Senator Chris Larson - 7th District
Divisive Youth Disinformation Bill Passes the Senate
For the last two weeks, Senate Republicans have pushed legislation that seeks to deny Wisconsin’s youth vital education and health information regarding contraceptives and sexually transmitted disease (STD) prevention. Yesterday they succeeded in passing it through the Senate. Senate Bill 237 overturns the Healthy Youth Act, which ensures that all young adults in Wisconsin have access to comprehensive, age appropriate, and medically accurate human growth and development classes.
I have strongly advocated for the continuation of comprehensive sex education in neighborhood schools and also introduced common sense amendments to try and improve this divisive legislation. Thus far it has been nearly impossible to get any Democratic amendment passed in this extreme Legislature as they tend to fall on deaf ears.
Fortunately, this time around Republicans headed some of our concerns and accepted an amendment I authored. This amendment will ensure that all of Wisconsin’s youth, even those in school districts that adopt an abstinence-only curriculum, are provided information about the Human papillomavirus (HPV) and the Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). With the passage of this amendment, our youth will have access to adequate information about these preventable and deadly diseases and will not be forced to rely on the information provided to them by a Google search.
According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, HPV is the most common sexually transmitted virus in the United States. Currently, 20 million Americans are infected with HPV and this virus affects at least 50% of sexually active people, both men and women, at some time in their life. HPV is also the leading cause of cervical cancer among women. The American Cancer Society estimates that approximately 12,200 women in the United States are diagnosed with cervical cancer annually, almost all of which are HPV-related.
Our children do not live in a Peter Pan Neverland. They live in the real world where they do eventually grow up. We should want these future adults to be as informed as possible about how to prevent life-threatening health problems.
To view a copy of this bill, please CLICK HERE.
Senate Bill 237
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