Texas State Senator Kevin Eltife Needs Some Education

The Texas Legislature is well know for stupid and incompetent members and Kevin Eltife is a perfect example. This republican numb nuts wants the Texas Senate to discuss and regulate rather condoms should be handed out at University of Texas Student Health Centers.

With all the other vital issues that face Texas, Senator Numb Nuts wants to discuss condoms rather than health care for Texans, transportation that doesn't steal millions of acres of Texas ranch land, or ways to lower the drop out or teen pregnancy rate in Texas.


In an interview with KLTV, Tyler's ABC affiliate which aired Tuesday night, Eltife said he was concerned about free condoms being distributed by the student health clinic at the University of Texas at Tyler, especially that some may have been paid for with tax dollars, since the University Health Clinic at UT-Tyler is operated by the University of Texas Health Center at Tyler:


Is it a proactive health measure, or an encouragement for students to have sex? U.T. Health Clinic's practice of making free condoms available to student patients came as a shock to Senator Kevin Eltife.

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"If it's such a good deal, why don't we talk about it, why don't we debate it," said Senator Eltife. "Let's debate it on campus. Let's get input from the parents, and the students, and the people who are supporting U.T. Health Center in Tyler and the entire system. Let's talk about it in the legislature, let's get it out on the table and discuss it. If it's a great idea and a great concept, let's get it out on the table and discuss it."

The story, aired by of the state's most conservative local television station (well-known for its "" segments), is the first of a two-part series addressing condom distribution by the UT Health Center clinic on the campus of UT Tyler. Part two is scheduled to air Wednesday night.

Part one featured a staff member of the campus clinic explaining that condoms give an opportunity to do some sex education, including explaining that condoms aren't a fool-proof method of protection from sexually transmitted diseases:

Since the clinic opened a year and a half ago, it has given away about 6,000 condoms. The majority of those, donated by state health services and local agencies like Tyler AIDS Services.

"In response to the students requesting condoms be available, I felt like it was a prime opportunity to be able to provide education to the students," said nurse practitioner Kerry Scruggs. "As appropriate, I talk to them about safer sex practices, encourage the use of condoms if they choose to be sexually active, and talk to them about the sexually transmitted diseases. Condoms may or may not help prevent some of that."

It also featured Eltife, who mentioned several times that he believed parents of students at the university would be concerned if they knew free condoms were being distributed free by the campus health clinic–which receives taxpayer funds:

"I had no idea and I'd imagine most parents don't know either," said Senator Eltife. "I can assure you there are a lot of parents whose kids are going there who would probably not be happy about what they're doing."

No parents of students were interviewed to actually express any concerns about condom distribution.

KLTV_CONDOM_POLL UT Tyler, while historically a "commuter school," has in the past decade significantly expanded its reach, attracting students from across Texas and the nation and building 15 sports teams and finally gaining full NCAA membership. And, in spite of being located in conservative Tyler, Eltife and KLTV seem to be the only ones in an uproar about distribution of condoms on the UT Campus. The television station is even running a poll on the front page of its website. Unsurprisingly, shortly after KLTV's 10 p.m. newscast Tuesday night, those favoring distribution of condoms outnumbered those who didn't favor the practice.

As KLTV noted, some of the roughly 6,000 condoms distributed by the university since the clinic opened were not paid for with tax dollars, but were donated by a private agency, Tyler AIDS Services.

Eltife soon to be known as Senator Numb Nuts proves yet again that Republicans are so caught up in preaching at people they can not see reality through all their righteous Bull Shit. He would rather students contract sexually transmitted diseases or have unwanted pregnancies than learn a few rules of safe sex.



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