Sex-ed bill wins first-round approval in Senate

Berny Morson, Rocky Mountain News

Published April 4, 2007 at midnight

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School districts that offer sex education will have to cover contraception as well as the benefits of abstinence under a bill approved in the state Senate today.

HB 1292 won preliminary approval on a mostly party-line vote. A tallied vote will probably occur Thursday morning.

The measure requires districts to teach a sex education curriculum grounded in scientific research, but leaves specifics up to local school boards.

Abstinence will continue to be the main emphasis of sex education programs.

The measure, sponsored by Sen. Sue Windels, D-Arvada, brought heated opposition from some Republicans.

Sen. Shawn Mitchell, R-Broomfield, said the bill will mean a "comprehensive condom, contraception and copulation" curriculum.

Sen. Ted Harvey, R-Highlands Ranch, cited lessons that include placing condoms on cucumbers, calling them "disgusting classes."

Sen. Josh Penry, R-Fruita, called the measure a "top-down, heavy-handed bill" in a state that leaves most curriculum decisions to local school boards.

Windels said a stronger curriculum is needed to stem teen pregnancies, which are occurring at a rate of one every hour in Colorado. She said the bill will be an ice-breaker for communities that have difficulty discussing sex.

Sen. Chris Romer, D-Denver, said students need help in dealing with the pervasive sexual messages in popular culture.

Romer said his father, former Gov. Roy Romer, learned what the female body looked like from the bra section of the Sears, Roebuck catalog.

Now, Romer said, "We have a girls-gone-wild culture."

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