ANTI-SEX LOGIC. As someone who endured many abstinence assemblies during my 13 years in Catholic school, I wasn't terribly shocked by yesterday's news that Montgomery County junior high kids are being forced to share chewing gum to demonstrate why sex is icky. Another well-known abstinence-only "game" is to have the kids suck on a lollipop, then try to put it back in the wrapper and see if any other kids would like to suck on it now. In my high school there was a more sanitary demonstration using pizza as the metaphor. The message: If you shared a slice of your pizza with everyone, you'd be left with an empty box. It always seemed confusing... didn't they want me to start out with and maintain an "empty box," so to speak, rather than end up there? Meanwhile at the college level, the abstinence logic is equally confusing. In response to some campus groups who pass out condoms and Hershey's kisses on Valentine's Day, a few anti-contraception groups gave away free chocolate bars yesterday. The wrappers said, "TRUE LOVE is worth more than contraception." And inside the wrapper was written, "It makes sense that condoms are handed out today with nothing more than a tiny chocolate kiss. This reflects how little love you can express while using one. Using contraception tells your lover, 'I don't want to share every part of myself with you.'" Yeah. If you REALLY loved someone, you'd want to share your raging case of gonorrhea. Isn't that sweet? --Ann Friedman
