The American right thinks that sex education is a nefarious librul plot to turn American kids into raging sex machines with some of that sex being - OMG - gay! They still cling to the belief that "abstinence education" is the only approach and, as we see from high teen pregnancy and STD rates in abstinence only states, that just isn't true. As the mouthpiece for the radical right, Fox "News," has provided a media platform for the promotion of anti-sex education zealotry. The Fox "friends" supported a Michigan anti-teacher's union group opposed to a local sex education plan because it promoted "transgender tolerance." They also took the side of those who opposed a Montana sex education curriculum as did O'Reilly,who told homophobic lies about it. Hannity validated opposition to the MT and  NY City curriculums. And now that Chicago will be implementing an age appropriate sex-ed curriculum, Neil Cavuto is providing Fox News affirmation for those who don't want kids to learn about their bodies - and sexual abuse. One suspects that he's also opposed to public spending on the consequences of ignorance. Anyway...

Last Friday, Cavuto and Michelle Fields discussed the Chicago curriculum. In case you don't know who Fields is, her claim to fame is that she graduated from Pepperdine U. in 2011 with a degree in political science and that she "gained attention after having a confrontation with actor Matt Damon over teacher tenure reform." She wrote for the "Daily Caller" and co-hosts a program with Allen West (yeah, that Allen West) about "challenges facing young Americans," on Next Generation TV. So you know that she's really qualified to talk about sex-ed!!!!

The topic focused on how Chicago kindergarten students will learn "the basics of anatomy, reproduction, healthy relationships, and personal safety. After noting that the content changes in third grade, Cavuto joked that he finally "got in straight in college."  When he asked "why," a grinning Fields replied "absolutely not, you know this is absolutely ridiculous." According to Fields, this is all a plot to hire more teachers and administrators to "waste taxpayers' dollars." She whined about the inadequacies of today's educational system which is "designed to help teacher's unions" and "rob students of their future," right wing talking points, blah, blah, blah. She claimed that kindergarten students "don't need to learn the birds and the bees" (Uh, who uses that phrase today?) from - right wing talking point alert - "government workers." She claimed that this is a parent's responsibility and not a "government employee." Nobody mentioned that not all parents are responsible.

After Cavuto read a statement from the school, he yelled "they're kindergarteners." Fields laughed uproariously. Barely able to express himself, Cavuto brayed that "this is how Rome looked in its final days." (So sex-education means the demise of our society, really?) Fields continued to criticize the performance of Chicago public schools. Cavuto said the most important thing is to "focus on getting a handle on why our kids our getting dumber and not why at an earlier age they have to be more sexually savvy." He added that he felt that "they're getting their priorities backward." Fields, not an early childhood education expert reiterated that the schools should be concentrating on core subjects and - right wing talking point alert - offering school choice and "not hiring administrators who are going to teach inappropriate touching, what HIV is, that's absolutely disgusting." As Cavuto murmured "they're in kindergarten, how would you tell a kindergarten...," Fields said, "exactly."

While neither Cavuto or Fields have degrees in child development, the woman who developed this curriculum (Stephanie Whyte) is a medical doctor with a focus on pediatrics and an MBA with business experience. Nobody mentioned that. Nobody mentioned that parents can opt out of the age appropriate program. What is really incredible is that Cavuto and Fields don't want young people being taught about HIV and inappropriate touching. Do they actually think that providing youngsters with the information about what constitutes sexual abuse is a bad thing? Don't they know that when kids aren't taught about "bad touch," they're less likely to report it and more likely to silently endure years of chld molestation which is what happened to all those youngsters who grew up in Catholic households where sex was never mentioned and who were, as a result, prime targets for priestly predators.

Interestingly, Cavuto attended Catholic school (Immaculate) in a area in which sexual abuse complaints have been lodged against 44 priests from local arch-dioceses. Wonder how many of their victims weren't taught about "bad touch" which Neil Cavuto feels is a subject not fit for children. In the world of Neil Cavuto and Michelle Fields, making kids "sexually savvy" is dangerous. Sexual predators, not so much!