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ND Senate Passes Abstinence-Only Bill

On Monday, the North Dakota Senate approved an amendment to a sex education bill (HB 1229) that would require public schools to teach abstinence-only sex education. The bill passed in the Senate by a vote of 39 to 8 and will now move to the state House for a vote.

Last week, the North Dakota Senate Education Committee approved the bill, which would require that sex education programs provide “exposure of students to abstinence-based concepts” and “explain why abstinence from sexual activity until marriage provides safety from sexually transmitted diseases, pregnancy, and other associated health issues.”

Comprehensive family planning services, like those funded by Title X, are based in science and are medically necessary (Feminist Campus). The federal government has wasted hundreds of millions of dollars since 1996 on abstinence-only education programs, which have proven ineffective at preventing unplanned pregnancy and the spread of STIs.

Sources:

National Partnership for Women and Families 3/30/11; Associated Press 3/28/11; Feminist Campus Website 3/30/11

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