Sex Ed: Protecting, educating & telling the truth
By Senator Margaret Dayton
Senate sponsor of HB 363
The first purpose of this bill is to take Planned Parenthood‘s philosophy out of our schools and out of our curriculum. Planned Parenthood’s teachings are a bad fit for Utah.
Most parents assume that local teachers or Utah’s Office of Education created the current curriculum and training for sex education. That is not the case. Planned Parenthood – a nationally organized group that promotes promiscuous behavior and abortion – has been a major source for curriculum and teacher training for these programs. Their logo is prominently displayed on the USOE’s sex ed training website www.growingupcomesfirst.org
Utah public schools will continue to teach health and human development. These biology classes will be clinical discussions. When the teaching of contraception or alternative life styles becomes the topic, the clinical discussion too easily changes into a counseling session on matters of sex. For school discussions, abstinence only is the safest approach.
Teaching abstinence is a matter of public health.
Kids are inundated with information about sex from many venues. To counter that, there must be at least one reliable source for teaching the benefits of abstinence. The evidence shows that
* Sexually active youth have a significantly higher rate of suicide and depression than their peers who are not sexually active.
* Sexually active teens, especially boys have a higher propensity to engage in other high-risk activities such as alcohol and drug abuse.
* People who were sexually active as teens are more than 50% more likely to divorce later in life.
Utah has a compelling interest to keep her youth safe and healthy. Condoms are not foolproof in preventing pregnancy or STDs. Abstinence is the only method that is 100% effective in preventing pregnancy and STDs as well as being a strong contributor to emotional health. Those messages needs to be reinforced consistently, not just presented in a spectrum of possible STD reduction methods.
In November of 2011, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention released a report stating that there are 19 million new cases of syphilis, gonorrhea and chlamydia diagnosed every year in the United States, this does not include an “alarming” increase in human papillomavirus and genital herpes that are not specifically identified in the study because they are not included in the reporting system. These new cases cost the health care system $17 billion each year. In the same report the CDC states “STDs are one of the most critical health challenges facing the nation today.” The report confirms that these increases are coming at the same time that condom use among teens has increased.
Teens should be taught risk elimination not just risk reduction. It is the responsibility of parents and educators to direct students away from physically unsafe or detrimental lifestyles and toward those that enhance opportunities for successful, healthy futures. It is the responsibility of the legislature to create scaffolding within the public education structure where educators can do that successfully.
HB363 was necessary to reclaim our schools’ curriculum from Planned Parenthood’s agenda, and give our youth the best opportunities possible for a safe and healthy future.
Originally posted on the Deseret News Site.
“Planned Parenthood – a nationally organized group that promotes promiscuous behavior and abortion…”
With all due respect, Senator, please provide specific examples of this irresponsible declaration. Until then, it’s impossible to take any of the sentences that follow seriously.
I agree. Her premiss is poorly framed and more theocratic in nature.
Senator, we are all aware of the growing promiscuity that faces today’s nation. As a college student I feel particularly aware of the philosophies of my peers and their rough upbrinnging. But to suggest that we will people into abstinence through ignorance is a falsity that challenges the purposes of education.
Teaching abstinence does nothing more than put blinders on and ignore the situation in hopes it will go away. Teen pregnancy rates and Teen STD rates are skyrocketing in Utah and your option is to simply tell them not to do it? Have you lost your reality on what our teens are thinking? I have two and know their friends and I can tell you for certain what they are doing and thinking.
They do NOT care about mine or your moral approach to sex, drugs or anything else. They will do what they want to do when they want to do it. The best you can do is to teach them the real truth (abstinence, harm reduction, harm elimination, EVERYTHING) and hope they listened when the time comes for that choice to be made.
I remember what it was like as a teenager and I was NOT prepared and had several close calls myself. Now, I will buy my children condoms and teach them about proper use including not having to use them. In the end, it is THEIR choice not yours and not even mine.
Planned Parenthood quite literally saved my grand daughter’s life with an early cancer screening. I find the Senators characterization of the organization small minded. It is the duty of any elected official to be informed on matters they address. Senator Dayton, shamefully, is not. Her words are harmful and worse, misinformed.
The remarks made in this are purely pardoning to a few extreme ideas (far, far right) about the world we share. They are no valid points. Simple pardoning, nothing more. To enforce a moral standing in such a theocratic way is NOT American. Than goodness the Governor has enough moral rectitude to veto this poor excuse for a US State bill. The author of this diatribe article needs to voted out of office, as she is not objective in her writing or apparently in thought and should simply know better than to try this kind of stunt – just to earn the voice of the loudest part of the party – currently. The moderate republicans have to get back into the game soon.
“purely pandering”
As a voter in Sen. Dayton’s district who attended the Republican caucus last Thursday, I am thrilled that Gov. Herbert vetoed HB 363.
Your method of explaining everything in this article is really pleasant, every one be capable of simply understand it, Thanks a lot.
That last comment was clearly spam, probably from China. We get a lot of those. HOWEVER, it’s the only positive comment posted to this page, so I’m letting it stay!
Thanks to all for your feedback.
P.S. ICYMI, Governor Herbert vetoed HB 363 a few hours after Senator Dayton posted this.
http://www.utah.gov/governor/news_media/article.html?article=6797
[...] http://www.senatesite.com/home/hb363/ [...]
This ridiculous sex education bill is an example of how a few radicals have crammed their extreme views down everybody else’s throat. After attending my Republican Caucus this year it’s very clear to me that most people are reasonably minded. There were more than 100 of my neighbors crammed into a small room and the topic of conversation was stopping the radicals from taking over. Good decent people ran to be delegates while the few radicals there were pushed aside. As potential candidates presented their views, the same question was asked, “Are you a member of the Tea Party or are you in any way affiliated with Freedom Works?” It’s sad to me that a few radical groups can influence such radical and unnecessary legislation when the general populous disagrees. I hope Senator Dayton’s constituents hold her accountable for this ridiculous and unnecessary bill. I’m glad that Governor Herbert vetoed it. It’s every citizen’s responsibility to stand up and be involved, otherwise it’s our own fault if we let only a few steer our government.
Senator Dayton, if you survive your next election, let this be a lesson to you!
Teaching sex education in schools is like teaching drivers Ed without giving the children the literal experience of driving. Imagine teaching them how to start a car, how to drive a car, them hearing how much fun it will be from others, kids looking forward to the anticipation of driving, giving them a set of keys, and then saying you shouldn’t until you are of age or can handle it, is unbelievable and irresponsible!
Children have not had their minds developed and do not have the maturity to make a good responsible decision. That is why children below 16 aren’t able to obtain a drivers license regardless how tall they are. In fact, due to the large number of accidents caused by young drivers, insurance companies have high premiums for them to be insured, because of the likelihood of accidents of 16-24 year olds. I believe that the experiences gained while a youth may and does dramatically effect a child.
Kids rarely think about the long term consequences of his or her decisions or actions prior to acting. Unfortunately, too often neither do adults as they often hear someone in an argument or discussion make statements that seem to be very persuasive and their conclusion or decision reasonable. Only later do they truly consider the effects the conclusion that seemed reasonable earlier will bring. With driving some suggest the age for a drivers license should be raised to 18. They reason this would reduce the number of accidents, because of the improved decision making capabilities of someone 18 compared to a 16 year old. You must admit the argument makes sense.
Sincerely, driving and sex education can and should be looked at in the same light. The decisions made by a young driver can have debilitating effects emotionally, physically, and mentally. My teenage son was in an accident he never intended to get into. By not clearly looking at the situation he was in before making the decision he made rendered the accident. Similarly, the actions of a child engaging in sex may have debilitating effects emotionally, physically, and mentally from the disease they contract or possible children born as a result of their decision. To verify my statement ask any parent that has tried to raise children or had a loved one contract a STD. Hence, a mature thoughtful person who is truly concerned for the welfare of a child or children in general, must agree that teaching abstinence until married is the best choice for the children and society.
You could definitely see your expertise within the work you write. The sector hopes for even more passionate writers like you who aren’t afraid to say how they believe. All the time go after your heart. “Until you’ve lost your reputation, you never realize what a burden it was.” by Margaret Mitchell.