In case you’ve been living in a cave or spent the holiday season on a deserted island, I have big news for you: Jamie Lynn Spears is pregnant. Yes, it’s true; the younger sister of celebrity train-wreck Britney Spears is going to be an unwed mother.
Jamie Lynn, 16, the wholesome star of the Nickelodeon television series “Zoey 101,” somehow is having a baby herself.
It’s hard to generalize about one case of teen pregnancy, and it’s a reminder of the hard work we still need to do to reduce teen pregnancies in this country. What really bugs me is President Bush’s policy that 100 percent of federal money must go to abstinence-only programming.
I understand that abstinence programming is important, and that some parents want it, but 100 percent of federal dollars? There is a time, place and need for traditional sex education. Our kids need it in a world where you can get endless information on the Internet. They need to know the facts and the truth.
My beef with Bush is that his religious beliefs cloud his political thinking and judgment.
I keep hearing that our country is based on Judeo-Christian values. But that should mean we use our religious beliefs to affect policy. After all, some say that capital punishment is allowed in the Bible. Yet, with the advent of DNA testing and more sound criminal policies, capital punishment has been shown to have major issues, including executing innocent people.
Instead, let sound values, not religion, govern our land. Goodness knows the Spears family could use a little help there.
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