Lee Terry: “I was frustrated with the attempts for amendments in our committee by that small minority, and I am pleased that it has…”

“I was frustrated with the attempts for amendments in our committee by that small minority, and I am pleased that it has been pointed out this is a bipartisan effort. The vast majority agree that the abstinence message is the correct one for our teenagers. It is disheartening that there is a small minority out there. Throwing away scientific studies, how do we look a teenager in the eye and say this is the proper way to put on a condom, and send them a message of abstinence at the same time? To a 16-year-old, that is tacit to approval, when an adult says the best thing is to abstain, but we know that you are not going to, so I am going to teach you to have safe sex using condoms correctly. Now the testimony that the gentleman received in the Subcommittee on Health, and I truly believe to be plain common sense, that is tacit to approval. While safe sex education may be a proper place for parents and even in some discussions in more formal settings outside of the house, the fact of the matter is I do not know how we teach abstinence and safe sex at the same time. That is one of the issues that we are going to face when this bill is brought to the House floor. We are going to have to beat back several amendments to try and change an abstinence program into a safe sex program.”