Ex-surgeon generals say US needs sexual literacy

U.S. efforts to promote abstinence as a cornerstone of sexual education have not lowered levels of sexually transmitted diseases, two former U.S. surgeon generals said on Thursday.

Drs. Joycelyn Elders and David Satcher told a news conference in San Francisco that a broad effort is needed to promote the “sexual literacy” of Americans to counter unacceptable levels of sexually transmitted diseases and unplanned pregnancies, especially among teens and young adults.

“The vows of abstinence break far more easily than latex condoms,” said Elders, who was fired by President Bill Clinton after she suggested that schools teach children about masturbation.

Satcher said it would be an “injustice” if sexual education did not go beyond encouraging abstinence. He took over as surgeon general after Elders, serving three years under Clinton and one year under President George W. Bush.

The news conference coincided with Satcher’s launch of the Center for Excellence for Sexual Health at Morehouse School of Medicine in Atlanta.

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