Obama and the Sex Education Act

Illinois General Assembly ^ | 9/15/2008 | Vanity (sort of)

[markomalley]

Please disregard all links within tables in this post (I didn't feel like stripping them from the original source). If a link in this post is good, I will so indicate. Otherwise disregard!

A FReeper mailed me the text of the sex education bill that Obama was in favor of.

The Bill is the 93rd General Assembly bill SB0099. It was introduced on 1/23/2003 by Sen. Carol Ronen. Its course of action through the Legislature is shown by the following: Actions 

Date	Chamber	Action
1/29/2003	Senate	Filed with Secretary by Sen. Carol Ronen
1/29/2003	Senate	First Reading
1/29/2003	Senate	Referred to Rules
2/6/2003	Senate	Assigned to Health & Human Services
2/10/2003	Senate	Added as Chief Co-Sponsor Sen. M. Maggie Crotty
2/18/2003	Senate	Added as Chief Co-Sponsor Sen. Susan Garrett
2/19/2003	Senate	Added as Chief Co-Sponsor Sen. Iris Y. Martinez
2/28/2003	Senate	Added as Chief Co-Sponsor Sen. Jeffrey M. Schoenberg
3/6/2003	Senate	Do Pass Health & Human Services; 007-004-000
3/6/2003	Senate	Placed on Calendar Order of 2nd Reading March 11, 2003
3/6/2003	Senate	Fiscal Note Requested by Sen. Dale A. Righter
3/18/2003	Senate	Senate Floor Amendment No. 1 Filed with Secretary by Sen. Carol Ronen
3/18/2003	Senate	Senate Floor Amendment No. 1 Referred to Rules
3/18/2003	Senate	Senate Floor Amendment No. 1 Rules Refers to Health & Human Services
3/19/2003	Senate	Fiscal Note Filed
3/25/2003	Senate	Senate Floor Amendment No. 1 Postponed - Health & Human Services
3/27/2003	Senate	Second Reading
3/27/2003	Senate	Placed on Calendar Order of 3rd Reading April 2, 2003
4/1/2003	Senate	Pension Note Filed As Introduced
4/4/2003	Senate	Third Reading Deadline Extended - Rule 2-10(e) to April 9, 2003.
7/1/2003	Senate	Pursuant to Senate Rule 3-9(b) / Referred to Rules
7/1/2003	Senate	Senate Floor Amendment No. 1 Tabled Pursuant to Rule 5-4(a)
1/11/2005	Senate	Session Sine Die

 

Please note that it passed through the Health and Human Services Committee twice on the way. Let's look at the makeup of the HHS Committee in the 93rd Legislature:

Role	Senator	Party
Vice-Chairperson :	Mattie Hunter	D
Member:	M. Maggie Crotty	D
Member:	Susan Garrett	D
Member:	Iris Y. Martinez	D
Member:	Carol Ronen	D
Member:	Jeffrey M. Schoenberg	D
Minority Spokesperson :	Dale A. Righter	R
Member:	Christine Radogno	R
Member:	Dave Syverson	R
Member:	Kathleen L. Wojcik	R
Chairperson :	Barack Obama	D

 

So let's take a look at the contents of the bill (link works):

Page 1 lines 13-17

Each class or course in comprehensive sex
14 education offered in any of grades K 6 through 12 shall
15 include instruction on the prevention of sexually transmitted
16 infections, including the prevention, transmission and spread
17 of HIV AIDS.

Note that this bill moves sex ed from the 6th grade down to Kindergarten.

On page 9 line 23 through page 10 line 7:

22 Sec. 3. Comprehensive Health Education Program.
23 (a) The program established under this Act shall
24 include, but not be limited to, the following major
25 educational areas as a basis for curricula in all elementary
26 and secondary schools in this State: human ecology and
27 health, human growth and development, the emotional,
28 psychological, physiological, hygienic and social
29 responsibilities of family life, including sexual abstinence
30 and prevention of unintended pregnancy until marriage,
31 prevention and control of disease, including age appropriate
32 instruction in grades K 6 through 12 on the prevention of
33 sexually transmitted infections, including the prevention,

-10- LRB093 05269 NHT 05359 b
1 transmission and spread of HIV AIDS, public and environmental
2 health, consumer health, safety education and disaster
3 survival, mental health and illness, personal health habits,
4 alcohol, drug use, and abuse including the medical and legal
5 ramifications of alcohol, drug, and tobacco use, abuse during
6 pregnancy, sexual abstinence until marriage, tobacco,
7 nutrition, and dental health.

There's more, but you can look it up yourself.

Oh, and yes, it does talk about prevention of sexual assault and repeatedly mentions the age of consent. But only as a component of this program, not the core of the program.

[markomalley]

This stuff may have been posted earlier, don't know for sure.

So here are the facts:

• There was a sex ed for kindergarten bill. The age for starting sex ed was reduced from grade 6 to kindergarten by this bill.
• Obama was the chairman of the committee that reviewed and passed through the bill.
• The bill was tabled (so a claim that he didn't vote for it is not totally a lie...his culpability as chairman of the committee is far greater, though)

So the next time your lib friend, coworker, etc., say that this bill didn't exist or that it said something that it didn't, now you have the reference. Chapter and verse.

[bigbob]

Nice work, thanks. I’d been wanting to see this proof.

[syriacus]

Great work! Bookmarked. Thank you.

[Aliska]

It's hard to wade through that bill which I saved the other day. I can't tell which curriculum is targeted for which grade. But you are right about this much (copied from what I saved):

14 education offered in any of grades K 6 through 12 shall 15 include instruction on the prevention of sexually transmitted 16 infections, including the prevention, transmission and spread 17 of HIV AIDS. Nothing in this Section prohibits instruction in 18 sanitation, hygiene or traditional courses in biology.

By doing just a copy, it doesn't show the strikeouts and revisions. My copy reads like what you posted but don't know how you got it in the correct format.

Bottom line. How are any but the most precocious kindergartners even supposed to be able to comprehend HIV and the physical act(s) by which it is transmitted?

[grumpa]

Thanks. I added it to my blog (30+ Reasons for Nobama, number 26):

http://offgridblogger.wordpress.com/

[HawaiianGecko]

  Just to add a bit to this post.

• Defending Barack Obama's statement, the Obama campaign cited far-reaching SIECUS curriculum as the model. The SIECUS curriculum goes far beyond appropriate touching. The Sexuality Information and Education Council of the United States (SIECUS) supports a comprehensive approach to sex education, beginning as early as ages 5-8. For Level 1 sex education (ages 5 through 8), the guidelines include much more than appropriate touching. The curriculum includes lines that are not appropriate for us to state here but please see the link to the guidelines here: http://www.siecus.org/_data/global/images/guidelines.pdf. This is the model provided by the Obama campaign and no one else.

This link is specifically what they are talking about and in it you will find this as an example.  (found on pages 24-25)  

• Level 1
  • Middle childhood
  • Ages 5 through 8
  • Early elementary school

 

• Level 1

  • Each body part has a correct name and a specific function.
  • A person’s genitals, reproductive organs, and genes determine whether the person is male or female.
  • A boy/man has nipples, a penis, a scrotum, and testicles.
  • A girl/woman has breasts, nipples, a vulva, a clitoris, a vagina, a uterus, and ovaries.
  • Some sexual or reproductive organs, such as penises and vulvas, are external or on the outside of the body while others, such as ovaries and testicles, are internal or inside the body.
  • Both boys and girls have body parts that feel good when touched.

Having some Debra Lafave teaching a five year boy old about her nipples and clitoris doesn't sound right to me.  But what do I know, I'm just some redneck uneducated Republican.