Two opposing bills regarding the role of abstinence in sexual education for Wisconsin public schools prompted contentious testimony before members of the Assembly Committee on Education Tuesday.
As proposed, Senate Bill 286 would ensure that course materials relating to human growth and development would require abstinence be taught as the preferred choice of sexual behavior, emphasizing this method over any other form of sexual activity.
Assembly Bill 690, on the other hand, would expand current law to require schools that implement human growth and development education to institute a comprehensive curriculum'one that includes contraception as well as abstinence.
Cleo Phippen, executive director of the Wisconsin Abstinence Coalition, emphasized the importance of legislators setting the standards of behavior for the entire state.
'Abstinence education truly promotes chaste behavior. It's a health issue, not a moral issue,' Phippen said. 'STD rates are high among kids and it bothers all of us. The truth is not being told.'
However, state Rep. Tamara Grigsby, D-Milwaukee and co-author of AB 690, testified that not only would the bill advocate abstinence, it would also give young people the information needed to safeguard their health.
'The myth that this encourages increased sexual activity is inaccurate,' Grigsby said. 'Education programs that discuss both abstinence and contraception do not hasten the onset of sexual intercourse, do not increase the frequency of sexual intercourse and do not increase the number of sexual partners.'
She ended by saying it would be morally unconscionable to dismiss AB 690.
'Abstinence-only programs are irresponsible at best and life-threatening at worst,' Grigsby said.
Phippen refuted testimony about AB 690 and said, if passed, the bill would 'guarantee that school boards would never teach an abstinence-until-marriage-based curriculum in this state again.'
Jeff Pertl, member of the Wisconsin School Association of School Boards, said he opposed both bills on the premise of local control and autonomy. He advocated for keeping the curriculum at the local level due to geography, economic status and ethnicity as influential factors that play into how a school district decides on a sex-education curriculum.
'This is a deeply complicated issue. A broad state law will not change anything,' Pertl said. 'School districts already have in-depth analysis [of sex education programs] they go through with the community'trust that.'
