Fox guest: Sex ed teaches children strangers with candy are 'not so creepy' David Edwards and Muriel Kane

Published: Monday July 23, 2007 Print This Email This Fox News on Monday invited former Surgeon General Joycelyn Elders and a young conservative pro-abstinence pundit, Christine O'Donnell, to discuss Barack Obama's recent suggestion that age-appropriate sex education should begin in kindergarten. Elders said she agreed fully with Obama that for their own protection kindergarteners should be told about inappropriate touching. O'Donnell not only disagreed but attacked Elders, claiming that when she was surgeon general, her office proposed using "cartoon characters of naked children so-called touching themselves with inanimate objects." "This breaks down the natural modesty that exists within children to protect them," O'Donnell continued, arguing that if children get comfortable talking about personal things to their kindergarten teachers, "then suddenly talking to that stranger with candy on the playground is not so creepy." Elders responded that even though 55% of "parents do not teach their children anything about sex," 81% want them to receive sex education in school. "It is the parents' decision to decide," insisted O'Donnell, adding to clinch the argument that "if the parents aren't as involved in the children's life as they should be, the school should be offering parenting classes!" "We have a sexually unhealthy society," began Elders, but O'Donnell quickly cut her off, saying with a broad grin, "And that is wonderful. ... It's called modesty." "Dr. Elders, I'm going to give you the last comment, said the Fox host, at which O'Donnell laughed loudly. As Elders started to say "Ignorance is not bliss," O'Donnell interrupted yet again with a loud, "And neither is promiscuity!" The following video is from Fox's Fox & Friends broadcast on July 23.





