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Originally Posted by Daradon
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As for the actual meat, I think your giving way to much credit to wording. I doubt the terms medically accurate appear much and if they do, it would only be on the side to try and make something incorrect look legitimate.
Also, it's not that they don't care. It's that they care very much. Only the other way. Many states (over half?, I'll look it up) teach abstinence over real data. So yeah, they care. But to make their point. Not to encourage healthy sex or healthy self concept.
The whole point is not that they are throwing crap at the wall. Not caring about the curriculum. It's that the religious attitudes (mostly supported by lobbies, not the general public) create the sex ed curriculum.
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Again, this is not news. In fact, we're missing the bigger point that 28 states aren't even asking that sex ed be covered.
In fact a quick Wikipedia search (which does confirm the original 9 v 22) says that 25 states legislate that abstinence should be STRESSED
'37 states require abstinence education be provided.
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I do no believe John Oliver or the statisticians misrepresented their case by a narrow view of the wording. I also do not believe that any specific wording or non wording on the parts of the states would look favorably.
Those states are wording it and enforcing it exactly how they want.
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I absolutely agree with the bigger point about the states that aren't requiring sex ed at all. Your stat about the states stressing abstinence would have made a much stronger case, in my opinion than the one John Oliver used. (Your link doesn't work for me, btw, but it was easy enough to get to through Google)I fully agree with the overall points that you and he are making.
My issue is more of a pet peeve about the use of misleading stats. Talking about the 15 states that do not explicitly require medical accuracy does a great job to flame the fires of indignation without actually meaning much, in my opinion.
I'm fully with you on the rest of it. The point he's driving home is a good one. The episode, as always, is excellently done. Seems we just disagree on whether that stat is misleading, and I'm happy to leave it at that.