Letter to the Editor
June 2, 2010
In a time when incivility is all too present in public discourse and lawmaking gets bogged down in divisiveness, we enthusiastically commend the Republican and Democratic representatives in Harrisburg for finding common ground on a difficult topic – how to protect the sexual health of our young people. As a clergy, we believe that a society has a moral imperative to provide medically accurate information to young adults in order to keep them safe. House Bill 1163 holds great promise. It will ensure that these young adults are taught to abstain from premature sexual behavior, but it also would dispel misleading stereotypes and correct the misinformation that harms our young people. With one in four teen girls already infected with sexually transmitted infections, this education is sorely needed.
Because we often minister to families through their times of struggle, we know the difficulties some young people have growing up – especially through the teen years. Passage of this bill will help reduce the ignorance that contributes to the 23,000 teen pregnancies annually in this state and potentially reduce the number of abortions. The immediate passage of HB 1163 bill will help families and young adults in their decision-making process by giving them the necessary tools.
With bipartisan support the legislators have developed a bill to maximize the freedom of school boards and parents by allowing local school boards to determine their own sexuality curriculum as long as it is based on medically-accurate and evidence-based data. In addition, it will allow parents to opt out, should they choose to provide sex education to their children themselves. In our view this develops a win-win legislative package without compromising our youth.
At no cost to the State and little cost to local schools, our legislators have found a way to do the right thing for Pennsylvania families. This is something all of us can support. It sends a message that, in this State, we care about our young people enough to protect them. And that is what family values are all about.
Sincerely,
Rev. Beverly Dale
The Christian Association
University of Pennsylvania