Letter: Now honestly

The director of the Collier County Abstinence Program’s recent letter is deceitful.

How do anti-choice people, those working at medically-incomplete “crisis pregnancy clinics” and those preaching “abstinence only,” live with themselves when they lie about and misrepresent Planned Parenthood?

The letter ignores the continuing Planned Parenthood efforts to prevent teen pregnancy and sexually transmitted disease (STD) infections, as well as ignoring Planned Parenthood classes run to improve parent-child communication.

Planned Parenthood literature and counseling are clear: Honest talk between parents and children and abstaining from sexual relations are the best ways to avoid teen pregnancy or STDs.

Planned Parenthood doesn’t “bury its head in the sand.” If teens insist on having sexual relations, Planned Parenthood urges them to practice safe sex. Twisting Planned Parenthood’s message into promotion of promiscuity is engaging in the big lie technique. Why is the immorality of lying used to promote abstinence as a moral position?

Wouldn’t it be fabulous if those wishing to prevent teen pregnancies and STD infections would unite with Planned Parenthood to educate teens fully and accurately about sexuality? Does it make sense only to promote abstinence when research reveals abstinence is effective with only a small fraction of teens? Should teens not convinced by abstinence teaching be consigned to unwanted pregnancies, STDs and abortions?

The ultimate tragedy is that promotion of abstinence without comprehensive, conservatively compassionate sex education increases abortion, which is chosen by many teens who become pregnant through not practicing abstinence.

Robbins Winslow/Naples