I was disgusted by this display.   I turned around only to see a little girl pick up a copy of the magazine only to run back to her mother and say how pretty the model was.  The mother of the girl also looked disgusted by the magazine and told the little girl to put back the magazine.

Fox News has focused on this recently, and they were shocked by this recent image as well.  In fact, Rachelle Friberg, a media expert who was interviewed by Fox, said:

Cosmopolitan is going overboard by putting an underage girl on its cover surrounded by such article titles. It is one thing to educate young women about sex and their bodies, but putting a young, underage girl on the cover of a magazine that had long been known to push the limits is sending the wrong message.

Cosmopolitan, of course, defended its decision to have Fanning as the magazine’s cover model.  Of course, their decision generated controversy, and there is no doubt that teenagers, who are fans of Fanning are lining up to buy the issue and being exposed to Cosmopolitan’s agenda of promoting immodest behaviors and promiscuity.

Today, I was glad to read that a former model is calling out Cosmopolitan for its practices and is calling for the magazine to be marketed as an adult-only publication, which would require the magazine to be sold in packaging that would not show the cover.  Nicole Weider is leading this effort and has a petition urging the FTC to help protect our youth from vulgarity.  The petition has almost 21,000 signatures, and there is no doubt that will garner more signatures from those who agree the magazine has gone too far.

Does Cosmopolitan realize the impact that these behaviors have on young women?  In 2010, the American Psychological Association released, “Report of the APA Task Force on the Sexualization of Girls.”  This report highlighted how publications, like Cosmopolitan, have a negative impact on young women’s mental health.

One of the dominant themes about sexuality reported across these studies and across magazines is that presenting oneself as sexually desirable and thereby gaining the attention of men is and should be the focal goal for women.

The evidence from this research is not shocking.  It’s sad that publications, such as Cosmopolitan feel the need to consistently market women as sex symbols.  The editors of Cosmopolitan don’t even offer the perspectives of those who want to abstain from sex until marriage, which is even more depressing.

Family Research Council has released a report, “Why Wait: The Benefits of Abstinence Until Marriage,” that provided evidence that those who abstain from premarital sex tend to have happier and healthier marriages.  The report also highlighted the emotional impact that premarital sex has on young women.

A 2005 study of youth in grades 7-11 found that engaging in premarital sex often leads to depression. Compared to girls who abstain, girls who engage in premarital sex are two to three times more likely to be depressed one year later.eens who engage in premarital sex are also likely to experience regret, guilt, lowered self-respect, fear of commitment and fears about pregnancy and STDs.In addition, they are more likely to commit suicide.

With research like this, Ms. Weider’s petition is needed to protect young women from being exposed to Cosmopolitan’s agenda.  Yes, it has been said that sex sells, but the real selling point is what a woman offers in terms of grace and intelligence.

Political parties will vehemently disagree on the precise tactics and funding levels required to address this horrific disease. But in a refreshingly bipartisan event this morning, President Barack Obama made the following comment:

As we go forward, we need to keep refining our strategy so that we’re saving as many lives as possible. We need to listen when the scientific community focuses on prevention.

My good friend Suzanne Taylor just released a film that tells the moving story of the treacherous AIDS epidemic in the African country of Botswana. The Road We Know documents what a small group of college students are doing to encourage prevention.

In Botswana, 1 in 4 people adults has HIV/AIDS. But while the government has done everything the Western world has encouraged—like handing out condoms and offering free testing—the formula has clearly failed.

Desperate for a solution, the government invited a small group of college students to help save their generation with a message of hope and behavior change.

In the film’s trailer, the student leaders share an upbeat message across the country–a message that sex is good and that abstinence isn’t only possible, it’s life-saving. As President George W. Bush remarked in his 2004 State of the Union Address, “Abstinence … is the only certain way to avoid sexually transmitted diseases.”

In a 2010 report, UNAIDS could point to a 25 percent drop or more in new infections for young adults ages 15 to 24 in 15 of the most infected nations–primarily due to sexual behavior change. This confirmed that story documented in Botswana was not an isolated trend.

Now that’s a message of hope and change. The kind we should all believe in.

To watch the film or host a screening, visit www.theroadweknow.com.

To connect with Evangelical or Catholic AIDS ministries, check out FRC’s Real Compassion website at www.realcompassion.org.

Don’t Christians understand the Bible on this issue? According to a Gallup poll quoted by Relevant, 76% of Evangelicals have a clear Biblical understanding on this issue. Or, to reverse the data, 24% of Evangelicals are alright with premarital sex.

Is the data really shocking though? In a world where nothing is sacred, and where what used to be considered sacred is now fodder for ridicule via every form of entertainment and media, why should the sanctity of marriage be considered any different? Young adults have grown up in an “MTV” world, where sexuality is glorified in television shows like “Skins” and where one cannot buy groceries without being confronted by magazine covers taunting chastity.

One professor quoted by Relevant says that a major sociological difference that contributes to (but does not excuse) the growing statistic of pre-marital sex is the average age of marriage. He compares Biblical arranged marriages of early adolescents to the current average ages of 28.1 for men and 26.1 for women. I posit that this temptation is not a modern one: Paul addresses it in 1 Cor. 7:8-9. Instead, it can be argued that adults ages 18-29 have grown up in an “instant gratification” society, where patience is no longer a virtue. This is even understood and glorified by secular society, as exemplified by the Black Eyed Peas song “Now Generation” with lyrics like “I just can’t wait, I need it immediately.”

Merge the two contributing factors of an over-sexualized society, along with a generation craving instant gratification, and it is no surprise that young adults are engaging in pre-marital sex more than ever. What we need is an Evangelical culture that not only volitionally is against pre-marital sex, but practices what is preached. The church needs to restore that which is sacred, encourage young adults to stay pure, and exemplify purity to the secular world. Eighty percent of young Evangelicals is eighty percent too much.

As a taxpaying citizen of Alexandria, VA, a former educator, and a person who values our young people and wants them to have the best options available, I am outraged that the public school system in Alexandria is funding a local “teen health center,” with a primary focus on family planning. Moreover, I strongly disagree with the planned move of the center from its current location in a trailer outside a nearby shopping center, directly into T.C. Williams High School so that center workers will have unlimited access to students.

Not only do I not want my hard-earned tax dollars supporting this endeavor, but more importantly, I am convinced that this move undermines parental authority, is costly to our city, and most importantly does a huge disservice to young people.

The center provides services for youth aged 12-19 years old, dispenses contraception and refers for abortion without parental permission. The teen center also provides other services, interestingly, all which require parental permission, such as routine physical exams, vaccinations, treatment of minor illnesses. However the primary focus of the center is family planning, STD treatment and abortion referral.

Given that research continually supports the fact that sexual involvement at a young age is not good for adolescents, especially girls, why would T.C. Williams and Alexandria City Schools consider this a good decision for our young people’s health?

A study released less than two weeks ago again showed that abstinent teens report “better psychological well-being and higher educational attainment than those who are sexually active.”  Another recent study stated that “sexual abstinence is typically associated with better physical and psychological health among American adolescents,” including less problems with depression, sexually transmitted infections (STIs), infertility later in life, addiction to drugs and alcohol, and academic achievement. This same study indicated that girls are significantly more likely to suffer from depression when they are sexually active than adolescent boys.

Not only is teen sexual involvement bad for young people, but it is also extraordinarily costly to our economically burdened city.  In FY10, employee salaries were frozen due to the financial crisis, yet teen STI, out-of-wedlock childbearing and emotional and psychological harm are expensive social service projects for the City of Alexandria.

Additionally excluding parents from these important decisions removes the strongest support and influence in a young person’s life. While it might not always seem to be the case that young people want to talk about the birds and the bees with mom and dad, studies show that in fact teens do want to hear from their parents on these matters, and actually consider them the most influential people in their lives when it comes to sexual decision making. According to the National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy, a parent most influences a young person’s decision to become sexually involved.

According to this poll,

• 9 out of 10 teens (94%) think that adults should let teens know they should wait to have sex at least until they get out of high school
• Nearly 9 out of 10 (88%) teens say it would be easier to avoid early sexual activity and teen pregnancy if they were able to have more open, honest conversations about these topics with their parents

What are better options?

In early January, a rigorous study was released that compared abstinence education with contraceptive sex education. The study overwhelmingly supported abstinence education as the most effective in reducing sexual initiation among young teens, to the extent that even detractors of abstinence education admitted this fact.

Parents also strongly prefer the message of abstinence to contraceptive sex education. A recent poll showed that parents prefer abstinence education 2 to 1.

The funding of the clinic and planned move into TC Williams raise a number of questions and concerns. Why would Alexandria City Schools not offer that which is healthiest and most efficacious for young people? And why is the school system undermining the parent/child relationship, especially regarding topics as important as sexual decision-making? In a moment when we are looking to “cut the fat” out of the budget, why would we spend money on a prevention program that is not good for kids, and will ultimately cost the taxpayers more money?

I strongly encourage you to get the word out about this clinic. Here is the press release from Feb 28^th from Alexandria City Schools.

The school board is meeting on tonight, Tuesday, March 2nd.  If you would like to speak about this issue at the meeting, contact Rosemary Webb, clerk of the school board, and ask to speak at the meeting. You can contact the school board by clicking here.

• “Most Americans Against Abortion Coverage in Health Care Bill,” Nathan Black, The Christian Post
• “Church, state and gay marriage,” Editorial, The Los Angeles Times
• “Iowa conservatives still focused on gay marriage,” Mike Glover, Associated Press
• “NJ teen barred from abortion protest sues school,” Geoff Mulvihill, Associated Press
• “Sex ed. vs. abstinence,” Charlie Butts, OneNewsNow
• “Pew: Faith-based initiative still popular,” Matthew Hay Brown, The Baltimore Sun
• “Abortion clinic ‘bubble’ law met by protests,” Dan Simmons, Chicago Tribune

• “Judge blocks key parts of new Arizona abortion law,” Paul Davenport, Associated Press
• “Pentagon airs criticism of ‘don’t ask’,” Bryan Bender, The Boston Globe
• “Should Government Have E-Record of Every Woman Who’s Had an Abortion?,” Terence P. Jeffrey, CNSNews.com
• “Parents’ Rights Amendment Reaches 120 Co-Sponsors,” Christian Newswire
• “Panel votes to restore abstinence education money,” Associated Press
• “Why are fewer Americans identifying with a religion?,” Wayne Slater, The Dallas Morning News
• “Worker misconduct cases rise at science foundation,” Associated Press

• “Dallas leads nation in repeat teen births, study finds,” Robert T. Garrett, Dallas Morning News (September 1, 2009)
• “A push for abstinence over abortion availability,” Charlie Butts, OneNewsNow (September 1, 2009)
• “‘Condom Olympics’ producer says abstinence not ‘right message’ for trafficked or drugged women,” Catholic News Agency (August 30, 2009)
• “Same-sex marriages begin in Vermont,” John Curran, Associated Press (September 1, 2009)
• “Ballot Initiative Requested on Same-Sex Marriage,” Tim Craig, The Washington Post (September 1, 2009)
• “Montana Supreme Court Will Take Up Case Wednesday to Allow Assisted Suicide,” Steven Ertelt, LifeNews.com (September 1, 2009)
• “Iowa School District Plans to Revise Religious Liberty Policy,” Nathan Black, The Christian Post (August 28, 2009)

• “Group that opposes gay marriage now targeting Iowa,” Michael J. Crumb, Associated Press (August 27, 2009)

“The National Organization for Marriage has launched the Reclaim Iowa Project, targeting legislative races in the state in an effort to elect candidates who support putting the issue of gay marriage before voters.

“Iowa is important because the Supreme Court decision was so against the will of the people of Iowa and the Legislature and Gov. (Chet) Culver showed absolutely no backbone in giving the people the right to have their voices heard,” said Brian Brown, the organization’s executive director.”

• “NJ Catholic bishops campaign against gay marriage,” Associated Press (August 26, 2009)

“Roman Catholic bishops in New Jersey have begun a new campaign opposing same-sex marriage.

The push comes in anticipation of a possible vote on the issue by state lawmakers after the November election.”

• “Kansas abortion fight spills into Nebraska,” Associated Press (August 26, 2009)
• “Debate continues over Utah sex ed changes,” Lisa Schencker, The Salt Lake Tribune (August 26, 2009)

” Educators, students and parents continued to debate Wednesday whether youth should learn more about contraception in school, at the latest meeting exploring a proposed change to Utah’s sex education law.

Rep. Lynn Hemingway, D-Salt Lake City, presented a draft of his bill, which would require school districts to offer two tracks of sex education: one that would teach abstinence only and another where teachers would still promote abstinence but also include information on sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) and contraceptives. Parental permission would be required for students to take the second track.”

• “‘Condom Olympics’ at Miss Universe Pageant Blasted by Women’s Groups,” Adam Brickley, CNSNews.com (August 27, 2009)

“The Miss Universe pageant and an AIDS prevention group are under fire for staging a “Condom Olympics” for contestants just three days prior to last Sunday’s competition in the Bahamas.”

• “Christian Doctors Raise Flags Over New Pro-Suicide Bias in U.S. Law, Policy,” Aaron J. Leichman, The Christian Post (August 27, 2009)

“As physicians, we recognize the value of advance planning and counseling and appointing a personal healthcare proxy,” commented Dr. Gene Rudd, senior vice president of the 16,000-member CMA. “The VA manual goes a step further, however, subtly raising with vulnerable patients the possibility that physical impairments might make their lives, in the words of the manual, ‘not worth living.’

The 52-page manual, entitled, “Your Life, Your Choices: Planning for Future Medical Decisions,” lists scenarios such as being in a wheelchair, needing kidney dialysis, or requiring a feeding tube and then asks the patient to consider whether those situations might make his or her life “not worth living.”

• “Human Trial of Embryonic Stem Cell Research Stopped Due to Animal Problems,” Steven Ertelt, LifeNews.com (August 27, 2009)

“When used in animal research, injections of embryonic stem cells formed tumors afterwards and also prompted the immune system of the intended recipients to reject the cells.

The FDA delayed the trials to review studies of the therapy, called GRNOPC1, in its use with animals.

Now, new reports indicate problems associated with the animals in Geron’s studies prompted the FDA to halt the human trials. Specifically, the animals developed cysts at the injury sites after the injections.”

• “New Hampshire Court orders Christian homeschooled girl to attend public school,” Pete Chagnon, OneNewsNow (August 26, 2009)

“A Christian homeschool girl in New Hampshire has been ordered into government-run public school for having “sincerely held” religious beliefs — and the Alliance Defense Fund is troubled by the ruling.”

• According to the New York Times, former President Bill Clinton defends end-of-life counseling that is included in the health care reform plan.
• Steven Ertelt of LifeNews.com has a great article about a CDC study that shows teen abortion rates are lower in states that accept abstinence funding.
• Cleveland is becoming a leader in adult stem cell research. Continue reading the article from The Plain Dealer.
• David French of Phi Beta Cons reported Tuesday that the EEOC went after Belmont Abbey College in North Carolina for refusing to cover oral contraceptives in its employer provided health insurance.
• Prisoners in the Rappahannock Regional Jail in Virginia will now be allowed to receive religious mail, after the ACLU sent a letter to officials demanding that these letters containing biblical passages be distributed, as The Christian Post reports.

• The Obama Administration has been fairly silent about the provisions for abortion in the health care bill. The Baptist Press has a great article about the Administration’s silence on the provisions.
• Kansas is back in the news again. This time, The Wichita Eagle reports that the Governor and the Kansas Department of Health and Environment has stripped funding from a program that gives state money to groups who provide alternatives to abortion.
• This morning, I came across an interesting article by Eric Gorski of the Associated Press that discussed the conflict of young Evangelical Christians torn between premarital sex and waiting for marriage. Continue reading…
• The controversial health care bill that will be debated in Congress will provide doctors incentive to push euthanasia. Read more about this on LifeNews.com.
• The Christian Post reports that homeschoolers are scoring well above those attending public schools in reading, math, social studies, and language.
• If you haven’t already done so, read Nonie Darwish’s article in FrontPage Magazine about Islam.