Sex-Ed Bill
Today the Utah Senate passed House Bill 363, that essentially states teachers or sexual education courses are not allowed to talk about anything but abstinence. Teachers cannot discuss contraceptives and the school can even opt out of teaching sex-ed.
The bill was largely supported by the Republican members of the Senate and was champion by Republican representative Bill Wright. When he presented the bill he stated that "Abstinence is the only sure way to refrain from unwanted pregnancies (http://www.heraldextra.com/news/local/govt-and-politics/legislature/sena...).”
Well that’s correct but as our good friends at “The Office” stated in the episode “Sex Ed” it’s like saying “What’s the safest way to go skiing? Don’t go skiing (http://officequotes.net/no7-04.php).”
The youth will still have sex if you promote contraceptives or not. Just because a sex-education class informs you about safe sex doesn’t mean it’s going to get a roomful of teenagers “excited.” Quite the opposite in fact, because once you start discussing STD’s and the intimate details of the anatomy of the male and female body most teenagers would be turned off. While if you don’t talk about sex education at all your leaving the student uniformed and all the more curious. When you tell a child don’t do this there’s a good chance they will, but if you instead discuss the issue or the act then the child will be informed enough to make a decision that is theirs to make.
In an article on the Daily Herald Senator Stuart Reid, (R-Ogden), was quoted stating that “the current system Utah is following is flawed in how it allows what he called complete strangers to teach Utah's children about the most sensitive of issues. ‘We have no idea what their morals are, no idea what their values are, yet we turn over the instruction of sexual activities to them,’ he said (http://www.heraldextra.com/news/local/govt-and-politics/legislature/sena...).”
I have two issues with that. First off those that are teaching the youth on sex education are TEACHERS, the ones that are entrusted with educating youth on all sorts of topics. Secondly it’s insensitive and demeaning to state that our teachers may not have the morals and values to educate the youth.
I hope that once Governor Gary Herbert receives the bill he will understand the importance of educating and informing the youth on safe sex, and veto the bill. Just like with the debate on the teaching of evolution, just because you disagree with an idea doesn’t give you the right to take away our right to an education that encompasses all facts and viewpoints.
