches. This is not a Christian nation and women should not have the Church's beliefs forced upon them by a gov't office ignoring common sense. Birth control is a necessary part of population control and should be as easy as possible to obtain. IMO

I know we've had this debate before, so I'll keep it short for now:

There's absolutely nothing wrong with teaching abstinence.

But teaching ONLY abstinence and expecting everyone to be abstinent is awfully unrealistic and doesn't provide complete and proper preparation.

I feel the exact same way. It is the abstinence-ONLY thing that is completely unproductive (no pun intended)

welcome to overpopulation

gotta compete with china i guess

Jesus, man, how can you lessen the program into simply "telling" people what's best? Nobody is against abstinence education. But the US doesn't simply "tell" people abstinence is best, it forces them to limit the entire realm of reproductive education to abstinence only or it takes away funding.

I easily predicted the path of this thread.

You mean "sadly"

You wanna know how I win this argument?

Uganda vs. Botswana

I googled uganda vs. botswana and pulled up world cup information. Clearly YOU are misinformed friend.

LittleWing, you know goddamned well that that isn't the problem. These programs are completely illogical, and full of lies. People are going to have sex. FACT. Honestly, it's FAR more likely in areas without TV or other distractions, where there just isn't anything better to do.
These programs only offer one view - no sex. They offer no alternatives, and no real education. I've been having sex for 10 years. But because I was properly educated about contraception, I have yet to contract a disease, or get pregnant.
Accidents do occur. When a pregnancy is unwanted, which is preferrable - a woman going to a licenced doctor in a safe, steril enviornment, or the good old back alley coat hanger alternative?
Let some people abuse the system - let them get multiple abortions, put their bodies at risk - go for it. Cause you know what? That SMALL PERCENTAGE of people really shouldn't be rasing children to begin with, and most likely aren't in the physical condition to birth healthy ones, anyway. I have enough actual REAL faith in God that she'll give those souls another chance to live.
Jesus Christ. I'll never understand anyone who favors ignorance over education.

Now this whole premarital abstinence only thing might have been a good idea. BACK WHEN PEOPLE GOT MARRIED AT AGE 16 and lived to age 40. UGH.

I find it most disturbing that government is no longer representing our society, but rather trying to alter it as certain groups see fit.

Sure there are many instances where changes in legislature brought about radically positive changes in society and vice versa. But my god to tell people that sexuality should not be expressed unless it's sanctioned by religion...

.... that's just not a democracy.

How can a gynecologist be anti birth control and anti-sex? Wouldn't that be like going to a neurologist who is anti-brain?

Jenni just owned this thread.