Wisc. Legislature Approves Bill Requiring Schools To Teach About Contraception

February 1, 2010 — The Wisconsin Legislature approved a bill Thursday that would require school sex education programs to teach about contraception beginning in the 2010 school year, the AP/Appleton Post-Crescent reports. The state Senate approved the bill 18-15, with all Democrats supporting it and all Republicans voting against it. The state Assembly, which approved the legislation in November 2009, on Thursday approved a change made by the Senate and sent the bill to Gov. Jim Doyle (D), who has said he supports the measure.

While Wisconsin schools are not required to teach sex education, the bill would require those that do to address the benefits, side effects, and correct use of contraceptives and other methods to prevent sexually transmitted infections and pregnancies. The bill would allow parents to view instructional materials and opt to have their children excluded from the lessons.

The bill would not alter a state law passed in 2007 requiring teachers to stress abstinence until marriage as the best method for avoiding pregnancy and STIs. Wisconsin is one of 22 states that requires schools to emphasize abstinence, and the bill would make it the 16th state to require teaching about contraception, according to the Guttmacher Institute. Supporters of the bill -- including the Wisconsin teachers' union, groups representing nurses and health departments, and Planned Parenthood -- say it is necessary to help reduce the rate of teen pregnancies. Opponents of the legislation -- such as the Wisconsin Catholic Church and Wisconsin Right to Life -- say that it sends the message that sex is permissible as long as teens use birth control and that schools should instead focus on abstinence (Bauer, AP/Appleton Post-Crescent, 1/28).