Abstinence

BOSTON - Here it is just days after the red states gave their presidential seal of approval to the man from Texas and we've already been treated to another skirmish in the culture wars. The Texas Board of Education has now given its educational seal of approval to what may soon be dubbed Red Sex Ed. The big news is the state's successful demand that textbook publishers change the description of marriage between "two people" to marriage between "a man and a woman." They also ordered that marriage be defined as "a lifelong union between a husband and a wife."

SCIENCE RISES or falls on integrity. That's why claims of bias in scientific findings, distortion of results when clinical trials are funded by pharmaceuticals and outright falsification of scientific data are so disturbing. Our reliance on science is based on the application of objective methods to achieve replicable results, and we all suffer when that process is distorted. The essence of any theological or religious stance is integrity. That is why everyone loses when science is used to support theology-based decisions and in that process the science is perverted.

BILL COSBY has been making news lately, not for his comedic genius but for his commentaries on the crude language that is becoming commonplace among the young in the black community and for parental failure to make education a top priority for their children. While many praise his courage and candor, others resent him for washing the community's laundry in public. Such a public display, they argue, will serve only as a weapon to be wielded by others against blacks. Critics also rationalize that the younger generation's language and attitudes are merely a reflection of our culture.

WASHINGTON - Parents naturally want what's best for their children. Unfortunately, when it comes to sex education, our schools aren't giving our children enough of what we know is best for them: real abstinence education. The idea of teaching children to avoid sex during their teen years is supported by nearly all parents. According to a recent Zogby International poll, 85 percent of parents said that the emphasis placed on abstinence for teens should be equal to or greater than the emphasis placed on contraception.

Education law requires states to show results I appreciate The Sun's analysis of the new federal regulations for second-language students ("Long overdue," editorial, March 3). And yes, second-language students do require and deserve additional resources. But we do have different views about the national debate on the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) law. This law, supported by Democrats and Republicans alike, is tough but fair. But some people are looking for ways to undermine it. So even though the administration has provided more than enough money to make the law work, critics counter that it is still not enough.

Marquis Page has been tempted, plenty of times. "I could have a baby, the situations I've been in," he says. But so far, the witty, outgoing 19-year-old has stayed chaste. He traces his discipline to the weekly abstinence classes he attends at New Creation Christian Church in Northeast Baltimore. Led by the program's charismatic director, Anthony Allen, a group of 20 to 35 teen-agers meets every Wednesday night in the church basement. Sitting in a large circle, they talk openly about the physical and emotional risks of premarital sex, the pull of peer pressure and the reality of hormone-fueled adolescent urges.

ONE STORY completely missed by the media during President Bush's whirlwind tour of Africa is this surprising item: The HIV infection rate on the continent, while still a nightmare across most of sub-Saharan Africa, appears to be leveling off or declining in several key urban areas. The epidemic, in fact, may have turned a corner in Africa. But as Mr. Bush stormed through five countries in five days touting his just-approved $15 billion emergency AIDS bill for the continent, there was cause for big concern.

PRESIDENT BUSH sets off for Africa today on a trip he has said should be read as a signal that the United States believes in the "great potential" of that often troubled continent and is committed for the long term to help African nations achieve prosperity. Indeed, the potential is great. Africa is rich in natural and human resources, a new frontier for trade and economic development so ripe that African airlines are loaded with foreign businessmen. But the HIV/AIDS pandemic combines with civil strife and shortages of food and water to create another sort of potential: unimaginable human misery as well as a breeding ground for terrorism.

BOSTON - After all is said and done, I'm still trying to figure out how he got away with it. I don't mean how he got away with hawking virtue and hiding vice in public. William J. Bennett isn't the first in the crowd to pull that off. I can't figure out how he got away with it at home. Let me put it this way. If my husband had fed $8 million into the slot machines, I might have noticed before I read it in Newsweek or The Washington Monthly. A few days ago, some folks at the casinos dropped a dime on Mr. Bennett and passed a passel of documents to reporters.

WASHINGTON - The House resoundingly approved President Bush's plan for a new global campaign against AIDS yesterday, authorizing $15 billion to help fight a rampaging epidemic that has killed or infected tens of millions and threatens political stability in some of the world's poorest countries. The legislation, which passed 375-41 despite the misgivings of some influential conservatives, breaks new ground for a Republican-led Congress often skeptical of foreign aid. Its commitment of $15 billion over five years to fight AIDS and two other diseases - tuberculosis and malaria - that often afflict people with AIDS would dwarf the $1.6 billion the United States now spends annually on the international health crisis.