Joanne Jacobs: Where Sarah Palin Really Stands on Sex Education
Joanne Jacobs, writing at Pajamas Media:
Running for governor of Alaska in 2006, Sarah Palin filled out a questionnaire that asked if she’d support funding for abstinence-until-marriage programs instead of “explicit sex-education programs, school-based clinics and the distribution of contraceptives in schools?”
Palin wrote, “Yes, the explicit sex-ed programs will not find my support.”
The next month, Palin clarified “explicit,” on a radio debate. Asked if “explicit” programs include those that discuss condoms. Palin said no and called discussions of condoms “relatively benign.”
“Explicit means explicit,” she said. “No, I’m pro-contraception, and I think kids who may not hear about it at home should hear about it in other avenues. So I am not anti-contraception. But, yeah, abstinence is another alternative that should be discussed with kids. I don’t have a problem with that. That doesn’t scare me, so it’s something I would support also.”