Healthy Youth Act Becomes Law
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE May 2, 2007 Healthy Youth Act Becomes Law Seattle, WA – Governor Christine Gregoire signed the Healthy Youth Act (ESSB 5297) into law today. The bill had passed in both the House and Senate with wide margins and bi-partisan support. The Healthy Youth Act is quality assurance for sex education in public schools. The bill requires that school districts that choose to teach sex education provide medically accurate and comprehensive information. “Advocates for youth and reproductive rights have been working toward this day for more than five years; today we have taken a step forward in protecting the health of Washington youth,” said Karen Cooper, executive director of NARAL Pro-Choice Washington. A report, commissioned by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, and released on April 13, shows that abstinence-only programs do not increase the likelihood that students will abstain from sex or delay becoming sexually active. “The Congressional report is a reminder of the need for the Healthy Youth Act, which will ensure that students in Washington schools get real sex education,” Cooper noted. “NARAL Pro-Choice Washington thanks the legislators who have tirelessly advocated for real sex education, particularly our bill sponsors, Senator Mary Margaret Haugen and Representative Shay Schual-Berke,” Cooper said “and of course we thank our pro-choice Governor, Christine Gregoire for signing this important legislation.” “Just as the recent setback for women’s health in the Supreme Court demonstrated, today it is very clear that elections really do matter,” said Cooper “anti-choice legislators had succeeded in blocking legislation requiring that sex education be accurate and comprehensive for years, it is only because of the success of pro-choice legislators in the November that we are here today.” A 2004 statewide survey demonstrated that 78% of Washington parents think ninth and tenth graders should be taught about contraception, birth control, and condoms. NARAL Pro-Choice Washington is the leading grassroots pro-choice advocacy organization in Washington state. NARAL Pro-Choice Washington works to protect every woman’s right to access the full range of reproductive health options, including preventing unintended pregnancy, bearing healthy children, and choosing legal abortion. # # #
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