Palin, McCain may diverge on sex ed

WASHINGTON, Sept. 6 (UPI) -- U.S. Republican vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin has given conflicting statements on the use of condoms, the Los Angeles Times reported Saturday.

Palin, the governor of Alaska and running mate of GOP presidential nominee Sen. John McCain of Arizona, indicated on a gubernatorial candidate questionnaire in 2006 she supported abstinence-only sex education for teenagers, but only weeks later contradicted that during a debate in Juneau, the newspaper said.

"I'm pro-contraception, and I think kids who may not hear about it at home should hear about it in other avenues," she said during an August 2006 gubernatorial radio debate, the newspaper reported.

If her second position is true, that would put her at odds with McCain, who advocates an abstinence-only sex education stance.

When asked by the Times about Palin's statement, Leslee Unruh, president of the National Abstinence Clearinghouse and campaign manager of the Vote Yes for Life effort, initially said, "I don't think it's clear. It seems disjointed to me."

But two days later, Unruh dismissed the comments as "old," the newspaper said.