December 28, 2009

Feast of the Holy Innocents

Dear Parents,

The detachment of sex education from instruction on marriage and parental responsibility can also be clearly seen in the bill. Under current law, instruction on human growth and development is to include instruction on marriage and parental responsibility in the same course during the same year. The new bill being debated states only that instruction on marriage and parental responsibility should be provided. This allows the possibility that instruction on marriage and parental responsibility could be missed and/or be disconnected from the whole array of values-neutral messages conveyed in the sex education component. Students will be left with training in using others for sexual pleasure - with "health" defined as the use of protective means to avoid pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases - rather than reserving complete, self-giving love to a husband and wife in the commitment of marriage.

This bill is a misguided effort to define and shape the health and, implicitly, the moral vision, of our young people and the communities in which they live. I ask you to oppose it. May I encourage you to read the enclosed information provided by the Wisconsin Catholic Conference? Please call or write your state senator and/or representative. You may obtain their names and addresses by going on-line; type in Wisconsin State Legislature; click on Who Represents Me and the information will be provided when you type in your address or the site where you vote. Click on the picture of the senator/representative and the address and phone number will be provided Thank you.

Sincerely yours in Christ,

Most Rev. Jerome E. Listecki

Bishop of La Crosse

The Wisconsin Legislature is currently considering a proposal known as the "Healthy Youth Act" (Assembly Bill 458 and Senate Bill 324). These bills would revise existing law regarding human growth and development (sex education) instruction in Wisconsin’s public schools. The Wisconsin Catholic Conference (WCC) opposes this legislation and has prepared the following Q&A for parents, teachers, and other concerned citizens. An accompanying WCC Issue Brief provides further information on current law and the proposed changes.

A. There are a number of reasons to oppose this legislation, but the primary reason is that these bills substitute the judgment of the state for that of parents and local school committees on a topic that is deeply personal and where parental guidance is especially important to a child's development.

A. The WCC Issue Brief outlines all the differences, but the most significant one is that the Healthy Youth Act would limit the options currently available to school districts by mandating that only so-called "comprehensive" sex education be taught in the public schools if any instruction in human growth and development is offered. Currently, local advisory committees comprised of parents, teachers, school administrators, students, health care professionals, clergy, and other community members assist school districts with the development, review, and implementation of human growth and development curricula. These committees have the flexibility to select curricula that are the most appropriate for their students and that best reflect the community’s values. The two major types of curricula that school districts can choose from are comprehensive sex education and abstinence-based education.

A. The content of the curricula vary from program to program, but generally speaking, comprehensive sex education covers reproductive and sexual anatomy, self-image, sexual orientation, sexual decision-making, drugs and alcohol, relationships, abstinence, the health benefits and side effects of proper use of contraception, and sexually transmitted infections (STIs).

Abstinence-based programs focus on establishing goals and boundaries for a successful future, self-respect, character development, relationships, effects of pornography and sex in the media, sexual decision-making, resisting peer pressure, STIs, the limitations of contraceptives (including potential abortifacient effects), drugs and alcohol, marriage and family.

Abstinence-based programs, though secular, generally support the teachings of the Church on the positive gifts of sexuality and its role within marriage. Comprehensive sex education generally, and as defined in these bills, does not discourage the use of contraception and sex outside of marriage. This ambivalence can confuse children whose parents teach them that both are inappropriate.

A. No. The Act mandates comprehensive sex education.

A. Yes, upon the written request of a parent or guardian.

A. Absolutely, but the best way to do this is to reduce teen sexual activity, which is the goal of abstinence based programs. The more often a person is sexually active, even when using contraception, the greater the chances of contracting an STI or becoming pregnant. There are also serious psychological, emotional, and spiritual difficulties that can result from sexual activity outside of marriage.

A. Milwaukee Public Schools (MPS) has taught some form of comprehensive sex education for years and the district has the highest rates of teen pregnancy and STIs in the state. This alone underscores the need for other approaches to sex education.

A. No. In fact, MPS just revised its human growth and development curriculum along the lines proposed by the Healthy Youth Act, so current law is no impediment to teaching comprehensive sex education. The Healthy Youth Act, on the other hand, restricts the ability of local school districts to offer effective abstinence-based curricula.

A. Since the Assembly has already passed its version of the bill, please contact your State Senator urging that he or she oppose any further advancement of Assembly Bill 458 and Senate Bill 324. Personal contact through letters and phone calls is most effective. To find contact information for your State Senator, go to www.legis.state.wi.us, or call the Legislative Hotline at 1-800-362-9472.

A. Read the WCC Issue Brief “Sex Education in Public Schools.” For more information, visit the WCC website, www.wisconsincatholic.org, or contact the WCC, 608/257-0004. Catholic resources on chastity are available at the Theology of the Body for Teens website (http://www.tobforteens.com). The Wisconsin Abstinence Coalition (http://wiabco.org) has additional resources and is affiliated with the National Abstinence Education Association (www.abstinenceassociation.org).

(Name and Address of State Senator)

(Date)

Dear (Name of Senator),

I am writing you with grave concerns about AB 458 which passed the Assembly this past November and is now being debated in the Senate. The “Healthy Youth Act” presents a misguided effort to define and shape the health of the school age children in Wisconsin. I believe this bill weakens the role of parents in their own children’s education, encourages rather than discourages sexual activity outside of marriage, promotes a bias against students committed to saving sexual activity until marriage, encourages widespread contraceptive use in teens and prevents many school districts that currently use abstinence until marriage curricula from continuing to do so.

Weakens Parents Role in Education

Current legislation allows local districts to determine the type of human growth and develop education based on the recommendations of an advisory committee that has parental membership. The proposed legislation will remove local control over what is taught, thereby eliminating any parental input on the development of the curriculum. The most problematic aspect of this comes in the determination of when information is deemed "age appropriate". Conceivably, children as young as 5^th grade may be introduced to contraceptive practices. Even if one accepted the dubious argument that contraception should be introduced in counties with a high teen pregnancy rate, this does not describe most of the counties throughout Wisconsin.  Moreover, contraception is not the choice of most parents in our state, especially since the best way to prevent teen pregnancy is to reduce teen sexual activity, not increase contraception. 

Encourages sexual activity outside of marriage

Current legislation requires that education on sexual activity be paired with instruction on marriage and parenting, and that it discourage sexual activity outside of marriage. The proposed legislation detaches any instruction on sex from that of marriage and parenting. This is a blatant separation of sex from marriage. – one that social science research clearly finds detrimental to our society (see State of Our Union reports from University of Virgina  www.virginia.edu/marriageproject). 

Promotes Bias against students committed to saving sexual activity until marriage

Current legislation allows teachers to express the benefits of saving sexual activity until marriage. However, proposed legislation would not allow for this discourse as it might “promote a bias against sexually active students”. It is interesting that this part of the proposed bill is in direct opposition to State Statute 948.02(2) which states “(w)hoever has sexual contact or sexual intercourse with a person who has not attained the age of 16 is guilty of a Class C felony.” It seems illogical that state legislators would pass a bill that has a 'bias' against following current state laws and/or attaching sexual activity to marriage.

 Encouragement of Contraceptive Use

The proposed legislation requires the state superintendent to apply for federal funds to implement an evidence-based teen pregnancy prevention program. The evidence that the state superintendent would have to provide is an increase in contraceptive use. This again seems illogical as the best way to prevent teen pregnancy is to reduce teen sexual activity, not increase contraception.  (www.usccb.org/prolife/issues/contraception/contrafactsheet.pdf)

Discontinuation of Abstinence until marriage Curricula

Because of the wording of the proposed legislation, school districts that use curricula like Project Reality would be forced to drop instruction that is currently reducing teen pregnancy in their community. What is the logic in discontinuing education that is already meeting the stated goal of “reducing teen pregnancy”? Further, the proposed legislation would allow a volunteer health care provider to teach the entire human growth and development curriculum in a school. Many of the cash-strapped public schools will find it hard to resist this offer of free instruction from groups like Planned Parenthood whose livelihood is dependent on the sale of contraceptive services and other procedures.

I oppose this bill and hope that you will fight its passage. Please vote against Senate Bill 324 which would result in unhealthy practices for our precious youth. Current law already allows districts who want to teach comprehensive sex education to do so. It is wrong to force districts that effectively teach human growth and development using abstinence education to stop.

Thank you for your consideration.

Sincerely,

[Your Name]

Note: If you are unsure of the name of your Senator, you may obtain their names and addresses by clicking here and entering your address. Thank you.

Wisconsin State Senate
P.O. Box 7882
Madison, WI 53707-7882
Phone: 608-266-2502

Senator Dan Kapanke (Republican in District 32)

Wisconsin State Senate
P.O. Box 7882
Madison, WI 53707-7882
Phone: 608-266-5490

Wisconsin State Senate
P.O. Box 7882
Madison, WI 53707-7882
Phone: 608-266-7511

Wisconsin State Senate
P.O. Box 7882
Madison, WI 53707-7882
Phone: 608-266-3123

Wisconsin State Senate
P.O. Box 7882
Madison, WI 53707-7882
Phone: 608-266-0703

Wisconsin State Senate
P.O. Box 7882
Madison, WI 53707-7882
Phone: 608-266-8546