GOP Lawmaker Tried to Strip Consent From Indiana’s Sex Ed Bill to Respect ‘Different Thoughts’
"I don’t understand how we could possibly not agree to teach [about consent]," one Indiana Democrat said. “We are talking about teenagers that sometimes don’t learn that they can say no.”
Photo: iStockphoto AbortionLatestPolitics
Like a handful of other states this legislative session, Indiana just passed a bill to update public school sex ed guidelines, including a mandate that schools screen a three-minute anti-abortion propaganda video. But in Indiana’s case, the bill, SB 442, set off a firestorm of controversy when Indiana Republicans tried to cut language that said schools need to teach students about consent.
On Monday, State Sen. Gary Byrne, the Republican responsible for its removal, justified this move by citing “different thoughts in different communities.” IndyStar further reported that Bryne assured everyone they’re still allowed to teach consent if they want, they’re just not going to “require it,” because, apparently, “This is a sensitive subject for many.” I would like to hear more about these “different thoughts in different communities” and for whom consent is “a sensitive subject.”
Byrne’s words and the sneaky removal of the consent language quickly gained national attention as Indiana Democrats vocally condemned the bill. “I don’t understand how we could possibly not agree to teach that as part of human sexuality,” state Rep. Tonya Pfaff (D) said during debate on Monday. “For consent, it protects both boy and girl—man and woman. We are talking about teenagers that sometimes don’t learn that they can say no.”
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