Healthy Youth Act
The Healthy Youth Act requires all sex education curriculum taught to students in Washington public schools be medically accurate and adhere to the Guidelines for Sexual Health Information and Disease Prevention. NARAL Pro-Choice Washington and our allies worked for five years to pass this legislation and have worked to build support, both at the grassroots level, and with our elected officials in Olympia. The Healthy Youth Act addresses a growing public health issue; sexually transmitted disease (STDs) rates are rising at alarming rates in Washington State and students don’t necessarily have access to reliable information on how to protect themselves from STDs, HIV, and unintended pregnancy. In addition, the Healthy Youth Act saves Washington State money. Between 1991 and 2004 there were more than 114,400 teen births in Washington, costing taxpayers a total of $2.2 billion. The Washington State House passed the Healthy Youth Act (ESSB 5297) on April 11, 2007 by a vote of 63 - 34. The bill had been approved in the State Senate with a vote of 30 - 19 on March 7, 2007.
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