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Sexual health education could soon be mandatory in Illinois public schools under reintroduced legislation from Democrats in the General Assembly.

If passed, the Responsible Education for Adolescent and Children’s Health Act, or the REACH Act, would bring the state in line with 30 others that already require sex ed.

State Sen. Ram Villivalam (D-Chicago) is a sponsor of the bill. He said a proliferation of reporting on child sex abuse, sexual harassment, and bullying of people of color and LGBTQ+ people makes the legislation necessary for Illinois children.

“I view it as it’s an overburden not to do this, because we will end up in a situation where we have kids being taught the wrong thing or seeing something on the news and taking that and making an assumption,” said Villivalam. “Now more than ever, they need medically and factually accurate information, as well as a safe environment to develop the skills they need to navigate our modern world.”

* Center Square…

If passed into law, the Responsible Education for Adolescent and Children’s Health, or REACH Act would start sex ed in kindergarten through second grade with lessons on personal safety and respecting others. Grades 3-5 would cover anatomy, sexual orientation, gender identity and gender expression. Grades 6-12 would build upon that and include benefits of abstinence, birth control and prevention of STDs.

A similar bill was filed last year, but Planned Parenthood of Illinois said the COVID-19 crisis kept the measure from advancing. Since then, the organization said it has refined the measure to make it standards, not curriculum-based. That would lay out standards for local districts to decide how to teach. […]

But Pro-Family Alliance’s Molly Malone Rumley said some of the concepts required to be taught could have religious students bullied by their peers.

“You’re kind of saying ‘well, what you believe is silly and what we are teaching you is actually correct,’ so you’re undermining those religious beliefs,” Malone Rumley said.

While supporters of the measure say it would teach “medically accurate” information, Malone Rumley disagrees. She said it would be medically accurate to teach abortion ends life after conception.

“And so medical accuracy would demand that you teach that and medical accuracy would teach that there are only two biological genders or sexes,” she said.

Willis said the measure will allow parents to opt their children out of the instruction. Malone Rumley said even if parents opt their children out, they’d likely get informed by their peers.

Um, their peers are gonna pass on a lot of misinformation without actual facts, but whatever.

posted by Rich Miller
Wednesday, Feb 3, 21 @ 9:44 am

Comments

Will the state pay for this or is it just another unfunded mandate?

Comment by DuPage Saint Wednesday, Feb 3, 21 @ 9:52 am
Can we also remove the section in the school code Sec. 27-9.1 that requires “Course material and instruction shall teach honor and respect for monogamous heterosexual marriage.” These seems exclusionary and unnecessarily discriminatory

and maybe we can emphasize consent.

Comment by Incandenza Wednesday, Feb 3, 21 @ 9:52 am
== She said it would be medically accurate to teach abortion ends life after conception.

“And so medical accuracy would demand that you teach that ==

“ AMA Decides to Oppose Bill Defining Human Life As Starting at Conception”

https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1981/06/08/ama-decides-to-oppose-bill-defining-human-life-as-starting-at-conception/79ab07d8-872f-4fc7-ba25-b0070d315c12/

== medical accuracy would teach that there are only two biological genders or sexes=

“ Affirming the Medical Spectrum of Gender

The AMA will oppose efforts to deny an individual’s right to determine their stated sex marker or gender identity.

“Sex and gender are more complex than previously assumed,” said AMA Board Member William E. Kobler, M.D. “It is essential to acknowledge that an individual’s gender identity may not align with the sex assigned to them at birth. A narrow limit on the definition of sex would have public health consequences for the transgender population and individuals born with differences in sexual differentiation, also known as intersex traits.”

https://www.ama-assn.org/press-center/press-releases/ama-adopts-new-policies-2018-interim-meeting

Comment by SWIL_Voter Wednesday, Feb 3, 21 @ 9:55 am
My sex ed class didn’t mention abortion. Talked some about anatomy, pregnancy, and STDs, or at least that’s what I remember *mumble mumble* years later.

I’m not even certain we talked about birth control, of any kind, outside of condoms. Definitely pushed condoms. We might have talked about the pill and I just don’t remember. I KNOW we didn’t talk about abortion, though.

Comment by Perrid Wednesday, Feb 3, 21 @ 9:55 am
Research shows that pre-teens’ view of God as either loving, accepting and forgiving or strict, unaccepting and punishing is a reflection of how their parents treat them at home.

Kids who bully their peers over sexual identity are acting out how they have been treated at home, not exercising their religious freedom.

Comment by Juvenal Wednesday, Feb 3, 21 @ 10:04 am
=== so you’re undermining those religious beliefs ===

Education has a way of doing that. It’s not intentional, it’s simply a consequence of what happens to any beliefs not supported by evidence, when evidence is presented.

Comment by TheInvisibleMan Wednesday, Feb 3, 21 @ 10:18 am
==REACH Act would start sex ed in kindergarten through second grade with lessons on personal safety and respecting others==

Who, other than Center Square and the opponents they dug up, would describe “lessons on personal safety and respecting others” as “sex ed”?

Comment by Socially DIstant Watcher Wednesday, Feb 3, 21 @ 10:40 am
Perhaps Malone Rumley can be used as an “example” when history class units reach The Crusades?

Comment by Anyone Remember Wednesday, Feb 3, 21 @ 10:50 am
Parents?

Comment by A Wednesday, Feb 3, 21 @ 10:59 am
==medical accuracy would teach that there are only two biological genders or sexes==

This person is clearly not familiar with modern medical & biological science.

Here’s a place to start:
https://www.wnycstudios.org/podcasts/radiolab/articles/gonads-xy
https://www.wnycstudios.org/podcasts/radiolab/articles/dutee
https://www.wnycstudios.org/podcasts/radiolab/articles/dana
https://www.wnycstudios.org/podcasts/radiolab/articles/sex-ed

Comment by Pot calling kettle Wednesday, Feb 3, 21 @ 11:44 am
“She said it would be medically accurate to teach abortion ends life after conception.”

So she doesn’t understand how the process of creating human life works, but wants to tell us how schools should be teaching it? Got it.

Comment by Techie Wednesday, Feb 3, 21 @ 12:14 pm
My caveat: I am not intending to demean anyone’s sexual identity. Anyway, it’s been awhile since I studied Biology, but biologically there are only two genders based on our DNA. There is an X chromosome and a Y chromosome. If you receive an X chromosome from both parents, you will physically develop as a female. If you receive an X chromosome from your mother, and a Y chromosome from your father, you will physically develop as a male. Of course there are some anomalies, but those are rare.

Comment by Steve Polite Wednesday, Feb 3, 21 @ 1:16 pm
After reading what I wrote I want to add I understand that one’s Sexual Identity is much more than just our physiology at birth.
With Respect,
Steve Polite

Comment by Steve Polite Wednesday, Feb 3, 21 @ 1:23 pm
@Steve Polite -

It has indeed been awhile since you studied biology, and particularly genetics:

https://www.google.com/amp/s/time.com/5431836/dna-transgender-history/%3famp=true

It’s only been 70 years since Watson & Crick uncovered the double helix structure of DNA, and our understanding of how DNA, chromosomes, genes, the nervous system, and the endocrine system interact to influence human behavior and emotion is in its infancy and ever-evolving.

We know more about the far-reaches of the universe than the inner-workings of our own bodies. And what we do know was changing every ten years, then every five years and now almost annually.

The attempt to create an artificial binary system based on a single chromosome reminds me of the South African pencil test used to define people as non-White.

Comment by Thomas Paine Wednesday, Feb 3, 21 @ 1:43 pm
Thank you to Pot Calling Kettle and Thomas Paine.
I read the transcript for the RadioLab gonads xy podcast. It has been a long time. I used to have a greater interest in this area. Obviously it has waned over the years.

Comment by Steve Polite Wednesday, Feb 3, 21 @ 2:01 pm
@Steve Polite (and everyone) - The RadioLab podcasts are well worth taking the time to listen to. I try to keep up with things, but there were some real eye-openers presented in a clear manner. That series made a lasting impression on me.

Comment by Pot calling kettle Wednesday, Feb 3, 21 @ 2:14 pm
Shout out to Steve for reading and learning–we could all remember to do that more.

Comment by ArchPundit Wednesday, Feb 3, 21 @ 2:56 pm
=== Shout out to Steve for reading and learning–we could all remember to do that more.===
Indeed.
One out of every 1500 people is born intersex, so in the United States there would be 221,000 intersex people.
That’s almost half the population of Wyoming.

Comment by Da Big Bad Wolf Thursday, Feb 4, 21 @ 2:59 pm