Drug-Based Sex Education, Attack on Abstinence In Public School Sex Ed Teaching In Proposed Amendment to SB 1581

Rep. Joaquin Castro has proposed an amendment pushing drug-based sex education, on SB 1581, that attacks a school district’s right to teach abstinence in compliance with current law.  Rep. Castro’s amendment is based on his bill, HB 1624, that went absolutely nowhere this session.  HB 1624 did not even have enough support to get a hearing in the House Public Education Committee.

This amendment promotes drug-based sex education, and requires that schools teach less about abstinence, if any sex education is taught at a public school.

JUST TO BE CLEAR, PUBLIC SCHOOLS DO NOT HAVE TO TEACH SEX EDUCATION AT ALL!  The law does not require public schools to have any teaching on sex education, but if a school district does decide to have sex education teaching, the state tells you that there are minimum requirements that must be met.

Under this amendment, if any sex ed is taught, more teaching is required about drug-based sex education, such as the pill (hormones that require a pharmacy prescription), the patch (hormonal method that requires a pharmacy prescrition), IUD (a device that is implanted into a girl’s uterus by a doctor) and all the other drug-based and non drug-based “contraceptive” methods. http://www.fda.gov/forconsumers/byaudience/forwomen/ucm118465.htm#hormonal

This amendment also says that the sex ed “may not promote bias against students of any race, gender, sexual orientation, or ethinic or cultural background.”  Not sure about the relevance of this clause.

We oppose this amendment.