California’s Sex and Gender Ed: ‘Abstinence-Only’ and ‘Religious Doctrine’ Not Allowed

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Dr. Susan Berry

The ACLU and Planned Parenthood joined the California Board of Education to create a sex education agenda that allows curricula teaching about explicit sex acts and gender theory for the state’s K-12 students.

On May 8, the state board of education adopted a revision of the Health Education Framework, set to take effect in the 2019-2020 academic year.

Previously, ACLU and Planned Parenthood collaborated on AB329 in 2016, the bill known as the California Healthy Youth Act.

“Abstinence-only instruction is not permitted,” observes ACLU in its online publication titled “Fast Facts About the California Healthy Youth Act.”

The California Department of Education responded to “frequently asked questions” about abstinence-only sex ed, stating, “Abstinence may not be discussed in isolation from other methods of preventing HIV, other STIs, and pregnancy.”

“Instruction and materials may not be in conflict with or undermine each other or any of the purposes of the law,” the department explained. “For example, schools may not use materials that, in promoting abstinence, focus exclusively on the failure rates or perceived disadvantages of condoms or contraception.”

Sexuality instruction “may not promote religious doctrine,” ACLU also states.

Additionally, all sex ed instruction must be acceptable to “organizations like the American Academy of Pediatrics.”

In February 2017, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) reaffirmed its position that adolescents have a “right” to abortion even without the knowledge and consent of their parents.

Parental notification laws increase “the risk of harm to the adolescent by delaying access to appropriate medical care,” the group said in its policy statement titled “The Adolescent’s Right to Confidential Care When Considering Abortion.”

The AAP also released new guidelines in September 2018 urging parents to accept the preferred gender identity of their children, rather than their biological sex.

“For some people, gender identity can be fluid, shifting in different contexts,” AAP said in its policy statement on “gender-diverse children and adolescents,” and therefore “transgender identities and diverse gender expressions do not constitute a mental disorder.”

The ACLU continues that the new California sex ed agenda instruction “must respect and address the needs of students of all genders and sexual orientations.”

The group states:

Instruction must affirmatively recognize different sexual orientations and be inclusive of same-sex relationships when providing examples of couples or relationships. It must also teach about gender, gender expression, and gender identity, and explore the harm of negative gender stereotypes.

California students in grade seven will be required to be exposed to “information about the safety and effectiveness of all FDA-approved methods of preventing pregnancy and transmission of HIV,” says the ACLU.

Amy Streavel, director of community education and outreach at Planned Parenthood of Orange and San Bernardino Counties, served on the board that developed the new framework.

In addition, Celinda Vasquez, vice president of external affairs at Planned Parenthood Advocacy Project Los Angeles, lobbied for the framework in an email letter to the abortion vendor’s supporters.

“Stand with Planned Parenthood, ACLU, and others in supporting health educators to provide quality, inclusive sex education for ALL California students,” Vasquez said, adding:

Despite overwhelming public support for sex education, opponents have organized to oppose the framework. The opposition will show up. But we know the support for educators to empower our youth with critical communication and decision-making skills is much stronger.

That’s why we need you to stand with us in showing our collective support for the Health Education Framework by signing our petition today.

According to the Daily Caller, conservative organization Our Watch published a video June 26 in which parents discussed concerns about what they saw in curriculum materials from Positive Prevention Plus, a company that touts it is “in full compliance with updated California Education Code including the ‘California Healthy Youth Act.’”

“They talk about mutual masturbation,” said John Andrews, a parent from the Murrieta school district. “They discuss gender roles, the gender spectrum, and in the support materials … they take it even further. They discuss everything, topics like roleplaying for different genders, blood play, dental dams … fisting is mentioned. I mean, they mention it all.”

“If I were to show that material to a child, I would be brought up on charges,” Andrews said. “But somehow our public schools are allowed to teach this to junior high and high school kids.”

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