CRITICS: SEX ED PLAN GOES TOO FAR

But bill’s sponsor says it is ‘age-appropriate’

The Massachusetts Family Institute is slamming a proposed sex health education bill for schools that emphasizes both abstinence and contraceptives, healthy relationships and consent, arguing that it is “widely inappropriate” and takes control away from parents.

The Healthy Youth Act, backed by the Planned Parenthood League of Massachusetts, would require any school teaching sex education to use a “medically accurate, ageappropriate” curriculum that encompasses healthy relationships, consent and includes information for students who identify with the LGBTQ community.

“In Massachusetts, many schools do provide comprehensive sex education. Others don’t,” said Jen Slonaker, vice president of education at Planned Parenthood. “There is no guarantee young people are receiving medically accurate, age-appropriate sex education. Sex education is not equitable in Massachusetts.”

In the wake of the #MeToo movement against sexual violence and harassment, state Rep. James O’Day (D-West Boylston), sponsor of the bill that is now before the House’s Health Care Financing Committee, said it is time for the Legislature take action.

“It is done in a manner that is age-appropriate,” O’Day said. “It talks about conflict resolution and what does consent mean and what does ‘no’ mean — conversations that are really important.”

The state Department of Elementary Education would provide the curriculum as a resource for schools to use. The bill would still allow parents to opt their children out of any lessons.

But the conservative Massachusetts Family Institute says it is forced “sexual education” and “widely inappropriate.”

“Right now, local schools have the ability to choose what curriculum they’d like to use,” said Andrew Beckwith, president of the Family Institute. “My organization is trying to help parents maintain that control. It would give control to the state education department.”

Beckwith said he is worried the curriculum would be too similar to Planned Parenthood’s Get Real curriculum for middle schoolers, which he says refers to “oral” and “anal” acts that he deems too inappropriate for seventh- and eighth-graders.

“It is something I feel most parents would not feel is appropriate to expose 12- and 13-year-olds to,” Beckwith said.