MedPol: abstinence program lies

This article from the Guardian mentions several of the distortions presented in some of the abstinence education programs preferred by President Bush:

-HIV can be contracted through sweat and tears
-touching genitals can result in pregnancy
-a 43-day-old foetus is a thinking person
-abortion can lead to sterility and suicide
-half the gay male teenagers in the US have tested positive for HIV
-condoms fail to prevent transmission of HIV in 31% of incidences of heterosexual intercourse
-and a personal favorite: "The popular claim that condoms help prevent the spread of STDs, is not supported by the data."

And Alma Golden, the deputy assistant health and human services secretary for population affairs (does this title smack of something creepy to anyone else), misses the point once again:

"One thing is very clear for our children: abstaining from sex is the most effective means of preventing the sexual transmission of HIV, STDs, and preventing pregnancy."

Well, no shit. The question isn't whether abstinence is the most effective means of preventing sexual transmission of STDs and preventing pregnancy (which is self-evident), but whether abstinence education is the most effective approach by the government to discourage sexual transmission of STDs and pregnancy. And these are two entirely different issues, which members of the Bush camp REALLY like to deny whenever they get a chance. And since study after study denies the efficacy of abstinence education programs, abstinence education supporters can't even address the argument head on and must instead rely upon ideology rather than logic.