Dirty, Dirty Alabama

According to AL.com (Everything Alabama!), 4,629 new cases of chlamydia, gonorrhea, and syphilis were reported in Mobile County last year. That's about three times the rate of New York City and twice as high as Washington, D.C. Who knew the nation's capital was so sexy? Oh, yeah. Anyway, a Department of Education spokeswoman is quoted in the story as saying that Mobile County's public schools push abstinence education as part of their health curriculum--teaching that abstaining from sex is the only protection against pregnancy, HIV/AIDS, and other STDs. (Not to imply that pregnancy is an STD, but it kind of is.) The subject of condoms isn't even brought up in these classes. Of course, economic factors could be part of the problem, too, but when are people going to realize that abstinence education just doesn't work? Especially in Mobile, Alabama. There's nothing to do there but have sex and gamble. And judging from the STD numbers, sex down there is kind of a gamble in itself.