the ACLU has an epiphany; genessee county has syphilis.

i don't mean to be an ass. but i've been saying we need to "abstain from abstinence" since i first got interested in sex ed. so when i read something like this:

These models not only operate in our opponents' materials, but in ours as well. Sometimes we evoke them in a defensive manner. Other times we adopt them uncritically - for example, when we use the term "abstinence" to show that we too think teens should wait to have sex. Because of its connection to the EXTERNAL FORCE model of sexuality, we do ourselves and the young people we care about no favors by using the term abstinence.

it doesn't exactly change my life. still, it's good to see an organization as prominent as the ACLU taking steps to move away from the idiotic language of abstinence when talking about sexuality. if you've ever felt skittish about ragging on abstinence, you should give it a read. while mostly intuitive if you're coming from the left, it's still interesting.

for the more, shall we say, experienced among you who are looking for a more thorough takedown of abstinence-only rhetoric, check out this post that came up in my google alerts this morning [god, i love my google alerts].

and something a little closer to home: apparently the syphilis outbreak in flint, MI is not exactly tapering off as planned [from RH reality check]:

In August with the number of confirmed cases at 70, GCHD spokesman Mark Valacak told RH Reality Check the outbreak was waning.

But now, nearly three months and 39 cases later, the department is ramping up education and outreach again. At least five of the newly diagnosed cases were congenital cases — found in newborns — Valacak said.

correct me if i'm wrong, but the education initiatives surrounding the outbreak sound kind of disparate:

Valacak said the department is working hard to raise awareness. It is doing this through a combination of public relations moves, such as posters and signs on buses, as well as outreach to the ob-gyns. The department has also trained outreach workers to go out and work with sex workers.

it seems like they can't quite decide who to target here. they're doing outreach to MSM, young people, pregnant women - and still nothing. i can't help but find myself repeating that old planned parenthood mantra: real sex ed saves lives.