A Utah House member wants to remove from state law the prohibition against “advocating” for contraceptive use in teaching high school students.
Rep. Raymond Ward, R-Bountiful, a family practice physician, in HB232 says he’s heard from a number of high school health teachers that they actually skip the contraception unit of the sex education, State Office of Education-approved, teaching protocol because of the current prohibition against “advocating” pregnancy-preventing methods, drugs, and products.
“Some of the teachers just skip it,” says Ward.
Why?
They fear being criticized or action taken against them because just teaching the unit could be seen by some parents or others as advocating contraceptives, said Ward.
Striking the language on line 58 of the bill: “prohibiting instruction in . . . the advocacy or encouragement of the use of contraceptive methods or devices” is what the bill is all about.
Ward said it is of interest that last year lawmakers struck from the same statute the prohibition against advocating homosexuality in sex ed classes.
Schools may not want to be advocating a gay lifestyle or use of condoms to high school students, but in a science-based curriculum, as is now being used, certainly the subjects should be taught in a neutral, science-based manner, said Ward.
And some teachers are not teaching students, who could, within a year, be married or in a serious romantic relationship, at least how contraception can be used in proper family planning.
“Our science-based” sex ed programs are currently responsible, said Ward, who has reviewed them.
“It’s crazy” that some teachers are skipping the contraceptive unit in their high school sex ed classes for fear of being accused of “advocacy,” and then guilty of breaking the law.
Ward said studies show that over an adult lifespan, 90 percent will at one time or another use some kind of contraception.
And it only makes sense that public schools should teach a responsible course to high school students.
He personally hopes that all high school students choose abstinence from sex, but whether they do or no, schools should “not be afraid of science” in this area.
Will the basically-conservative Utah Legislature want to remove this advocacy prohibition?
“I don’t have a lot of lawyers behind me threatening to sue if we don’t” pass HB232.
But it only makes sense to him that state law should not have this prohibition – “this hammer hanging over the heads” of sex ed teachers, he said.
“Teachers should not be afraid of teaching our neutral, science-based” sex education courses, all of them, including contraception use.
