'Health Education' Bill Nothing More Than Pro-Homosexual Propaganda, Says Activist
by Jim Brown
February 2, 2006
(AgapePress) - - A Massachusetts pro-family group is protesting a bill in the State Legislature that would make some controversial "health education" courses a requirement for graduation from public schools.
In 1998, the Article 8 Alliance succeeded in getting the Massachusetts Board of Education to dump the health education requirement. But according to the conservative group, "now the sex-ed lobby wants to do an end-run around the Board of Education" and have a "more gay-friendly" Legislature pass a proposal that would once again require K-12 students to take "sexuality" studies.
Article 8 president Brian Camenker says Bill H1641 (also S102), which has 36 co-sponsors, is dangerous. Essentially, says the pro-family activist, the curriculum requires the "normalizing" of homosexuality by the fifth grade.
"Some of the things that this would do are just so incredibly outrageous," says Camenker. "For instance, by the end of grade five, [students] need to [be able to] define sexual orientation using the correct terminology such as 'heterosexual' and 'gay and lesbian.'"
The group's website comments further, adding: "We must assume this will also include the latest trends in the GLBT [gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender] activist lexicon: 'bisexual,' 'transgender,' and maybe even 'polyamorous.'"
In addition, says Camenker, the bill has Planned Parenthood's fingerprints all over it. "They impose the Planned Parenthood approach to sexuality," he asserts. He describes that approach as telling children "here are all the different ways of contraception and sexual techniques and everything, and abstinence is just one of many [options] and you can choose what's right for you." Essentially, he says, it suggests the idea that a child can choose for themselves whatever technique of contraception he or she wishes.
In Camenker's opinion, the legislation is a direct challenge to parental rights -- specifically, challenge to a law that allows parents to opt their children out of objectionable classroom discussions. His group contends the measure puts parents in a bind: if they choose to opt their child out of the class -- in the process risking a failing grade in the health requirement -- the student possibly could not graduate.
Jim Brown, a regular contributor to AgapePress, is a reporter for American Family Radio News, which can be heard online.
