As parents, there’s a lot we can do to ensure our teens receive effective sex education in school.  We can get involved in the PTA, work as advocates in our communities, or join local school health education committees or the school board to ensure that young people are receiving the important, accurate information they need.

One parent in Utah, the mother of two teenage girls, attended committee meetings and supported her daughter when she testified against an abstinence-only bill that would have made all sex education classes “opt-in” instead of “opt-out” and prohibited any discussions of contraception or homosexuality.  Tens of thousands of Utah parents also signed a petition that was delivered to the governor.  Thanks to these parents, the governor eventually vetoed this harmful bill.

Parents and schools can and should work together to teach our kids about sex and sexuality.  We owe it to our teens to ensure they have enough information and resources to make informed decisions and stay healthy.