Baby-grandmama status belies "abstience only" education

The strange news of VP pick Sarah Palin's pending baby-grandmamahood never seemed like a candidacy killer to me - just a wild, weird story that put a hard news cap on the final weekend of the silly season. But thinking about it harder this morning, here's what I think it does damage: the GOP's platform stance in favor of abstinence only education. Here's an excerpt from the plank:

Abstinence from sexual activity is the only protection that is 100 percent effective against out-of-wedlock pregnancies and sexually transmitted diseases, including HIV/AIDS when transmitted sexually. We oppose school-based clinics that provide referrals, counseling, and related services for abortion and contraception.

A third of U.S. teenage girls get pregnant, more than any other developed nation. How many more are sexually active but never face the challenge of pregnancy? As a Senator, John McCain opposed teen pregnancy prevention programs and voted to require teen mothers to stay in school or lose federal benefits. And politicians he'll share the convention stage with this week think some kind of sex D.A.R.E. program is going to stem the tide of hormones and keep teenagers out of each others' underwear and the back seats of their parents' Dodge Caravans? It's hard to fathom.