(Image source: Mount Pleasant Patch)

BY RYAN SCHMIDT
 

ANCHOR CHRISTINA HARTMAN

Let’s talk about sex... safe sex, that is. But not in Wisconsin. WGBA in Green Bay has the details.

 “A controversial and Republican-backed sex education bill has made its way through the Wisconsin Senate. The bill requires state sex-ed teachers to stress abstinence over contraception.”


The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports the bill would give schools the chance to offer this option, reversing a decision made by Democrats last year that banned the practice.  This is drawing criticism from Democratic senators.  

The Wisconsin State Journal reports Democrats are accusing the other side of pushing a bill that leaves out information that would help children make responsible choices.  This from State Senator Jon Erpenback.

“We’re taking a step back to the Flintstone era.”

Senator Chris Larson takes it one step further.


“Whether we want to have our young adults learn sex-ed from an educated professional in their school, or from a Google search. If we want it to come from somebody who is trained with the facts, who can answer the awkward questions that young adults will have, or we want it to be learned from Kim Kardashian on a reality show.”

According to the Associated Press, the Republican-backed bill essentially rewrites the Healthy Youth Act. Democrats -- the party in power when that law was passed -- say it contributed to a dramatic drop in teen pregnancy. Comedy Central’s INDecision contributor Ilya Gerner offers a sarcastic salute to the backers of the latest legislation.
 

“There's one silver/Chlamydia-encrusted lining here. According to another study of ‘virginity pledges’ (I think I took mine by accident when I joined the debate team…), which are often used as part of abstinence-education programs, ‘pledgers’ substitute oral and anal sex for vaginal intercourse. So congratulations to the Wisconsin GOP for creating a generation of wholesome Midwestern youngsters with a penchant for bareback sodomy. I salute you.”


Still -- beyond Wisconsin the issue of abstinence education remains hotly debated -- and the method has support among some parents. A contributor for the Daily Sundial writes -- ignoring abstinence sends kids the wrong message.
 

“...many classes and school health centers freely distribute sex protection, telling the teenager, ‘We know you’re going to do it anyway, so be safe. Here’s a condom.’ This message completely negates the notion that kids should make responsible decisions, as it provides an easy and cheap way to have sex without much responsibility.”

The bill now goes to the Republican-controlled state Assembly.