Miss., Utah Debate Sex Education Bills

Main Category: Sexual Health / STDs
Also Included In: Pediatrics / Children's Health;  Women's Health / Gynecology
Article Date: 05 Feb 2010 - 5:00 PDT

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The following summarizes recent action in Mississippi and Utah on bills regarding abstinence-only sex education curricula.

~ Mississippi: The Mississippi House on Tuesday voted 84-35 to advance a bill (HB 837) that would give school districts the option of offering an "abstinence-plus" curriculum that provides information on contraception, the AP/Jackson Clarion-Ledger reports. Currently the state only allows abstinence-only curricula, with no discussion of contraception. According to the AP/Clarion-Ledger, Mississippi has one of the highest teen birth rates in the U.S. Under the bill, students would still be encouraged to abstain from sexual activity but also would receive information on condoms, birth control pills and other forms of contraception. Parental permission would be required for the classes, and schools would be prohibited from including any discussion of abortion as a way to prevent birth, the AP/Clarion-Ledger reports. State Rep. John Mayo (D) said the legislation is based on work from summer 2009 by a pregnancy prevention task force. By offering two different curricula, educators would be able to evaluate which program is more successful in five years, Mayo said. In other action, the House defeated a proposal that would have offered a $2,000 annual university scholarship to any student who graduates from high school without either getting pregnant or getting someone pregnant, the AP/Clarion-Ledger reports. The bill's author, state Rep. Gregory Holloway (D), decided to hold the bill for the possibility of more House discussion (Wagster Pettus, AP/Jackson Clarion-Ledger, 2/2).

~ Utah: A recent study finding that teens in an abstinence-only sex education program delayed sexual activity could permeate the Utah Legislature's debate over a bill (SB 54) that would allow more medically accurate information in the state's sex education curriculum, the Deseret Morning News reports. Utah's sex education classes currently emphasize abstinence but allow instructors to provide information on contraception with parental consent. Some policymakers and teens say teachers are afraid of being accused of advocating sex, so instructors leave out important information to avoid such allegations. The bill's sponsor, state Sen. Stephen Urquhart (R), said that the legislation would accomplish three things: emphasize abstinence, give parents more information on the curriculum and provide teens with more medically accurate information. Urquhart said the bill does not remove abstinence from the curriculum, adding that "Utah made the decision years ago we would be abstinence-based, not abstinence-only" (Stewart, Deseret Morning News, 2/2).

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