Bri Zabriskie's List: Sex Ed in Utah

• hough Leavitt is an advocate of abstinence-only-until-marriage programs and is opposed to abortion rights, his decisions have not always reflected those beliefs. In 2000 he vetoed a state abstinence-only-until-marriage bill that would have limited sex education in schools to the teaching of abstinence before marriage and fidelity afterwards. The legislation also would have prohibited any discussion of birth control and would have required teachers to tell students that extramarital sex is illegal in Utah.⁴ At the time he explained, "the system as it is currently practiced serves the vast majority of the people of our state to their satisfaction."⁵ He also stated that, "We cannot take this matter lightly…Parents must be involved. Abstinence and fidelity are the essential core of instruction for our students."⁶ After vetoing the bill, however, he then instructed the state education board to implement many of the same proposals, including a requirement that school districts establish a committee made up of parents and educators to approve outside materials and guest speakers

• SIECUS reviewed ASPIRE and found that it is based on one set of values and opinions—that marriage should be everyone’s ultimate goal and that sex outside of marriage is wrong—which it tries to pass off as universally held truths. In an effort to convince students that these opinions are facts, the curriculum provides incomplete and biased information, promotes fear and shame, and undermines young people’s confidence in their own decision-making abilities.

• "the importance of abstinence from all sexual activity before marriage and fidelity after marriage as methods for preventing certain communicable diseases; and personal skills that encourage individual choice of abstinence and fidelity.
• At no time may instruction be provided, including responses to spontaneous questions raised by students, regarding any means or methods that facilitate or encourage the violation of any state or federal criminal law by a minor or an adult." The reference covers instruction in such matters as contraception and condom use, which some view as facilitating sexual relations by reducing various risks.
• If sex can't be treated with matter-of-fact candor and directness, it doesn't belong in any academic course of study.

1 more annotation...

• "Utah’s current sex education law attempts to establish strong parental choice provisions, focuses on abstinence, and prohibits discussion of some topics. The law allows contraceptive methods and devices to be taught in the classroom. And, most districts, including the Washington County School District, do teach contraceptives. However, my preliminary research suggests that uncertainties in the law work to discourage the teaching of contraceptives.
• Current law requires that districts adopt sex ed materials that emphasize abstinence before marriage and fidelity after marriage, and prohibit instruction in 'the advocacy or encouragement of the use of contraceptive methods or devices.' (Utah Code, sec. 53A-13-101(1)(c)(iii)(A)(III). Some teachers worry that education regarding contraceptives could be deemed to constitute advocacy or encouragement. That language could be cleaned up.
• Utah is seeing troubling health data, regarding teen pregnancies and sexually-transmitted diseases. In short, it seems to me that Utah teens and young adults are somewhat less sexually active than kids in some other parts of the country, but, when active, are stupidly subjecting themselves to risks and turmoil that a little better education about contraceptives might help address. Parents, if they want it for their children, should have the option of choosing health instruction with contraceptives
• "So, I do support some sort of 'two-track' option – one with contraceptives and one that is solely abstinence. However, based on discussions with my district, I am concerned about how a two-track option would work fiscally
• In the Washington County schools that do teach contraceptives, only 1 or 2 kids opt out.

3 more annotations...