The July 20 edition of Fox News' Hannity & Colmes, previewing a discussion of comments Sen. Barack Obama (D-IL) made July 17 in support of age-appropriate sex education, aired video footage of a woman applying a condom to a cucumber as co-host Sean Hannity asked, “Later, what is it that Barack Obama was thinking when he said he supported sex ed for kindergartners?” But the Obama campaign has made clear what he meant. Obama campaign spokeswoman Jen Psaki reportedly told David Brody of the Christian Broadcasting Network: “Barack Obama supports sensible, community-driven education for children because, among other things, he believes it could help protect them from pedophiles. A child's knowledge of the difference between appropriate and inappropriate touching is crucial to keeping them safe from predators.” Explaining his views in 2004, as Media Matters for America noted, Obama reportedly said, “Nobody's suggesting that kindergartners are going to be getting information about sex in the way that we think about it,” but rather that kindergartners should be taught about “inappropriate touching” and that "[i]f they ask a teacher 'where do babies come from,' that providing information that the fact is that it's not a stork is probably not an unhealthy thing." Later, co-host Alan Colmes said that “Barack Obama never said that we should teach in kindergarten things like condoms,” but the program again showed the footage of a woman applying a condom to a cucumber just prior to Colmes' statement.
During a second preview of the segment, Fox News showed footage of a woman unwrapping a condom as Colmes said, “Still ahead tonight, Barack Obama's critics think this is what the senator has in mind when he talks about sex education in our schools for youngsters.” A third preview showed footage of Obama, while co-host Sean Hannity said, “Coming up next, Barack Obama clamors for age-appropriate sex education in our schools, but isn't teaching America's kindergartners about the birds and the bees anything but appropriate?”
From the July 20 edition of Fox News' Hannity & Colmes:
HANNITY: Later, what is it that Barack Obama was thinking when he said he supported sex ed for kindergartners? We'll update that situation straight ahead.
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COLMES: And still ahead tonight, Barack Obama's critics think this is what the senator has in mind when he talks about sex education --
HANNITY: Oh --
COLMES: -- in our schools for youngsters. We're going to debate, though, the growing sex-ed contro -- because you know that's really not what it is. Later is the CIA at war with itself? Coming up.
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HANNITY: Coming up next: Barack Obama clamors for age-appropriate sex education in our schools, but isn't teaching America's kindergartners about the birds and the bees anything but appropriate?
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COLMES: Well, conservatives continue to blast Barack Obama for his stance on teaching age-appropriate sex ed to kindergartners. Is that what he really said, though? The question being raised by many is what, exactly is age appropriate? Should kids learn about safe sex and condoms, or is the abstinence the only lesson that should be taught?
Joining us now, radio talk show's Janet Parshall and sex expert and Penthouse sex columnist Dr. Victoria Zdrok. And Janet, let me start by pointing out that Barack Obama never said we should teach in kindergarten things like condoms and -- what he said exactly is we should send -- it should be -- it should be age-appropriate. It should be scientifically based. Nobody is suggesting, he said, that kindergartners are going to be getting information about sex in the way we think about it. So let's be clear what Barack Obama said in the first place.