Bill Press is a syndicated columnist and the co-host of CNN's Crossfire, which airs Monday-Friday at 7:30 p.m.

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Bill Press: The surgeon general teaches Bush about sex

By Bill Press
Tribune Media Services

WASHINGTON (Tribune Media Services) -- What is it about surgeons general? They seem born to controversy. C. Everett Koop shook things up over cigarettes. Jocelyn Elders, over masturbation. Now it’s David Satcher’s turn, over sex education. And, like the other two, Satcher got it right.

After two years of scientific study and research, Surgeon General David Satcher has published his report on sexual behavior. Unique among government documents, it is a masterpiece of fact, reason and common sense. As an indication of how much Americans have to learn in this area, and how critical it is, Satcher calls his report “A Call to Action to Promote Sexual Health and Responsible Sexual Behavior.”

The consequences of sexual activity are too serious to ignore any longer, Satcher warns.

Indeed, the statistics he provides are chilling: 12 million Americans a year infected with sexually transmitted diseases; as many as 900,000 Americans living with HIV, one-third of them unaware they are even infected; unintended pregnancies accounting for one-half of all pregnancies in the U.S.; 1.36 million abortions in 1996. Knowing that is almost enough to make you want to stop having sex! But that’s not the answer. The answer, Satcher says, is smart talk and smart education.

Given those potential problems, Satcher says, it’s time to end our “conspiracy of silence”, where sex is only talked about “in the wrong places in the wrong ways.”

It’s time to replace old wives tales and silly scare tactics with what Satcher calls “a mature, thoughtful, and respectful discussion nationwide about sexuality.” This is a goal all Americans should welcome and join.

Satcher’s first recommendation is for inclusive sex education in public schools that promotes abstinence as the safest path. But, recognizing human behavior, we shouldn't teach abstinence alone, as federal law now requires. “We can't leave children floating in the wind,” says Satcher.

Schools should also teach protection and prevention -- and permit distribution of condoms. The report dismisses criticism of conservatives that providing information about contraception will only increase adolescent sexual activity. There’s no evidence to back that up, according to Satcher. In fact, there’s tons of evidence that just the opposite is true.

The best paths for adults, advises the surgeon general, are “mutually monogamous relationships” -- which include, but are not limited to marriage. Sure, it’s better to be married. But marriage “is not perfect” and marriage is not for everyone.

Satcher shoots down one more conservative myth. There is no evidence that homosexuality can be reversed, he concludes. It’s not something you can turn on and off like a light switch. And spreading that nonsense just encourages discrimination against gays.

America needs a frank, open dialogue about sex. Teaching abstinence alone is not enough. The institution of marriage alone is not enough. Homosexuality is to be both tolerated and respected. Wow! Those are pretty bold conclusions for any study, let alone one on official government paper. And the report is all the more surprising, coming from the Bush administration.

So how did the Bush White House respond? Aside from Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy Thompson -- who was informed of the report ahead of time and advised the Surgeon General to go ahead with it (good for Thompson), the rest of the administration welcomed Satcher like the skunk at the lawn party.

Unlike Clinton’s treatment of Elders, Bush hasn't immediately fired Satcher -- yet!

But Bush did put as much distance as he could between himself and the good doctor. “The president continues to believe,” Press Secretary Ari Fleischer told reporters, “that abstinence and abstinence education only is the most effective way to prevent AIDS, to prevent unwanted pregnancy."

Which is just what Bush has to say to satisfy his lockjaw, right-wing supporters -- and just the sort of nonsense Satcher repudiates in his report.

Yes, for heterosexual couples, abstinence is the only surefire way to prevent both pregnancy and disease. But the fact is, most human beings with blood in their veins are going to have sex. Teaching abstinence alone is not sufficient. In hospitals, clinics, schools and churches, we must also teach 'abstinence plus:' plus contraception, prevention, and safe sex.

It’s appropriate that the surgeon general’s report was issued just before the Fourth of July. Indeed, here’s something to celebrate: freedom from sexual ignorance. At last the government is talking sense about sex. Thank you, David Satcher.