Sex Education
In the News

Several States Take Aim at Comprehensive Sex Education
Wednesday, May 1, 2013
Lawmakers in several states this year are backing legislation to curtail comprehensive sex education in favor of antiabortion and abstinence-focused programs, The Week reports.

Nev. Assembly Passes Comprehensive Sex Education Bill
Thursday, April 25, 2013
The Nevada Assembly on Tuesday voted 26-15 to approve a bill (AB 230) that would implement a new sex education curriculum in public schools, the AP/NECN reports.

Ohio House Drops 'Gateway Sexual Activity' Sex Ed Provision From Budget
Tuesday, 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.

Kan. Gov. Brownback Signs Sweeping Bill With Several Abortion Restrictions
Monday, April 22, 2013
Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback (R) on Friday approved a far-reaching antiabortion-rights bill (HB 2253) that restricts access to the procedure, penalizes entities associated with abortion providers and declares that life begins "at fertilization," the AP/Topeka Capital-Journal reports.

Ohio House Committee Approves Amendment To Limit Sex Education in Schools
Thursday, April 18, 2013
The Ohio House Finance and Appropriations Committee on Tuesday approved a budget proposal that includes a provision barring schools from endorsing anything other than abstinence in sex education classes, the Cleveland Plain Dealer reports.

State Lawmakers Focusing on Abortion Bans in 2013, Guttmacher Analysis Finds
Tuesday, April 16, 2013
State legislators in the first three months of 2013 introduced 694 reproductive health-related measures, including about 347 to restrict abortion, according to an analysis by the Guttmacher Institute, United Press International reports.

Bipartisan S.C. Bill Would Update Sex Education Law To Include Pregnancy Prevention
Thursday, April 11, 2013
A bipartisan group of South Carolina House members on Tuesday proposed legislation (HB 3435) that would update the state's 25-year-old sex education law to include new lessons on contraception and sexually transmitted infections, while maintaining a focus on abstinence, the Columbia State reports.

Kansas Lawmakers Send Governor Sweeping Abortion Bill Declaring Life Begins 'at Fertilization'
Monday, April 8, 2013
Kansas lawmakers late Friday granted final passage to sweeping antiabortion legislation (HB 2253) that would ban certain abortions, penalize entities associated with abortion providers and define life as beginning "at fertilization," The Hill's "Blog Briefing Room" reports.

Featured Blogs
Friday, April 5, 2013
"Outlawing Abortion Won't Help Children with Down Syndrome" (Alison Piepmeier, New York Times' "Motherlode," 4/1); "Seven States Working Hard To Shut Down Abortion Clinics" (Tara Culp-Ressler, Center for American Progress' "ThinkProgress," 4/3); "Nevada Lawmaker Receives Death Threats After Talking About Her Abortion" (Culp-Ressler, Center for American Progress' "Think Progress," 4/4).

N.D. Conference Committee Drops Amendment Targeting Sex Education Research
Thursday, April 4, 2013
A North Dakota conference committee on Tuesday dropped an amendment that would have prohibited the use of public funds to contract with "entities performing, inducing, referring for, or counseling in favor of, abortions," the AP/Atlanta-Journal Constitution reports.

Sweeping Kan. Antiabortion Bill Heading to Gov. Brownback; Wichita Clinic Opening for First Time Since Tiller's Death
Wednesday, April 3, 2013
The Kansas Senate on Tuesday voted 29-11 to pass a far-reaching antiabortion-rights bill (HB 2253) that restricts access to abortion care and penalizes entities associated with abortion providers, the AP/Chicago Sun-Times reports.

N.D. House Committee Approves Amendment Targeting Sex Ed Research
Thursday, March 21, 2013
The North Dakota House Human Services Committee on Monday approved an amendment that would prohibit the use of public funds to contract with "entities performing, inducing, referring for, or counseling in favor of, abortions," the Forum of Fargo-Moorhead reports.

N.D. Amendment Could Thwart Valuable Research, Editorial Argues
Thursday, March 21, 2013
Although Planned Parenthood is lawmakers' "target of choice" in an amendment that seeks to block funding for a sex education program run by the group, the provision's broad language "could undermine or scuttle other areas of valuable scientific and social research" if lawmakers disapprove of certain groups, "no matter how tangential such involvement might be," a Forum of Fargo-Moorhead editorial states.

Kan. House Approves Sweeping Antiabortion Bill, Rejects Proposal To Add Exceptions Late in Pregnancy
Wednesday, March 20, 2013
The Kansas House on Tuesday gave preliminary approval to a broad antiabortion-rights bill (HB 2253) with several provisions aimed at restricting access to the procedure and penalizing entities associated with abortion providers, the AP/Olathe News reports.

Kan. House Committee Approves Sweeping Abortion Bill
Monday, March 11, 2013
The Kansas House Federal and State Affairs Committee on Thursday approved a broad antiabortion-rights bill (HB 2253) with several provisions aimed at restricting access to the procedure, the Lawrence Journal-World/Kansas City Kansan reports.

Featured Blogs
Tuesday, March 5, 2013
"Some Arkansas Legislators do the Time Warp; Pass Most Extreme Abortion Bill in the Nation" (Hayley Smith, ACLU's "Blog of Rights," 2/28) and "States With the Highest Teen Pregnancy Rates Lack Adequate Sex Ed Requirements" (Rebecca Leber/Adam Peck, Center for American Progress' "ThinkProgress," 3/1).

N.D. Sex Education Program Set To Launch After Legal Delay Over Funding
Wednesday, February 20, 2013
A sex education program developed by two North Dakota State University professors will "go forward immediately," after state Attorney General Wayne Stenehjem (R) issued a legal opinion resolving a month-long freeze on the program's federal funding, the Forum of Fargo-Moorhead reports.

Featured Blogs
Tuesday, February 19, 2013
"State Funding Cuts and Anti-Choice Policies Cited for Closure of Four Wisconsin Planned Parenthood Clinics" (Robin Marty, RH Reality Check, 2/18), "North Dakota Attorney General Says Sex Ed Program Can Move Forward" (Jessica Mason Pieklo, RH Reality Check, 2/18) and "State Legislatures Increasingly Provide Tax-Payer Funding of Non-Medical Crisis Pregnancy Centers" (Marty, RH Reality Check, 2/15).

Advocates Hope Miss. Sex Education Law Proves Effective at Reducing Teen Pregnancy
Tuesday, September 25, 2012
Mississippi educators and youth advocates hope that a state sex education law will reduce teen pregnancy rates and improve economic opportunity, Time reports.

Featured Blogs
Tuesday, September 25, 2012
"Why are New York's Teen Pregnancy Rates so Much Lower Than Mississippi's?" (Amanda Marcotte, Slate 's "XX Factor," 9/24) and "Rick Perry Wants To Replace Planned Parenthood With Crisis Pregnancy Centers That Don't Provide Health Services" (Amanda Peterson Beadle, Center for American Progress' "ThinkProgress," 9/21).

Calif. School District Sued Over Sex Education Curriculum
Thursday, August 23, 2012
The American Civil Liberties Union of Northern California on Tuesday filed a lawsuit against a California school district alleging that its ninth-grade sex education curriculum does not meet state Department of Education guidelines, the Fresno Bee reports.

Controversial Tenn. Sex Ed Bill Will Do Little To Address High Teen Pregnancy Rate, Experts Say
Tuesday, June 26, 2012
Although the controversy surrounding Tennessee's new sex education law (HB 3621) has centered on a provision banning lessons on "gateway sexual activity," there has been little discussion on whether the measure will actually reduce teenage pregnancy rates, the AP/Washington Post reports.

N.M. Official Resigns After Promoting Condoms To Prevent STIs Among Teens
Thursday, May 24, 2012
The chief medical officer for New Mexico's Department of Health says she was asked to resign after she advocated condom use to lower rates of sexually transmitted infections among teens during a television interview, AP/NECN reports.

Tenn. Gov. Haslam Signs 'Gateway Sexual Activity' Bill
Monday, May 14, 2012
Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam (R) has signed a bill (HB 3621) that requires an abstinence-centered approach to sex education in public school and bans instructors from discussing "gateway sexual activity," the Chattanooga Times Free Press reports.

La. House Panel Rejects Sex Education Bill Again But Approves Student Survey
Friday, May 11, 2012
A Louisiana House committee on Tuesday voted 9-9 to reject for the second time a bill (HB 820) that would mandate the teaching of sex education courses at public schools, the Baton Rouge Advocate reports.

La. Sex Education Bill Fails in House Committee, Might Be Reconsidered
Monday, April 30, 2012
A Louisiana House committee on Wednesday voted 8-8 to reject a bill (HB 820) that would mandate sex education courses at public schools, the Baton Rouge Advocate reports.

Ariz. Gov. Brewer Signs Sweeping Antiabortion Bill That Includes 20-Week Ban, Medication Abortion Restrictions
Friday, April 13, 2012
Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer (R) on Thursday signed into law a bill (HB 2036) that includes several abortion restrictions, including a ban on the procedure after 20 weeks of gestation in nearly all cases and other limits on abortion, Reuters reports.

Wis. Gov. Walker Quietly Signs Bills Placing New Restrictions on Abortion Care, Insurance Coverage, Sex Education
Monday, April 9, 2012
Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker (R) on Thursday signed three separate bills restricting abortion care and insurance coverage of the procedure, as well as imposing new requirements for sex education, the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel reports.

Tenn. Lawmaker Withdraws Provision That Would Publish Names of Abortion Providers; Abstinence-Only Bill Advances
Friday, March 23, 2012
Tennessee Rep. Matthew Hill (R) is withdrawing a controversial provision in a Tennessee bill (HB 3808) amid opposition from a physicians group and advocates on both sides of the abortion-rights debate, the AP/NECN reports.

Wis. Medical Group Urges Gov. Walker To Veto Antiabortion Bill
Thursday, March 22, 2012
The Wisconsin Medical Society on Tuesday sent a letter to Gov. Scott Walker (R) urging him to veto a bill (SB 306) that would add more requirements for doctors in screening women before abortion care, the AP/Oshkosh Northwestern reports.

Utah Governor Vetoes Abstinence-Only Sex Education Bill
Tuesday, March 20, 2012
Utah Gov. Gary Herbert (R) on Friday night vetoed a bill (HB 363) that would have required public schools that offer sex education classes to focus solely on abstinence and banned teachers from educating students about contraceptives, homosexuality or premarital sex, the AP/St. George Spectrum reports.

Wis. Assembly Passes Bills Limiting Abortion Coverage, Mandating Abstinence Education
Wednesday, March 14, 2012
The Wisconsin Assembly this week passed bills that would restrict insurance coverage of abortion services and require schools to teach that abstinence is the only reliable method of preventing pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections, the AP/Racine Journal Times reports

Utah Gov. Urged To Veto Abstinence-Only Sex Education Bill
Tuesday, March 13, 2012
Utah Gov. Gary Herbert (R) has received hundreds of emails urging him to veto a bill (HB 363) that would require public schools that offer sex education classes to focus solely on abstinence, the AP/Cache Valley Daily reports.

Utah Senate Sends Sex Education Bill To Gov.
Wednesday, March 7, 2012
On Tuesday, the Utah Senate voted 19-10 to approve a bill (HB 363) that would allow public schools to opt out of sexual education instruction but require those that include it to teach an abstinence until marriage curricula, the Daily Herald reports.

Utah House Approves Abstinence-Only Sex Education Bill
Friday, February 24, 2012
The Utah House on Wednesday voted 45-28 to approve a bill (HB 363) that would allow public schools to eliminate sex education instruction but require schools that include it to use abstinence-only curricula, the Salt Lake Tribune reports.

Abortion-Rights Opponents in Kan. at Odds Over Legislative Priorities
Tuesday, February 14, 2012
Kansas House Judiciary Committee Chair Lance Kinzer (R) does not plan to hold a hearing on a "personhood" bill (HCR 5029), a decision that is fueling a rift between abortion-rights opponents over the best strategy for restricting the procedure, the AP/Kansas City Star reports.

Sex Education Less Effective in Conservative States, Study Finds
Wednesday, February 8, 2012
States with increased comprehensive sex education in schools tend to have lower teen birth rates, but sex education has not reduced conservative states' teen births, according to a study published in the Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine, MSNBC's "Vitals" reports.

N.Y. Lawmakers Feud Over Reproductive Health Week Resolution
Thursday, January 26, 2012
The Democratic-led New York state Assembly on Tuesday approved a resolution to designate Jan. 22 to Jan. 28 as "Reproductive Rights and Justice Week," but the resolution is stalled in the Senate, where the Republican majority recently stripped key language, the Ithaca Journal reports.

Wis. Assembly Panel Advances Sex Education Bill With Focus on Abstinence
Friday, January 20, 2012
The Wisconsin Assembly's education committee on Wednesday passed a bill that would require that sex education programs in schools stress abstinence, WHBL reports.

Neb. Sen. Calls for 'Medically Accurate' Sex Education
Tuesday, November 15, 2011
Nebraska Sen. Brenda Council on Saturday said she hopes to sponsor a bill in the state Legislature that would require age-appropriate, "medically accurate" sex education for all students, the AP/Omaha World-Herald reports.

Wis. Senate Endorses Abstinence-Only Sex Education Bill
Monday, November 7, 2011
The Wisconsin Senate last week voted 17-15 to approve a bill (SB 237) that would allow schools to teach abstinence-only sex education courses, effectively undermining a law enacted last year that requires sex education programs to include instruction on contraception, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports.

More Texas Schools Opting for 'Abstinence-Plus' Sex Education
Friday, September 16, 2011
While abstinence-only programs remain the dominant sex education curricula for Texas public schools, some districts are opting for "abstinence-plus" programs, which focus on abstinence but include some information on contraception, the Texas Tribune/New York Times reports.

D.C. Students To Take Nation's First Standardized Test on Health, Sex Education
Thursday, September 15, 2011
Starting this spring, students in Washington, D.C., public and public charter schools will take a standardized test on human sexuality, contraception and drug use, according to the Office of the State Superintendent of Education, the Washington Post reports.