Indiana State Profile
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The Department of Health and community-based organizations received $3,812,439 in federal funds for abstinence-only-until-marriage programs in Fiscal Year 2007. 1 Sexuality Education Law and Policy | Recent Legislation | Events of Note | Youth Statistical Information of Note | Title V Abstinence-Only-Until-Marriage Funding | Community-Based Abstinence Education (CBAE) and Adolescent Family Life Act (AFLA) Grantees | Federal and State Funding for Abstinence-Only-Until-Marriage Programs | Adolescent Health Contact | Organizations that Support Comprehensive Sexuality Education | Organizations that Oppose Comprehensive Sexuality Education | Local Newspapers | References Indiana requires that schools teach sexuality education. This instruction must:
Each school must include instruction about HIV/AIDS and “integrate this effort to the extent possible with instruction on other dangerous communicable diseases.” This instruction must stress abstinence-until-marriage. School boards must also establish an AIDS Advisory Council, consisting of 13 “parents, students, teachers, administrators, and representatives of the state department of health.” The council must review all curricula and materials for HIV/AIDS instruction to ensure that they “reflect the standards of the community.” This council must also work in consultation with the Indiana Department of Health. Furthermore, Indiana Code states that: Indiana does not require parental permission for students to participate in sexuality or HIV/AIDS education nor does it say whether parents or guardians may remove their children from such classes. See Indiana Code 20-30-5-13, 20-34-1-3, and 20-34-3-17. Legislation to Expand High School Health Education to Include Fetal Development Component Senate Bill 119, introduced in January 2007, would have required each Indiana school district to include detailed instruction regarding human fetal development in its high school health education curriculum. This instruction would be required to include the following topics: the result of human sperm and egg convergence, the resulting development of human conception, the health consequences of early termination of pregnancy, photographic images portraying each state of uterine fetal development, and descriptions of human fetal development. The bill was referred to the Committee on Education and Career Development in January 2007, but failed to move out of the committee. Legislation Says that Schools Must Show Preference for Marriage House Bill 1202, introduced in January 2006, would have required schools to show a preference for marriage above all other domestic relationships. Domestic relationships are defined as those “relationships between two adults who are sexual partners and share a residential dwelling.” The legislation was placed in the House Committee on Education in January 2006, but failed to move out of the committee. Acceptance Piece Leads to Suspension, Transfer for Journalism Teacher November 2007; Fort Wayne, IN After four years of service, a high school journalism teacher in Fort Wayne, IN faced the possibility of losing her job for allowing a student’s editorial about acceptance of her gay and lesbian peers to run in the school newspaper. “I can only imagine how hard it would be to come out as homosexual in today’s society,” the controversial January piece read. “I think it is so wrong to look down on those people, or to make fun of them, just because they have a different sexuality than you.”2 The journalism teacher sought the principal’s review of a separate article about teen pregnancy that ran in the same issue but said she did not think the editorial would be controversial. After the publication, the principal reprimanded the educator for “insubordination” and “exposing students to inappropriate material.”3 The educator was placed on administrative leave for two months, and the county school board refused requests from both the teacher and students to hear “her case” at a public meeting. “It’s a personnel matter and it has to be one that’s dealt with through a process of procedures,” the assistant superintendent said.4 In April, the county district and the teacher settled. The journalism teacher agreed to teach at another high school, issue a formal apology, and refrain from teaching journalism for three years. Despite this, the educator received the 2007 Courage in Student Journalism Award from Newseum, the Student Press Law Center, and the National Scholastic Press Association for “a steadfast commitment to a free press when faced with pressure to abandon the First Amendment.”5 As a result of the controversy, the assistant superintendent proposed a new policy naming the principal as the official publisher of the paper. The new policy also prohibits anyone except “the publisher” from seeking legal advice “related to publication decisions.”6 Editors and staff protested the proposal by stopping the presses, but the county school board approved the new regulation.
School Board Expands Sex Ed Curriculum to Battle Teen Pregnancy The school board in Crawfordsville, IN voted 3–2 to supplement the current abstinence-only-until-marriage curriculum with information on birth control and STD prevention in an effort to reduce teenage pregnancy in the district. Some community members applauded the addition, while others claim it is the first step on a slippery slope.7 The enhancements were recommended by the Crawfordsville Community Schools AIDS/Safe and Drug-Free Schools Advisory Committee, a group of medical and public health professionals, school staff, parents, community members, and students set up to advise the board. The high school nurse bolstered the suggestion, saying that while teachers liked “Creating Positive Relationships,” the abstinence-only-until-marriage program used in the district, “was kind of weak on teaching about HIV, disease prevention, and pregnancy prevention.”8 Although the new lesson will stress abstinence, the school nurse says, it will also inform students about contraception and sexually transmitted infections. It also has a take-home component for “opening the lines of communication” between parents and children about sexuality issues and the family’s values, morals, and culture.9 Parents, however, have the option of removing their child from the supplementary class. Indiana’s Youth: Statistical Information of Note10
Title V Abstinence-Only-Until-Marriage Funding The Indiana State Department of Health received $754,073 in federal Title V Abstinence-Only-Until-Marriage Funding in Fiscal Year 2007. The Title V abstinence-only-until-marriage grant requires states to provide three state-raised dollars or the equivalent in services for every four federal dollars received. The state match may be provided in part or in full by local groups. In Indiana, the state match is provided by both community-based grantees and by the statewide media campaign. A portion of the funding is used to run “Indiana RESPECT” (Reduces Early Sex and Pregnancy by Educating Children and Teen), a statewide adolescent pregnancy-prevention campaign. The campaign’s website, www.indianarespect.com, includes a “Baby Cost Calculator,” a highly graphic “STD Matching Game,” and an interactive county map of Indiana that contains teen pregnancy and sexually transmitted disease rates areas around the state. Indiana RESPECT also runs a media campaign with the slogan “Sex Can Wait – You’re Worth It.”11 Like the website, this campaign frequently relies on fear and shame. For example, one poster reads, “Your virginity isn’t the only thing you’ll lose. More than 800,000 teen girls in the U.S. will get pregnant this year. And the sad fact is that many of those girls will have to put aside their future plans, hopes, and dreams to raise their babies. Live your life. Choose to wait to have sex.”12 In addition to running the RESPECT campaign, the Indiana Department of Health distributes Title V abstinence-only-until-marriage funds to 24 sub-grantees. Four are hospitals, two are crisis pregnancy centers, two are school districts, and one is a health department. The remaining grantees are community-based organizations. The Women’s Care Center, Inc. is one of the sub-grantees that is a crisis pregnancy center.13 Crisis pregnancy centers typically advertise as providing medical services and then use anti-abortion propaganda, misinformation, and fear and shame tactics to dissuade women facing unintended pregnancy from exercising their right to choose. While the sub-grantee does not provide information on its abstinence-only-until-marriage program, it does provide false information on abortion on its website. Under FAQs, it states, “Nine out of every ten women who have undergone an abortion suffer deep seated anxiety and regret called post-abortion syndrome. Sometimes it appears many years later.”14 There is no sound scientific evidence linking abortion to subsequent mental health problems, termed “post-abortion stress syndrome” by anti-abortion groups. Neither the American Psychological Association nor the American Psychiatric Association recognize “post-abortion stress syndrome” as a legitimate medical condition.15 Nevertheless, abortion opponents often refer to studies that have been found to have severe methodological flaws or cite anecdotal evidence of this condition in an effort to scare women out of exercising their right to choose. Another sub-grantee, Creating Positive Relationships, Inc. (CPR), uses its own curriculum throughout the state of Indiana.16 The organization’s website describes the program by saying: “The CPR curriculum is based on abstinence-only education. Those who have been sexually active are encouraged to adopt ‘secondary abstinence’ as the best approach to a safe, whole life before marriage.”17 True Life Choices, Inc. (TLC), another sub-grantee, also uses the CPR curriculum.18 The website for the organization justifies the need for such a program: “This education would not only encourage the students to recognize the value of sexual abstinence until marriage as their best choice, but it also would provide the skills needed to successfully implement the choice.”19 The organization’s website includes a section called, “TLC Leadership,” in which it profiles three women. Each of the three women refers to the Bible either in her favorite quotes or when explaining her reasons for working at the organization.20 The True Life Choices, Inc. website also offers information about abortion much of which is biased and misleading. In the “Abortion Recovery” section, the organization claims: Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) develops after a terrifying ordeal that involved physical harm or the threat of physical harm. The person who develops PTSD may have been the one who was harmed, the harm may have happened to a loved one, or the person may have witnessed a harmful event that happened to loved ones or strangers. Because having an abortion can be a traumatic event for a woman, many women have reported the same symptoms as those experiencing posttraumatic stress disorder. We refer to this as post-abortion stress, or post abortion trauma.21 In fact, induced abortion early in pregnancy carries very low risk of complications. Less than 1% percent of women experience a major complication and there is no evidence of childbearing problems among women who have had aspiration abortions (the most common procedure) within the first 12 weeks of pregnancy.22 In addition, “the risk of death associated with childbirth is about 11 times as high as that associated with abortion.”23 TLC also uses the Navigator, an abstinence-only-until-marriage curriculum produced by the Illinois-based organization Project Reality. SIECUS reviewed Navigator and found that it relies on messages of fear and shame, inaccurate and misleading information, and biased views of marriage, sexual orientation, and pregnancy options. Navigator fails to provide important information on sexual health, and the format and underlying biases of the curriculum dictate specific values and discourage critical thinking. For example, the authors explain, “Navigator does not promote the use of contraceptives for teens. No contraceptive device is guaranteed to prevent pregnancy. Besides, students who do not exercise self-control to remain abstinent are not likely to exercise self-control in the use of a contraceptive device.”24 Two sub-grantees are affiliates of the national organization, Campaign for Our Children. These are located in DeKalb and Noble counties. The affiliates conduct media campaigns in the state of Indiana. The newest initiative from CFOC is, “Marriage Works USA.”25 The effort is, “aimed at promoting one of the world’s most cherished institutions: marriage.” CFOC explains, “The campaign’s core message is a practical, added-value approach that can be summed up in just two words: Marriage Works.” Using messages such as “Married people live longer” and “Married people are happier,” the website promotes marriage as a solution to teen pregnancy problems.26 Community-Based Abstinence Education (CBAE) and Adolescent Family Life Act (AFLA) Grantees There are three CBAE grantees in Indiana: A Positive Approach to Teen Health, Inc. (PATH, Inc.) (receives two grants), Abstinence for Singles, and St. Vincent Health Hospital and Health Care Center, Inc. (receives two grants). There are no AFLA grantees in Indiana. PATH, Inc. has two websites: an informational website about its abstinence-only-until-marriage program for teachers and parents (www.pathblazerinfo.org) and a teen site (www.pathblazer.org). The teen site contains games, videos, and a link to “The Mall” where young people can purchase abstinence-related items such as “Pledge Bars.”27 Pledge Bars are virginity-pledge themed candy bars with candy wrappers that read “Mrs. Rightbar.” Pathblazer.org also contains a video entitled “Abstinence is Sexy” that states: HIV Kills But abstinence is sexy! Gonorrhea stings But abstinence is sexy! Crabs really itch But abstinence is sexy! Teens get pregnant But abstinence is sexy! Trichs (Trichomoniasis) is not a treat But abstinence is sexy! HPV makes warts But abstinence is sexy! Porn is fake But abstinence is sexy! Gossip goes around But abstinence is sexy! Jealousy hurts Abstinence is sexy! Rejection stings But abstinence is sexy! Abstinence is sexy! Just say no to bugs. And drugs. Abstinence is sexy…sexy…sexy!28 While this video may be attempting to frame abstinence as a positive option, it nonetheless uses message of fear and shame to suggest that sexually active young people will inevitably face negative consequences ranging from crabs and gonorrhea to gossip and jealousy. Another section of the teen website includes a series of interactive story-type games called “Choose Your Path” in which visitors face certain scenarios and guide the story based on their decisions. In “The Dance,” PATH implies that fast dancing with a person of the opposite sex leads to kissing and then oral sex or sexual intercourse, causing you to earn a grade of D- or F.29 PATH then encourages you to “recognize you made a mistake, you can prepare yourself to deal with the consequences, and you can make a healthier choice tomorrow by pledging to ‘Secondary Virginity’ and getting a new start!”30 Research has found that under certain conditions, such pledges, often called virginity pledges, may help some adolescents delay sexual intercourse. When they work, pledges help this select group of adolescents delay the onset of sexual intercourse for an average of 18 months—far short of marriage. More importantly, the studies also found that those young people who took a pledge were one-third less likely to use contraception when they did become sexually active than their peers who had not pledged. These teens are therefore more vulnerable to the risks of unprotected sexual activity such as unintended pregnancy and STDs, including HIV/AIDS. Further research has confirmed that although some students who take pledges delay intercourse, ultimately they are equally as likely to contract an STD as their non-pledging peers. The study also found that STD rates were higher in communities where a significant proportion (over 20 percent) of the young people had taken virginity pledges.31 Abstinence for Singles presents abstinence-only-until-marriage lectures, interactive workshops, and training sessions in schools and churches/youth groups for individuals up to the age of 29.32 St. Vincent Hospital and Health Care Center, Inc. administers the abstinence-only-until-marriage “PEERS Project.”33 This program is a “peer-facilitated, healthy relationships, abstinence and marriage education intervention” that uses teenage mentors to present the Peers Educating Peers about Positive Values (PEP) curriculum in middle schools and high schools.34 Federal and State Funding for Abstinence-Only-Until-Marriage Programs in FY 2007
Adolescent Health Contact35 Indiana Organizations that Support Comprehensive Sexuality Education
Indiana Organizations that Oppose Comprehensive Sexuality Education
Newspapers in Indiana36
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