Presser from Preserve Innocence:
Sexually explicit program shocks parents, threatens the innocence of children
Washington, DC – “This is not your father’s sex ed class anymore. And yet, parents still don’t know that ‘Abstinence-Plus’ now means ‘Abstinence-plus-practice-putting-on-a-condom,’” stated Emmett McGroarty, Director of Preserve Innocence, an initiative of the American Principles Project dedicated to defending the innocence of children and the sovereignty of the family. Mr. Mc Groarty was responding to the recent controversy that erupted in Shenandoah, Iowa over a graphic sex ed class given by Planned Parenthood at a local high school. The program, described as a lesson about STDs and safe sex, featured the use of anatomically-correct dolls to demonstrate sexual acts as well as a faux phallus to instruct students in condom use. With no prior notice given to the parents of the students attending the class (some of whom were as young as fourteen), many were shocked to learn that their child’s “sex education” was more like a “sex demonstration” than anything else.
“Too many parents are unaware that programs like the one in Iowa are becoming the norm in our schools, and that Planned Parenthood is a big part of this change,” continued Mr. Mc Groarty. “It’s shocking to consider the millions of dollars in taxpayer funding that go to helping a group that promotes sex ed programs so harmful to the innocence of children.”
“Of course, Planned Parenthood is not the only culprit here,” continued Eric Goranson, Director of the Iowa chapter of Preserve Innocence. “This is also a question of school boards, teachers, and administrators not informing and working with parents about the content of their classes. The school board in Shenandoah failed to obey the state’s rules on notifying parents and allowing them to opt-out of the program. But simply informing parents ahead of time that their children will be getting ‘sex ed’ is not enough. The whole truth needs be told about the content of these programs and their potential to undermine the family’s values and beliefs.”
“It is for this reason that Preserve Innocence is working to introduce greater transparency and accountability to our schools and to the Department of Education,” concluded Mr. McGroarty. “Not only do parents deserve to know what kinds of programs are being promoted in the classroom, but they also must have the right to say ‘No, not in our school’ to ‘classes’ that threaten the innocence of their children and undermine their family’s values.”
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