Sex ed bill clears N.C. Senate

RALEIGH, N.C. — A bill requiring all school systems to offer comprehensive sex education cleared the state Senate Tuesday.

The bill passed with a vote of 25-21 and now returns to the House, where lawmakers there will work to concur with the Senate's changes to the version the House passed in April.

Under the Senate bill, the measure would be part of a larger reproductive health education curriculum that would still retain the abstinence-until-marriage curriculum that remains the current offering for nearly all 115 state school districts.

Parents would be able to keep their children from participating in classes with the more detailed information on contraceptives.

The House version would require schools to teach two separate tracks - one abstinence-based and the other the comprehensive sex education that's similar to what a handful of districts are allowed to teach.

The House version also would require parents to fill out a permission slip for a child to participate in a track, or choose that their child get no sex education.

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canes017, FINITE resources are not IN-FINITELY available. Therefore, humans cannot continue to breed at current rates...infinitely. How can anyone disagree with that?

The amount of physical space available on earth is meaningless if there's no food, no water or environment to sustain humans. So, if we do not address overpopulation, then the human race will eventually extinguish itself. If not, why not?

hereandnow99
June 25, 2009 9:13 a.m.

"Eventually, there has to be a maximum number of people on this planet; it cannot sustain current human growth. Even now, 30,000 children die every day because there's not enough food for them. So, reducing the 615,000 unplanned U.S. teenage pregnancies every year seems like a good idea."

Yes yes, but acting like kids that are already on the way are going to be the downfall of society is a little ridiculous, especially when you consider the fact that this country, unlike china, is far frome exceeding its space and resource cap.

You (in general, not you specifically hereandnow) sound a little like margaret sanger and the other eugenics fanatics that thought it would be a good idea to cleanse society of problem children when you talk about controlling population numbers.

canes017
June 24, 2009 4:54 p.m.

Yes, Parents SHOULD be the ones teaching but the fact is that MANY aren't. Should young adults be taught the facts in addition to abstinace? YES. We don't let kids drive cars without teaching them to put on a seatbelt.

rleann
June 24, 2009 4:20 p.m.

canes017, did your economics class also address the fact that finite resources are not infinitely available? And are you advocating that we should breed more to "keep up with China"? ...who has instituted a one-child policy because of overpopulation.

Eventually, there has to be a maximum number of people on this planet; it cannot sustain current human growth. Even now, 30,000 children die every day because there's not enough food for them. So, reducing the 615,000 unplanned U.S. teenage pregnancies every year seems like a good idea.

hereandnow99
June 24, 2009 3:43 p.m.

"And the reason sex ed needs to be taught is because unintended pregnancies and unplanned children are a strain on our economy and our resources."

Yeah, more humans to pay taxes, work jobs, create businesses, spend money, and generally grow our economy to try and keep up with China is such a drag.

You didn't take economics, did you?

canes017
June 24, 2009 3:18 p.m.