A proposed change to Oklahoma law would make it harder for students to receive medically accurate and comprehensive sex education, according to experts who reviewed a bill recently introduced in the Oklahoma House of Representatives.
House Bill 3120 was narrowly approved at a committee hearing last week. The book's author, state Rep. Danny Williams (R-Seminole), says the goal is to “place permission and responsibility in the hands of parents and guardians” when it comes to learning about sexually transmitted diseases, contraception, consent and prevention. said. AIDS problem.
Current Oklahoma law does not require sex education, but schools must provide HIV/AIDS prevention guidance and health education. If a school offers sex education, parents can choose to have their children miss class. Williams' bill would change that to “opt-in,” meaning parents would have to give written approval for their children to attend classes.
“Parents need to know what their children are being asked to participate in,” Williams said at a hearing before the legislative committee that introduced the bill. “I think we've grown out of it. I think sometimes we're so busy with life's challenges that we don't pay attention to the details.
“But at the same time, I think it should be a quality decision based on education and knowledge, so parents know what they're doing when they make decisions for their children.” ” he said.
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Changes to lessons on consent and sexually transmitted diseases
The current bill specifically prohibits schools from teaching “sexual consent and negotiation skills.” Several members of the committee, including Republicans, questioned why there would be a ban. Williams said if the bill passes the House, he would agree to reinstate the part of the law that requires students to be taught the legal definition of sexual consent.
The bill also goes into defining gender roles in reproductive health, a frequent target of conservative lawmakers.
The Oklahoman is trying to determine which person or organization authored the bill. Williams acknowledged during a committee hearing that he may not have understood exactly what the bill was about, but did not respond to messages left at his office.
Heather Duvall is the director of Amplify Youth Health Collective, a Tulsa-based organization that works to expand access to sex education, promote healthy relationships, and encourage community participation. I'm the executive director. Through her organization, she found that 92% of people agree that comprehensive sex education should be taught in schools.
“It's so important for young people to learn this information, and we would be doing them a disservice if we don't provide them with the education they need to be healthy and safe,” Duvall said. said.
If this bill is signed into law, Oklahoma will be in an unusual situation. As of 2022, only eight states will require parents to opt-in to sex education, according to SIECUS, an advocacy group that promotes comprehensive sex education nationwide.
“Creating an opt-in when there is already an opt-out just creates an extra barrier,” said Michelle H. Slaybaugh, program director at SIECUS.
Slaybaugh compared this to other policies that rely on students signing notes and taking them back to school. For example, she said it can be difficult for students to return field trip permits to their teachers.
“So if you have a child who doesn't have a very good relationship with their parents, or who is afraid of them for whatever reason, it's ridiculous to require them to opt-in for important information that will affect their long-term health outcomes.” ,” she said.
Williams said during the committee hearing that his bill promotes personal responsibility and encourages parent and guardian participation.
“I think we're going to see more parents fully committed to their children's education, not just sex education, because they're actually being asked to participate in the decision-making process,” he said.
As a grandfather, Williams has taught his grandchildren about sexually transmitted diseases.
“I've been trying to teach them that if you make good choices, you usually get good results,” Williams said. “If you make the wrong choice, there will probably be bad consequences.”
But even if students received Oklahoma's version of sex education, they would still be exposed to poor quality information, including derogatory claims against LGBTQ+ people, Slaybaugh said.
Although HIV can be transmitted during any activity involving certain body fluids, Oklahoma law states that HIV is primarily caused by “homosexual activity, promiscuous sex, intravenous drug use, or contact with contaminated blood products.” Therefore, we teach children to avoid these activities as a priority. That is the only way to prevent the spread of the virus. ”
“This further stigmatizes learning about HIV information and puts students at greater risk of not knowing how to find information on how to protect themselves,” she said.
Sex education focused on abstinence
The law also prioritizes teaching that avoiding sex outside of marriage is the expected standard for all school-age students, while also teaching the benefits of monogamous heterosexual marriage. Slaybaugh said Oklahoma's version of sex education doesn't recognize the real-life situations children face today, and its abstinence-based lessons don't talk about consent or intimate partner violence. claim.
“Teaching young people quality sex education does not make them more likely to become sexually active; in fact, it can delay the early onset of sexual activity; At the same time, we can give them the skills to make wise decisions when choosing to become sexually active,” she said.
One trend that may help explain the effectiveness of sex education is teen birth rates. A study of 55 U.S. counties published in 2022 found that funding for more comprehensive sex education led to an overall decline in teen birth rates.
Oklahoma's teen birth rate has been steadily declining over the past 30 years. In 1991, more than 72 babies were born for every 1,000 teenage women. As of 2023, the birth rate has fallen to about 21 children.
“We know this is happening in tandem with the expansion of programs and services that support comprehensive sex education,” Duvall said.
According to Healthy Teens Oklahoma, although teen birth rates are declining nationwide, Oklahoma still has one of the highest birth rates in the nation.
