Washington House Stands Up for Comprehensive Sex Education, Passes SB 5629
OLYMPIA, WA - The Washington House passed legislation, SB 5629, requiring any funding the state seeks for sexual health education to be for programs that are effective, medically accurate and proven to work today by a vote of 67-31. The State Senate passed this bill on March 4 by a vote of 33-14. SB 5629 confirms the state's commitment, established by the 2007 Healthy Youth Act, to reducing unintended pregnancy and STDs and fixes an old law requiring Washington’s Department of Health to apply for disproven abstinence-only-until-marriage funding. The Healthy Youth Act, which went into effect in the fall of 2008, requires Washington public schools that teach sexual health education to use programs that are comprehensive and medically accurate (i.e. programs that include information about abstinence as well as contraception). “During a legislative session with little to celebrate, this is a great victory for the health and safety of our youth,” said Karen Cooper, executive director of NARAL Pro-Choice Washington. “Abstinence-only programs do not work, and they are a drain on our diminishing monetary resources. It is more than time to make sure that the sexual health programs funded by and through the state are comprehensive and effective.” The House rejected an amendment proposed by Rep. Jim McCune (R-2) that would have undermined the bill’s purpose by allowing the state to continue to apply for abstinence-only funding so long as the programs were administered by organizations other than public schools. “When you take into account the recent reports of rising teen pregnancy rates as well as the current economic situation, supporting sexual health education funding for programs that are proven to be effective should be a no-brainer,” added Cooper. “I am pleased that the legislature has responded to the need for improved sex education programs in our schools.” Comprehensive sexual health education has been a long-term priority for NARAL Pro-Choice Washington. NARAL, along with coalition partners, played a central role in the passage of the Healthy Youth Act in 2007. During the 2009 session, NARAL Pro-Choice Washington activists sent over 2,000 contacts to their legislators in support of SB 5629. 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. NARAL Pro-Choice Washington is the state affiliate of NARAL Pro-Choice America. ###
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