Nevada: State Advertisement About Sex Sparks Criticism

A new radio advertisement sponsored in part by the Nevada State Health Division says that sexually active teenage girls are often dumped by their boyfriends and wind up feeling "dirty and cheap." The ad, part of a federally funded abstinence education program, is the first of three that will roll out over the next few months according to Jessica Cowee, the abstinence-only education coordinator for the state health division.

Executives with Planned Parenthood and the American Civil Liberties Union say the radio spot fails to provide teenagers with information to help protect themselves from disease, and that it is harmful to describe girls who have sex out of wedlock as "dirty and cheap." "There's nothing wrong with encouraging teens to be abstinent, but the harshness of using 'dirty and cheap' is unhelpful, especially for adolescents who may already be feeling stigmatized," said Gary Peck, executive director of the ACLU of Nevada. "It suggests that people should feel that way."

Laura Deitsch, of Planned Parenthood of Southern Nevada, said abstinence-only education is "dishonest and harmful" and that sex education needs to include information about abstinence, safer sex, and responsible decision-making.

State officials said the radio ads did not reflect the health division's opinions. "We have no stance one way or another on abstinence-only or abstinence-based education," said Judy Wright, chief of the Bureau of Family Health Services for the state health division. "We do whatever we want with the federal dollars as long as they fund abstinence-only education." The $157,000 yearly grants will also fund television ads this year, expected to begin running in the next few months.

Back to other news for August 14, 2003