Ohio House Drops 'Gateway Sexual Activity' Sex Ed Provision From Budget
April 23, 2013 — The Ohio House on Thursday voted 76-19 to remove a budget amendment that would have barred instructors from discussing "gateway sexual activity" in sex education classes, StateImpact Ohio reports (Bloom, StateImpact Ohio, 4/19).
The provision would have required instructors to endorse abstinence as the only method to avoid pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections. It also would have prohibited distribution of contraceptives on school property (AP/WDTN, 4/19).
Gateway sexual activity would have been defined as "[a]ny touching of an erogenous zone of another ... for the purpose of sexually arousing or gratifying either person." Instructors found to violate the ban could have faced fines of up to $5,000 (StateImpact Ohio, 4/19).
The information contained in this publication reflects media coverage of women’s health issues and does not necessarily reflect the views of the National Partnership for Women & Families.
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