New "Science Vs" Episode: The Legendary Condom Queen

 Surgeon Generals typically don't draw much press -- unless it's Dr. Jackson and the Inspector General's report on his alleged inappropriate conduct -- or there is a worldwide pandemic.

Before treatment breakthroughs in the fight against AIDS, using a condom was often the only and best protection against ravages of HIV for men and women. 

Pioneer of sex education in the United States - Dr. Joycelyn Elders - rose to prominence as surgeon general during Bill Clinton’s presidency. With her determined approach to furthering sex education throughout the country, including safe sex and abortion education, she promoted ideas that are still discussed today, but led to her firing just a year after she took the post.

 In an eye-opening conversation, Dr. Joycelyn Elders shares how she attempted to lower the rates of teen pregnancy through sex education during her tenure as surgeon general, whereas the US still has the highest rate of teen pregnancy today amongst similar countries. Listen to The Legendary Condom Queen -- the newest episode of Spotify’s Gimlet podcast “Science Vs” -- the show that breaks down what’s fact, what’s not, and what’s somewhere in between.

 

From Science Vs: "Dr. Joycelyn Elders is a total badass. She grew up in poverty in rural Arkansas, but in 1993 she rose to become the surgeon general of the United States — appointed by President Bill Clinton. Joycelyn wanted to put sex education front and center, to help teenage girls avoid getting pregnant. Decades ago, she was saying things that could be ripped out of the headlines today. But America wasn’t ready for this, and after just over a year, she was fired. Today on the show: a conversation with Dr Joycelyn Elders. We'll take you inside the room when Clinton fired her, and we’ll find out what it takes to get America's politicians to talk about sex education."

Science Vs is now in its 11th season and continues to decipher facts from myths. In an age of rampant misinformation, Science Vs strives for accuracy and scientific credibility while not afraid to sometimes conclude, "the data shows we're not sure."

Hosted by Australian science journalist Wendy Zukerman, Science Vs is successful because of two primary reasons. First, Zukerman’s good-natured humor topples listener expectations about what a science podcast should sound like. Second, the unique mission of the podcast --using scientific investigative techniques to separate fact from myth – sparks interest, controversy and insight.

In a post-truth world, Zukerman and her team of scientific detectives take on incendiary topics in today’s zeitgeist, such as gun control, vaccinations, climate change, organic food, and even blue balls.