**Cross posted on Amplify** (http://www.amplifyyourvoice.org/u/dandaman6007/2009/2/9/Healthy-Youth-Act)
Thursday, February 5th, the Healthy Youth Act (House Bill 88) was officially filed in the North Carolina House of Representatives. The Healthy Youth Act would require schools to offer a two-track system for teaching sex education in North Carolina- one for abstinence-only education and another for comprehensive sex education. Parents decide which track their child will take.
Currently, we only teach abstinence-only-until-marriage in our schools. The Healthy Youth Act is fair and logical, it puts a comprehensive sex education program in schools but it doesn’t mandate that comprehensive sex education be taught. If a family wants their child to receive complete, accurate information about sexual health, that will finally be possible. If a family wants to teach their child about sexual health at home or wants them to have an abstinence-only education, their wish is respected and they can make that choice.
Last year, 20,000 teen girls became pregnant in NC. That’s one pregnancy every 26 minutes. We need a solution to our teen pregnancy crisis, and the Healthy Youth Act is that solution. Learn more about the Healthy Youth Act, and please contact your representatives and ask them to support this important bill.
(crossposted at BlueNC)
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