Remember being in middle school when even the thought of the word sex caused a snicker across the classroom?
Sex was discussed purely in educational terms, except for the few jokes occasionally thrown out there about sexual terms no one truly understood. It was taught in preparation for adulthood. After all, at that age, most were certain that only adults had sex and the purpose was to procreate. That kind of stuff was gross anyways.
Over time, this vision changes and sex becomes a common subject. It comes up in high school, but is even more prevalent in college. It's a good thing all that information was presented in middle school. Most young adults feel they have immunity against danger, because it will never happen to them, especially in regards to sexual diseases and pregnancy. Every time one engages in sexual activity they are at risk. Two bills regarding theses topics of sex-ed curriculum are currently the object of debate.
Assembly Bill 690 would make abstinence-only curriculum illegal because it states certain topics must be discussed in the classroom. It requires a sex-ed curriculum to teach the health benefits of abstinence, but does not require that the students be taught the failure rate of condoms and other forms of birth control. Helpful information presented includes self-esteem, communication with parents, sexual anatomy and physiology, recognition of unwanted sexual advances, information about counseling and medical resources for victims of sexual assault, sexual stereotypes and protective behavior.
In seventh grade, marriage, parental responsibility, prenatal development, adoption, abstinence and prevention of pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases would be taught.
By teaching these methods at such an early age, it promotes acceptable sexual behavior among junior high students. The bill was sponsored by state Rep. Tamara Grigsby, D-Milwaukee, who told the Beloit Daily News, "They're talking about sex anyway. Young people talk about sex. Why not balance that with information so that they know how to protect themselves?" This statement is ironic because students targeted by the curriculum in middle school are not legally permitted to be sexually active.
Julaine Appling, the executive director of the Family Research Institute of Wisconsin, argues that AB 690 severely limits the freedom of local school boards: "They've shifted away from what the curriculum 'may include' to what it 'must include.' That does rob the district of a great deal of options and control as to what they will be presenting," she told the Beloit Daily News.
The bill will not touch section 118.019(5) of the law that requires a district to form a human growth and development advisory committee. At this point, law regulates the committee to include citizens of various beliefs and backgrounds and includes parents, members of the clergy, school administrators, nurses and educators. The new bill would severely restrict the freedom and undermine the purpose of the committee because it would tell them exactly what needs to be included in the curriculum.
Senate Bill 286 sponsored by state Sen. Mary Lazich, R-New Berlin, has already passed the Senate 24-9 and allows for that freedom. This bill requires boards to emphasize abstinence as the preferred choice in a sex-ed curriculum and does not remove local control as AB 690 does. It leaves the committee in charges of content and presentation.
At what point has sex education gone too far? Education is the ultimate form of protection, but it must include all forms of education, including abstinence. What is true of adolescents in one area may not be true of another, so sex education should be able to adapt to its surroundings. The current law on sex education allows for the ultimate freedom: choice. Teenagers are stereotyped for always making the wrong decisions in terms of their bodies, but maybe if presented with enough information about abstinence, some will make the right choice, instead of gambling with contraceptives at such a young age.
Joelle Parks ([email protected]) is a sophomore intending to major in journalism.
