It is scary how even the NY Times is bending over backwards to kiss the asses of religious conservatives.
NYTimes The headline (Studies Rebut Earlier Report on Pledges of Virginity) makes you think that these new studies (by the Heritage Foundation) actually rebut the earlier studies showing these virginity pledges for the bogus, futile, blather that they are, but instead the article subtly explains how experts question the new Heritage Foundation's studies findings. Why would the NY Times print this crap? Is it really news if some one does a bogus study that claims to "proves" the Earth is flat, or proves the sun rotates around the earth? No! So why do they feel it necessary or even advisable to print this? They are doing a disservice to the truth to give these Christian propagandists a microphone.
And one more thing, did you notice how wimpy the true doctor/scientists were in challenging these bogus findings or in defending the proven findings? More Below
Independent experts called the new findings provocative, but criticized the Heritage team's analysis as flawed and lacking the statistical evidence to back its conclusions. The new findings have not been submitted to a journal for publication, an author said. The independent experts who reviewed the study said the findings were unlikely to be published in their present form.
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Mr. Landry and Dr. Freya Sonenstein, who directs the center for adolescent health at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, urged the Heritage team to try to publish its findings.
He urged them to try to publish? Wow, that told them. Or this one after being accused of "deliberately [misleading] the press and the public." "That is an offensive statement," Dr. Bearman said.
No wonder the Christian right is winning. No one is throwing their crap back in their faces.
But the truly frightening aspect of this is the danger it poses to our children. The Heritage Foundation likely did this slight of hand study for one reason only, to prop up the Christian Extremists bogus abstinence only assault on contraception. These efforts, including this study, are not just dishonest, they are danger, putting the health and the lives of our children at risk.
The doctor that said the Heritage Foundations results were "provocative" should be scolded by his peers for fiddling while Rome burns. He makes it sound like this is a purely intellectual exercise where we can calmly debate the statistical merits or demerits of each study. Wrong! This is life and death. Children are getting sick and some dying because of the lies from these Religious fanatics. And other children are getting pregnant at alarming rates as a direct result of these flat-earthers and their delusional world views. They bash true science whenever possible, then turn to bogus science to bolster their unsubstantiated assertions and further their sinister agendas.
If the NY Times, and others, start giving credence to their unsubstantiated and irresponsible allegations then the times is complicit in the damage done to our children. If these reputable doctors and scientists do not learn to fight and fight hard, then they too are complicit.