The Alaska state legislature is sending a bill that requires sex education curricula for the state’s public school students to be approved by local school boards and open to review by parents to the desk of Independent Gov. Bill Walker.
The Alaska state Senate has approved a bill by a vote of 11-7 that would bar abortion providers, including Planned Parenthood, from teaching sex education in public schools.
Young people aged 15-24 years develop half of all new sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), says a new report published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
“By imposing inflexible notice requirements on certain curricula, House Bill 332 would be an impediment to an adaptable learning environment, which is critical to helping our students develop the skills and critical thinking necessary for success in the 21st century economy,” the Democrat governor said in a veto message.
The House Appropriations Committee’s draft of its fiscal year 2016 Labor, Health and Human Services (LHHS) funding bill “eliminates all funding for the controversial Family Planning Program, saving taxpayers nearly $300 million.” The bill would also substantially cut so-called “comprehensive teen pregnancy prevention programs,” but double funding for abstinence-centered or Sexual Risk Avoidance (SRA) programs.
