From AP RALEIGH, N.C. – North Carolina lawmakers have tentatively approved expanding a parent’s choice for their child’s sex education curriculum, including a change that would likely increase the number of seventh- through ninth-graders who get no sex education.
The House voted 64-53 on Tuesday to expand beyond the abstinence-until-marriage curriculum that has been the sole track since the mid-1990s. A final House vote could come Thursday.
The bill would let parents choose whether their children studied the existing curriculum, one that also discussed contraception, or skipped sex education altogether.
Social conservatives objected that marriage is devalued if children were taught about contraception they could use if they are sexually active.
April 16th, 2009 at 8:28 pm
Once again right-wing conservatism and law makers are choosing to be irresponsible with our youths sexuality. How are these adolescents supposed to make educated decision about sexual activity, if they are not taught about the natural changes taking place within their bodies.
Many European countries start young woman at age 14 on contraception as well as discussing the need to practice safe sex with condoms. Most of these youth don’t have sex until they are well into University years because the affects of sexual activity have been discussed openly with them. This allows the youth to make educated choices about becoming active.
STD’s, HIV and pregnancy are at an all time high among our youth. Do we really believe electing to not talk about it at all is going to decrease these numbers? Shouldn’t we be discussing how sex changes the way you interact with the opposite sex. How it can change a relationship with a partner or how it may lead to an unplanned marriage, which is not going to end in ‘happily ever after’.
With every step we take forward- we take five back. How many parents’ waited until they were married? If you did, are you happy?