Sex Education in Alabama

ALCAP President and Priority Talk Host Greg Davis invited Alabama State Representative Susan DuBose and Decisions, Choices, and Options (DCO) President Joi Wasill onto his show recently to talk about sex education in Alabama. Wasill shared that sex education is not required by law to be taught in Alabama, and the decision to teach on this topic is left to each school district. Parents have the right to review any curriculum that is used, and they should use this ability because sometimes organizations will try to slip harmful ideologies into curricula by using innocent terminology to avoid suspicion (for example, “anti-bullying” or “anti-hate” and other such words).

They discussed the differences between avoidance-based approaches and reduction-based approaches to sex education. Joi Wasill shared the fact that, when it comes to other risk issues such as violence or drugs, most people will agree that avoidance is the best strategy to teach our students. When it comes to sexual activity, however, people opt towards teaching the reduction of risk.

“It’s very, very dicey to tell children whose brains are not even fully developed, ‘Here is a box of condoms; go have safe sex.’ There is no such thing as safe sex for children and youth,” Wasill said. “…One of the studies I love to quote reveal that students who choose to practice sexual abstinence until they are 18 do better through high school and college.”

Eventually they reached a vital question for citizens of Alabama. In such a conservative state with a heavy Christian presence, how and why are Alabama schools sometimes allowing very progressive and destructive sex ed. programs to be taught in their classrooms?

Susan DuBose answered that she thought a lot of Alabama teachers and administrators at the ground-level may be simply unaware of the contents of these programs. Everything in the curriculum sounds nice and innocuous on the surface (using words such as “health,” for example), and the teachers may not think twice about it. Objectionable material flies under the radar.

Greg Davis then asked Joi Wasill to share about the “comprehensive” sex education curricula that has been and is being used in Alabama (and paid for by the government), and why they are dangerous. They talked about how abstinence is being redefined and twisted to include sexual activity (this is done so that it can be said that “abstinence is being taught”). They then talk about the issue of government funding, and how curricula must adopt a progressive agenda––such as teaching “sexual orientation” or “gender identity”––in order to receive money.

They cover all these issues, and much more. To hear the whole wide-ranging, important conversation, click here.