Spread the Word: Urge Your Representatives to Vote for HB 879 and SB 1182!
Support Comprehensive Sexuality Education for our youth
House Bill 879 and Senate Bill 1182 were recently introduced in the North Carolina Legislature, but they need your support to pass! Both bills would change the current Abstinence Until Marriage curriculum to an Abstinence Based Comprehensive Sexuality Education curriculum. This change would be a HUGE step forward for North Carolina. These bills are currently in committee and will be voted upon by April 12; any action must be taken quickly! The bill's summary appears below:
Modify School Health Education Program. (Sponsors: Sen. Linda Garrou, D-Forsyth) The
bill proposes substituting abstinence-based comprehensive sexual health
education for Abstinence Until Marriage Education, which is currently included
among the listing of programs that are to be developed and taught in the school
health education program. Among the subject matter the bill proposes to
be taught in the public schools are the following - 1. Abstinence-based
comprehensive sexual health education; 2. Awareness of sexual abuse and assault
risk reduction; 3. Prevention of unintended pregnancy and sexually transmitted
diseases, including HIV/AIDs, and other communicable diseases; 4. Effectiveness
and safety of all FDA-approved contraceptive methods in preventing pregnancy,
including emergency contraception; and 5. Instruction on the law that allows an
individual to lawfully leave a minor child 72
hours or younger with a responsible person in
accordance with the provisions listed in the current law without being in
violation of North Carolina's criminal statues against abandonment. The
bill also proposes that all materials used for instruction be factually and
medically accurate and objective. If
this bill is enacted, it would eliminate the current public hearing requirement
that a school board must conduct if the board wants to expand on the areas to be
included in its school health program and instruction objectives. Local boards would be required to adopt
policies allowing parents to withhold consent ("opt out") to a student's
participation. Current law provides that
local boards can adopt policies that either allows parents to consent or
withhold consent -- "opt in or opt out" -- to a student's participation in sexuality
education. (Referred to Senate Education /Public
Instruction Committee, March 22, 2007).
|
What YOU Can Do!
This bill is a huge step forward, but opponents of comprehensive sexuality education have already mobilized to stop it. We need you to contact your representative and senator to urge them to support this bill. Further, we need you to do as many of the following as you can:
- Write opinion pieces to your local newspapes and radio and television stations, urging the public to support this legislation.
- Urge your friends, family, church, co-workers and people on the street to contact their representatives and senators to support these bills.
- If you work with teens, urge them to tell their parents and legislators to support these bills.
- Head to the State Legislature to show your support. Tell them APPCNC sent you.
- Forward this email to as many people as you can. These bills will be voted upon in Committee, and if they don't suceed there, it will be at least another two years before they'll come up again.
- Flood the Legislator's emails and phones with support; the opposition to this bill is organized and determined. We must be doubly so.
|
Who Do I Contact?
- You can view the members of the House Committee on Health HERE. They'll be voting on this bill on Thursday, April 12.
- You can view the members of the Senate Committee on Education/Public Instruction HERE. They'll be voting either Wednesday April 4 or Wednesday April 11 on this bill.
- You can contact your legislator and urge them to urge their colleagues. If enough people express their support for these bills, it will help. Never doubt that we can make this happen.
- Bottom line: contact as many legislators as you can as soon as you can!
|
