Missouri Law Bans Planned Parenthood from Providing Sex Ed in Schools

Missouri Governor Matt Blunt signed legislation last week that would reportedly “bar people affiliated with abortion providers from teaching or supplying materials for sex education courses in public schools,” according to this piece.

Planned Parenthood currently works with 40 St. Louis-area public schools to provide sex education materials that focus on the prevention of pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases, she said. Planned Parenthood said it provides sex education materials to schools for free and its staff members who teach sexual health and education lessons in 41 Missouri schools are trained not to discuss abortions. A top official at the organization denied any conflict and called that assertion “political propaganda.”

 

“Essentially, what Gov. Blunt and the Legislature are doing is saying that teens need to be protected from information, not from sexually transmitted infections or unintended pregnancies,” said Peter Brownlie, chief executive officer of Planned Parenthood of Kansas and Mid-Missouri.

The legislation includes other reproductive rights-related provisions, and can be accessed online here. It also requires that “Any course materials and instruction relating to human sexuality and sexually transmitted diseases shall be medically and factually accurate,” and adds some services for pregnant women, so it’s not all bad.