HUNDREDS OF COLORADANS CALL FOR STATE STANDARDS TO INCLUDE FOCUS ON COMPREHENSIVE SEX EDUCATION, NOT JUST ABSTINENCE
For Immediate Release HUNDREDS OF COLORADANS CALL FOR STATE STANDARDS TO INCLUDE
FOCUS ON COMPREHENSIVE SEX EDUCATION, NOT JUST ABSTINENCE
DENVER (Oct. 23) – Today, nearly 600 Coloradans added their names to a letter submitted by NARAL Pro-Choice Colorado to the State Department of Education about proposed academic content standards regarding health education. Executive Director Emilie C. Ailts released the following statement: “As Coloradans who believe that all Colorado youth deserve age-appropriate, comprehensive, scientifically and medically accurate, and culturally relevant information about human sexuality and healthy relationships – including the health benefits of contraception – we commend the Department of Education for its efforts to produce content standards that promote educational attainment and economic self-sufficiency by, among other things, recognizing the critical role of comprehensive health and wellness in a child’s development. “We especially want to recognize the efforts of the Comprehensive Health and Physical Education Standards Subcommittee to incorporate the language and intent of Colorado House Bill 07-1292, Content Standards for Instruction Regarding Human Sexuality, into the new health education standards that have been proposed. This is critical to ensuring that all Colorado youth have access to the information and resources they need to make responsible decisions in their intimate relationships throughout their lifetimes. “While the proposed health education standards provide a solid foundation to instill the knowledge and skills in our youth that they will need to make healthy relationship decisions, we believe there are opportunities to strengthen these standards with an aim toward providing greater clarity for local school boards to implement Colorado House Bill 07-1292 in their classrooms. Specifically, we recommend revising the health education standards to: Initiate age-appropriate concepts related to reproductive health, bodily integrity, and relationship development earlier in the educational timeline in a manner that both is consistent with children’s cognitive development abilities and reflective of the social, economic, cultural, ethnic, gender, and religious diversity found within Colorado’s classrooms.
Emphasize skills development based on human sexuality curricula that promotes evidence-based outcomes tied to delaying onset of sexual activity, reducing the number of sexual partners, and increasing contraceptive use when individuals become sexually active; see, for example, Douglas Kirby’s “Emerging Answers 2007: Research Findings on Programs to Reduce Teen Pregnancy and Sexually Transmitted Diseases” published in 2007 by The National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy.
- Incorporate critical-analysis elements that correlate individual decisions and community policies about sexual and reproductive health to timely, local issues, such as: (1) comparing a community’s teen pregnancy and STI rates with other communities across the state or nation and evaluating how different local, state, or national policies related to sexuality education contribute to the disparities in rates; or (2) evaluating school policy regarding on-site contraceptive counseling, prescription and distribution; screenings for and treatment of STIs; and pregnancy testing; and whether that policy meets students’ needs and reflects the diverse values of the greater community.
"The efforts of the Comprehensive Health and Physical Education Standards Subcommittee and the Colorado Department of Education’s Office of Standards and Assessments are invaluable in taking steps to ensure all Colorado youth have the knowledge and skills they need to make responsible decisions to protect themselves and their partners from unintended pregnancy and the spread of sexually transmitted infections.” NARAL Pro-Choice Colorado (NPCC) is the political leader of Colorado’s pro-choice community. NPCC has more than 30,000 supporters statewide and works to develop and sustain a constituency that uses the political process to guarantee every woman the right to make personal decisions regarding the full range of reproductive health choices, including preventing unintended pregnancies, bearing healthy children and choosing legal abortion. More information is available at www.ProChoiceColorado.org. ###
|
