CNN Lou Dobbs Tonight - Transcript

CNN Lou Dobbs Tonight - Transcript

Thank you first to both of you for being here. Congressman Weldon, I have to tell you, the idea of abstinence on a host of levels seems to me to be a proper course for education. But to deny further education in terms of contraception and broader sex education just seems wrong headed.

Why is that the policy?

REP. DAVE WELDON ®, FLORIDA: Well, it's not the policy, Lou. The amount of money going to so-called comprehensive sex education vs. abstinence education is about 12 times the abstinence education level. So, you're just totally inaccurate on that. The truth is, abstinence education is a fraction of the other kind of education and the truth is, the schools and the parents want the abstinence education. And if you actually read the studies, it shows that the abstinence education is working very nicely. And you really misquoted some of those studies that you had in the lead-in to this discussion here. That study in Texas, they had no control group in that study. And if you actually try to reconstruct it with a control group, it actually suggests the abstinence education is working very nicely.

DOBBS: Congressman Waxman, your thoughts?

REP. HENRY WAXMAN (D), CALIFORNIA: I see no problem with emphasizing abstinence, but not to talk about other options seems to me, as you said, short-sided. And what's even worse, when they give out misinformation to scare the kids. For example, telling them that the condoms are going to fail or telling girls that if they have abortions, they are likely to get breast cancer or they'll never have a child again. Or sweat and tears can spread HIV. Just scare tactics that are wrong. And if you are going to give wrong information, it's dangerous because most of these kids that go through these abstinence- only programs are sexually active before marriage. Eighty eight percent of them become sexually active before marriage. And for them not to have the information about how to stop sexually transmitted diseases and avoid pregnancy, it leads to more abortions and it's just something that could be prevented. We need to do what's necessary to prevent it.

The other thing is, I think my friend and colleague is wrong about the success of the abstinence-only programs. From everything I've seen, there has been no evaluation showing it to be a successful way to limit behavior. The administration was asking kids about whether they thought they got something worthwhile out of the program, and they said yes. But there was no indication that it changed their sexual behavior to stop unintended pregnancies and sexually transmitted diseases.

DOBBS: I have to-sure, go ahead, congressman.

WELDON: Some of the things that Henry pointed out in his Congressional study are accurate. I think there were some inaccuracies in some of these teaching programs, and he is doing us a good service in that. But one of the things he just criticized, you know, condoms are the centerpiece of comprehensive sex education. They can only protect a man about 30 percent of the time and a woman about 60 percent of the time from contracting gonorrhea. They are not fool-proof. And they provide little to no protection for human papilloma virus, the cause of cervical cancer. And that's what some of these abstinence education programs are telling the kids. And most teenagers know how to use a condom. These comprehensive sex education programs that my good friend prefers, they've never been demonstrated to work.

WAXMAN: That's not true in California. Our state refused to take federal dollars for only abstinence-only programs. They said they want to emphasize abstinence. And I agree with that idea, because you can counteract all the peer pressure that kids are under to engage in sex. But we in California refuse to not talk about the contraception and to teach kids the truth. If you lie to kids about something as important as public health, you are endangering their lives and you also lose credibility. I think it's a mistake for the federal government to be funding that. And this is a popular program with the Bush administration. They are asking, they've already doubled it the last four years, and they are asking for another $100 million on top of what they are already putting into this program. I think it's not money well spent.

WELDON: Well.

DOBBS: Go ahead, Congressman Weldon.

WELDON: Well, I think you are lying to kids when you try to convey to the kids that condoms can provide you all the protection you need. And frankly, I think communities should define what they want to teach their kids, not the federal government. And if California wants to teach their kids all about condoms and contraception, I actually don't have a problem with that. And in our experience with the abstinence education is the demand exceeds the supply of the available programs. And if you look at the polling data, the majority of parents prefer this abstinence-based education. You know, we don't tell our kids just have a few drinks or just smoke a few joints. We tell them don't drink, don't smoke. Why should we be sending them a message, don't have sex, but if you are going to do it, do it this way. I think it's a mixed message.

DOBBS: I've got-I apologize Congressman Waxman. But I want to say thank you to both of you. I think you both representing as you do, different perspectives on this critical issue, deserve great credit. Because too few people on Capitol Hill are trying to deal with it. We have a national epidemic among our young people in STD. All of these issues are critically important to their health and well- being of our country. I salute you both, and thank you for being here to discuss the issue, a critically important one.

WELDON: Great to be with you, Lou.

WAXMAN: Thank you very much

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