A bill to change Utah’s health education curriculum to teach consent and prevent unwanted sexual behavior was defeated in the state’s House Education Committee this week, Deseret news reports.
The legislation that would have required instruction regarding consent, sexual violence behavior prevention and sexual assault resource strategies, was defeated in committee by a 7-4 vote.
State representative Carol Spackman Moss, a Democrat who sponsored the legislation, said her motivation is “not to get some liberal curriculum into the schools…..but rather to give kids information that they can use to protect themselves.”
Some politicians wrongly argue that consent instruction teaches students it is OK to have sex.
But Moss explained that consent is not exclusively sexual in nature.
“It could be saying no to sending a photo of yourself, or no to your sending me a photo. Or it could be saying, ‘No, I don’t want to go to a party where there might be illegal activity,’” Moss said.
Opponents of the bill argued that refusal skills are already part of Utah’s health curriculum standards adopted by the Utah State Board of Education in 2019.
Moss said she plans to address such concerns before resubmitting the bill for committee consideration, Deseret News reported.
In Utah, parents must opt in for their child to participate in sex education classes.
“I believe that parents are the primary educators of their children’s sexual education but schools can open the door for conversation,” Moss said.
Victim advocates like Alan Buys urged the committee to adopt the bill. Supporters argue that it would help many young teens learn how to respond in certain situations and what to do if they are a victim of sexual violence.
