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Texas House Votes To Divert HIV Funds To Pay For Abstinence Only Education
http://www.thenewcivilrightsmovement.com/uncucumbered/texas_house_votes_to_divert_hiv_prevention_to_pay_for_abstinence_only_education
"Despite the fact Texas has the third largest rate of HIV infection in the country, Texas House Republicans have voted to give funds targeted for HIV screening to abstinence only education.
Texas State Rep. Stuart Spitzer, (that's him in the photo above, posing with Ted Cruz, who he calls "my favorite senator,") made no secret of his intentions when he introduced a budget amendment that would take millions targeted for HIV and STD screening and give it to abstinence only (non)-education programs. He said it very plainly:
"(My) goal is for everybody to be abstinent until they’re married."
Democratic State Rep. Sylvester Turner, who opposed Rep. Spitzer's plan shot back:
"My goal is for everybody to be HIV/AIDS free."
Things went rapidly downhill from there, according to the Texas Observer.
The floor debate was contentious and at times very personal. At one point, Democrat Harold Dutton asked Rep. Spitzer if he had any experience with abstinence.
"I’ve had sex with one woman, and that’s my wife," said Spitzer, who volunteered that he was a virgin when he married - at age 29.
Rep. Dutton then asked Rep. Spitzer if that had been completely his own choice, sending the Texas House chamber into an uproar.
The debate however, was not all frivolous. Democrats accused Rep. Spitzer, who is a medical doctor, of not understanding the ways STDs are spread, after he claimed you couldn't get one if you didn't have sexual intercourse.
"If you think you can’t get an STD without having sex, maybe we need to educate you on how to get STDs," retorted Democratic Rep. Nicole Collier, to which Rep. Spitzer replied "You can, but it’s awful hard through your clothes."
When forced to face the inconvenient fact that Texas has the third-highest number of HIV cases in the country, and the third highest rate of teen pregnancy, Rep.Spitzer admitted that Texas’ abstinence education program "may not be working well," but said the HIV/STD prevention program received a lot more money than the abstinence only program receives, so it could afford to give some of it up.
"Does it bother you to know there are people walking around with HIV, undiagnosed?” Asked Rep. Dutton.
But apparently Republicans do not. The vote on Rep. Spitzer's amendment was 97 aye votes and 47 nays on a largely party-line vote.
After robbing from HIV and STD prevention programs to pay to keep Texas teens ignorant, the Texas House then went on to ban Planned Parenthood and other "abortion affiliates" from providing sex education materials in schools."
"Despite the fact Texas has the third largest rate of HIV infection in the country, Texas House Republicans have voted to give funds targeted for HIV screening to abstinence only education.
Texas State Rep. Stuart Spitzer, (that's him in the photo above, posing with Ted Cruz, who he calls "my favorite senator,") made no secret of his intentions when he introduced a budget amendment that would take millions targeted for HIV and STD screening and give it to abstinence only (non)-education programs. He said it very plainly:
"(My) goal is for everybody to be abstinent until they’re married."
Democratic State Rep. Sylvester Turner, who opposed Rep. Spitzer's plan shot back:
"My goal is for everybody to be HIV/AIDS free."
Things went rapidly downhill from there, according to the Texas Observer.
The floor debate was contentious and at times very personal. At one point, Democrat Harold Dutton asked Rep. Spitzer if he had any experience with abstinence.
"I’ve had sex with one woman, and that’s my wife," said Spitzer, who volunteered that he was a virgin when he married - at age 29.
Rep. Dutton then asked Rep. Spitzer if that had been completely his own choice, sending the Texas House chamber into an uproar.
The debate however, was not all frivolous. Democrats accused Rep. Spitzer, who is a medical doctor, of not understanding the ways STDs are spread, after he claimed you couldn't get one if you didn't have sexual intercourse.
"If you think you can’t get an STD without having sex, maybe we need to educate you on how to get STDs," retorted Democratic Rep. Nicole Collier, to which Rep. Spitzer replied "You can, but it’s awful hard through your clothes."
When forced to face the inconvenient fact that Texas has the third-highest number of HIV cases in the country, and the third highest rate of teen pregnancy, Rep.Spitzer admitted that Texas’ abstinence education program "may not be working well," but said the HIV/STD prevention program received a lot more money than the abstinence only program receives, so it could afford to give some of it up.
"Does it bother you to know there are people walking around with HIV, undiagnosed?” Asked Rep. Dutton.
But apparently Republicans do not. The vote on Rep. Spitzer's amendment was 97 aye votes and 47 nays on a largely party-line vote.
After robbing from HIV and STD prevention programs to pay to keep Texas teens ignorant, the Texas House then went on to ban Planned Parenthood and other "abortion affiliates" from providing sex education materials in schools."
My biological mother smoked through the pregnancy with me. I was born with undeveloped lungs and pneumonia. I spent the first month of my life in an oxygen tent and the first 11-12 year of my life with horrible asthma.
And you're right. Back in the day doctors never asked a pregnant woman to quit smoking. In some situations they told women to smoke in order for them to "relax".
Someone else I know smoked and pretty much partied through her pregnancy. Her son was born challenged in nearly every meaning of the word. He was born with both Achilles tendons too short, an eye turned in, and a seizure disorder. Surgeries eventually more or less fixed the physical aspects but he was on phenobarbital from birth until he was a teen. The kid has limited fine motor skills and something that resembles some kind of a detachment disorder. (The later could be caused after his birth because this mother looked at this child as a burden around friends but the light of her life around others.)
This kid has a heart the size of Texas and all he wants is to be accepted. He knows he's different but I don't think he knows why. And, I guess that's fine. He wanted more than anything to get into the armed forces when he graduates this year but he keeps failing physicals. (He looks like he is in shape but its all of the fine motor skill things that he can't do. He's 18 and can't open a bag of potato chips without throwing them all over the place.
Its really kind of sad. Maybe I am reading far much too much into this, but this kid has been set up to fail since birth. Perhaps he doesn't see it that way, and I hope he doesn't. (Oh, where's the father? He was very much involved until his wife/the kids mother divorced him, then he abused a little girl.... the pregnant girl I mentioned above.)
And you're right. Back in the day doctors never asked a pregnant woman to quit smoking. In some situations they told women to smoke in order for them to "relax".
Someone else I know smoked and pretty much partied through her pregnancy. Her son was born challenged in nearly every meaning of the word. He was born with both Achilles tendons too short, an eye turned in, and a seizure disorder. Surgeries eventually more or less fixed the physical aspects but he was on phenobarbital from birth until he was a teen. The kid has limited fine motor skills and something that resembles some kind of a detachment disorder. (The later could be caused after his birth because this mother looked at this child as a burden around friends but the light of her life around others.)
This kid has a heart the size of Texas and all he wants is to be accepted. He knows he's different but I don't think he knows why. And, I guess that's fine. He wanted more than anything to get into the armed forces when he graduates this year but he keeps failing physicals. (He looks like he is in shape but its all of the fine motor skill things that he can't do. He's 18 and can't open a bag of potato chips without throwing them all over the place.
Its really kind of sad. Maybe I am reading far much too much into this, but this kid has been set up to fail since birth. Perhaps he doesn't see it that way, and I hope he doesn't. (Oh, where's the father? He was very much involved until his wife/the kids mother divorced him, then he abused a little girl.... the pregnant girl I mentioned above.)
While smoking during pregnancy is now considered taboo, there are worse things she could be doing, so be thankful if that's the worst of it. I smoked while pregnant with both of mine because back then, it was perfectly okay and doctors didn't even "suggest" quitting during the pregnancy. My kids have medical issues, but I had other friends who smoked during pregnancy and their kids don't have issues, while some friends who did not smoke during pregnancy have kids who do have medical issues, so there are no guarantees on that one. We always just have to hope for the best, no matter what.
It's too bad your friend will end up doing most of the child raising, but because of that, maybe the child "will" stand a chance...
It's too bad your friend will end up doing most of the child raising, but because of that, maybe the child "will" stand a chance...
Yeah, pretty determined. I wish it weren't a true story. I just found out that this dumb kid is smoking cigarettes while she's pregnant because "being pregnant is stressful". Wait until she has a kid who has all kinds of medical issues because she was just dumb enough to keep smoking through the pregnancy.
Something that I thought was kind of funny in relation to this train wreck is, this girl is very, very bossy. Its her way or the highway. She got mad at her boyfriend about something and said, "If you don't like it, you can leave." He did.... Stayed gone for a couple of weeks and this dumb girl got all of the attention she wanted to get out of it.
This kid is in no shape to raise a baby. I'm guessing our friend will be the one doing the child raising. This baby really doesn't stand much of a chance.
Something that I thought was kind of funny in relation to this train wreck is, this girl is very, very bossy. Its her way or the highway. She got mad at her boyfriend about something and said, "If you don't like it, you can leave." He did.... Stayed gone for a couple of weeks and this dumb girl got all of the attention she wanted to get out of it.
This kid is in no shape to raise a baby. I'm guessing our friend will be the one doing the child raising. This baby really doesn't stand much of a chance.
That one's good Brice... determined, huh? LOL
I know someone who has a pregnant 17 year old daughter. Her parents felt bad for her boyfriend whose mother was a meth head, so they took him in. Some how, this girl got pregnant even though she was "taking the pill", "he was sterile" and they always slept with their clothes on".
Talk about Immaculate conception...
Talk about Immaculate conception...
The concept is great but in reality it does not work for most.
Brice - are you kidding? We all know that abstinence is the best form of birth control...
And of course, we all know that no "normal" person is going to practice it, so the Bible thumpers might want to think about putting that money back into their HIV funds (or maybe bring back Planned Parenthood), since abstinence seems not to be working too well in their state anyway...
Sounds like Rep Spritzer and some of the other Texas Congress people need a LOT of sex education... I'm sure there's a reason he didn't have sex until he was 29 yrs old...
And of course, we all know that no "normal" person is going to practice it, so the Bible thumpers might want to think about putting that money back into their HIV funds (or maybe bring back Planned Parenthood), since abstinence seems not to be working too well in their state anyway...
Sounds like Rep Spritzer and some of the other Texas Congress people need a LOT of sex education... I'm sure there's a reason he didn't have sex until he was 29 yrs old...
By the way, I think most free thinking Christians know that abstinence only is a joke.
Coming out of the bible belt? I expected something like that. If Christians can "pray away the gay", praying away a pregnancy ought not be that big of a deal.
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