Comprehensive Sex Ed Violates our Children

        When the Comprehensive Sex Ed mandate (HF 615) was presented in the House Committees, the bill's author, Rep. Neva Walker, brought up Brigid Riley, the Executive Director of MOAPPP ( Minnesota Organization on Adolescents Pregnancy, Prevention, and Parenting) to testify its behalf. Parents want to know what exactly Comprehensive Sex Ed is, so it's important to know what curricula MOAPPP recommends.

        March 13th testimony by a former teacher, Barb Anderson, revealed to the House Education Committee that the Educators Guide to Reproductive Health, published by the Birds & Bees Project, is a representative model of comprehensive sex education. It was introduced at the School Health Education Conference last month, attended by hundreds of health educators. The Birds & Bees Project trains teachers and uses comprehensive sex ed to educate more than 8,000 young people in the Twin Cities metro area each year. The Birds & Bees Project is recommended by MOAPPP.

        Please read Ms. Anderson's entire testimony here. An excerpt:

"Promiscuity is presented as commonplace and normal, while abstinence-until-marriage is actually scoffed at in the classroom. Captain Condom video is included in this curriculum. Captain Condom asks 15-year-old-actors (who, in the video, appear to be naked under a blanket), Is there anything in your family, religious or cultural background that would prevent you from having sex, and do you want to save sex for marriage? The 15-year-olds loudly respond, Hell no! "

Another excerpt:

"On page 81 the lesson states, 'Condom use can be incorporated into your sexual experience in creative and sensual ways.' ... Comprehensive sex education encourages children to accept a homo/bi/trans sexual lifestyle as normative and teaches that there are three equivalent forms of sexual intercourse. Why? Because the guide insists on inclusiveness of gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender and questioning youth and their behaviors. Comprehensive sex ed protects the beliefs of students who do not conform to traditional gender roles, and tramples on the beliefs of those that do. This is unfit for a public school setting."

Rep. Walker's response was that she was certain that schools wouldn't use curriculum that extreme. Yet she had just highlighted MOAPPP's support for HF 615, which promotes that curriculum and whose Director was still seated next to her. The committee members had every opportunity to hear how outrageous, dangerous, and anti-parent this mandate is.

The other organizations who have come out in support of Comp Sex Ed are:

Minnesota AIDS Project (pro-homosexual advocacy)
Minnesota Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice (pro-abortion)
NARAL Pro-Choice Minnesota (pro-abortion)
The National Teen Pregnancy Prevention Research Center (pro-abortion)
Outfront MN (pro-homosexual advocacy)
Planned Parenthood of Minnesota, North Dakota, and South Dakota (pro-abortion

Rep. Steve Gottwalt (R-St. Cloud) presented an amendment to delete the language of the bill. A roll call vote was taken.

Those opposing comprehensive sex ed being required for all Minnesota 7th - 12th graders were:
Randy Demmer (R), Bob Dettmer (R), Rep. Steve Gottwalt (R), Bud Heidgerken (R)),
Bud Nornes (R) , Rep. Dean Urdahl (R), and Lynn Wardlow (R).

Those supporting mandating this violation of our children for all schools were:
Denise Dittrich (DFL), John Benson (DFL), Robin Brown (DFL), Jim Davnie(DFL),
Mindy Greiling (DFL), Frank Hornstein (DFL) , Larry Hosch (DFL), Carolyn Laine (DFL),
Carlos Mariani (DFL), Sandra Peterson (DFL), Nora Slawik (DFL), Linda Slocum (DFL),
Marsha Swails (DFL), Tom Tillberry (DFL), John Ward (DFL) and Andy Welti (DFL).

        What you will not find in comprehensive sex ed is that promiscuity is bad, that waiting until marriage is good, that promiscuity undermines strong marriages and families, that keeping sexual relationships for marriages helps build strong marriages and lasting families. Health classes don't hesitate to preach the dangers of smoking, yet promiscuity may not be frowned upon. Strong families are the proven best social program for poverty, good health, productivity, and success in school. Comprehensive Sex Ed is a family destroyer.

         Rep. Dean Urdahl (R-Grove City) introduced an amendment to allow school districts to choose whether or not to offer comprehensive sex ed. It, too, failed, 10 - 13. Roll call votes may be viewed here.

        Some supporters of the bill then looked for a parent-friendly vote, and joined in Rep. Bob Dettmer 's (R-Forest Lake) amendment to require prior written parental consent before students could participate. The measure passed (14 - 10), but even that was opposed by John Benson (DFL), Jim Davnie(DFL), Mindy Greiling (DFL), Frank Hornstein (DFL), Carolyn Laine (DFL), Carlos Mariani (DFL), Sandra Peterson (DFL), Nora Slawik (DFL), Linda Slocum (DFL), and Tom Tillberry (DFL), and Greiling later removed it when she put together her omnibus Education Finance bill (HF 6). Author Neva Walker feared some parents might not open the mail to find the consent form. Yet she insisted that "opting their child out" provides ample parental oversight, though parents may not open their mail to find the opt-out form.

        On March 27th, in the House Education Finance Committee, Ms. Anderson testified again. Listen to the streaming audio here. Hear for yourself how disinterested Rep. Greiling is in this very important information. A few quotes from the testimony are:

"After my last testimony, Rep. Benson did challenge me and wondered whether this curriculum is really used in any of the school districts. It is in North High School. Minnetonka school district also uses the Birds & Bees Project, the West Suburban Teen Clinic uses the Birds & Bees Project materials, and health classes in Hopkins teach graphic and offensive materials all under the guise of comprehensive sex education, and Eden Prairie, and this is just the tip of the iceberg. It was just as much as I could quickly gather.

Ms. Anderson went on to talk about the "Reducing the Risk" curriculum, which is also MOAPPP-recommended curriculum highlighted at the 2007 Minnesota School Health Conference and at the Minnesota Department of Education booth there. It has been used in the Fridley school district for at least seven years. "Reducing the Risk," like the other comprehensive sex ed curriculum, is very much the condom as the centerpiece of the information. Role plays use gender neutral names, so they can be same-sex or opposite sex. It's graphic and it violates the morals and dignity of our children. "This is MOAPPP-recommended curriculum," stated Anderson. "This is comprehensive sex education curriculum, and this bill would mandate more of this across the state."

A number of amendments followed. Among them are the following:

To reinsert the parental opt-in that Rep. Greiling had removed (Dettmer amendment). It passed again (12 - 9). This will very likely be removed again along the way.
- Voting in favor of parental control: Tom Anzelc (DFL), John Benson (DFL), Randy Demmer (R), Bob Dettmer (R), Denise Dittrich (DFL), Sondra Erickson (R)), Pat Garofalo (R), Bud Heidgerken (R), Paul Marquart (DFL), Carol McFarlane (R), Mark Olson (R), and Marsha Swails (DFL).
- Voting against parental control : Robin Brown (DFL), Jim Davnie (DFL), Augustine "Willie" Dominguez (DFL), Tim Faust (DFL), Mindy Greiling (DFL), Debra Hilstrom (DFL), Carlos Mariani (DFL), Will Morgan (DFL), and Terry Morrow (DFL).
To replace "a district must" offer Comprehensive Sex Ed with "a district may" (Olson amendment). It failed (8 - 13).
- Voting in favor of local control: Randy Demmer (R), Bob Dettmer (R), Sondra Erickson (R), Pat Garofalo(R), Bud Heidgerken (R), Carol McFarlane (R), Mark Olson (R), and Marsha Swails (DFL).
- Voting against local control: Tom Anzelc (DFL), John Benson (DFL), Robin Brown (DFL), Jim Davnie(DFL), Denise Dittrich (DFL), Augustine "Willie" Dominguez (DFL), Tim Faust (DFL), Mindy Greiling(DFL), Debra Hilstrom (DFL), Carlos Mariani (DFL), Paul Marquart (DFL), Will Morgan (DFL), and Terry Morrow (DFL).
To delete the gag section that prohibits negative information about homosexuality, commonly called "bias" (Olson amendment). It failed (5 - 16).
- Voting in favor of free speech to give full, accurate information on health risks of homosexuality: Bob Dettmer (R), Sondra Erickson (R) Pat Garofalo (R), Bud Heidgerken(R), Mark Olson (R),
- Voting against free speech on homosexuality: Tom Anzelc (DFL), John Benson (DFL), Robin Brown (DFL), Jim Davnie (DFL), Randy Demmer (R), Denise Dittrich ((DFL), Augustine "Willie" Dominguez (DFL)), Tim Faust (DFL), Mindy Greiling ((DFL), Debra Hilstrom(DFL), Carlos Mariani (DFL), Paul Marquart (DFL), Carol McFarlane (R), Will Morgan (DFL), Terry Morrow (DFL) and Marsha Swails (DFL).
To define Comprehensive Sex Education as also promoting marriage (Olson amendment). If failed (10 - 11)
- Voting in favor of promoting marriage: Randy Demmer (R), Bob Dettmer (R), Denise Dittrich (DFL), Sondra Erickson (R), Pat Garofalo (R), Bud Heidgerken (R), Paul Marquart (DFL), Carol McFarlane (R), Mark Olson (R), and Marsha Swails (DFL).
- Voting against promoting marriage: Tom Anzelc (DFL), John Benson (DFL), Robin Brown (DFL), Jim Davnie (DFL), Randy Demmer (R), Denise Dittrich ((DFL), Augustine "Willie" Dominguez (DFL)), Tim Faust (DFL), Mindy Greiling ((DFL), Debra Hilstrom(DFL), Carlos Mariani (DFL), Paul Marquart (DFL), Carol McFarlane (R), Will Morgan (DFL), and Terry Morrow (DFL).

Please make this a serious issue with your legislators and
with all legislators who have voted on these amendments.
Contact information for all legislators is here.