GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF NORTH CAROLINA

SESSION 2015

H                                                                                                                                                    1

HOUSE BILL 596

Short Title:        Reproductive Health & Safety Educ. Revisions.		(Public)
Sponsors:	Representatives Whitmire, R. Turner, Stam, and Conrad (Primary Sponsors). For a complete list of Sponsors, refer to the North Carolina General Assembly Web Site.
Referred to:	Health, if favorable, Education ‑ K‑12, if favorable, Judiciary IV.

April 9, 2015

A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

An act TO revise THE EXPERTISE REQUIRED FOR REVIEW AND ACCEPTANCE OF MATERIALS USED IN REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH AND SAFETY EDUCATION AND TO PROHIBIT TEACHING ABOUT CERTAIN DRUGS THAT MAY CAUSE SPONTANEOUS ABORTIONS AS A PART OF REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH AND SAFETY EDUCATION.

The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts:

SECTION 1.  G.S. 115C‑81(e1)(4) reads as rewritten:

"(4)      Each local school administrative unit shall provide a reproductive health and safety education program commencing in the seventh grade that includes the following instruction:

a.         Teaches that abstinence from sexual activity outside of marriage is the expected standard for all school‑age children.

b.         Presents techniques and strategies to deal with peer pressure and offering positive reinforcement.

c.         Presents reasons, skills, and strategies for remaining or becoming abstinent from sexual activity.

d.         Teaches that abstinence from sexual activity is the only certain means of avoiding out‑of‑wedlock pregnancy, sexually transmitted diseases when transmitted through sexual contact, including HIV/AIDS, and other associated health and emotional problems.

e.         Teaches that a mutually faithful monogamous heterosexual relationship in the context of marriage is the best lifelong means of avoiding sexually transmitted diseases, including HIV/AIDS.

f.          Teaches the positive benefits of abstinence until marriage and the risks of premarital sexual activity.

g.         Provides opportunities that allow for interaction between the parent or legal guardian and the student.

h.         Provides factually accurate biological or pathological information that is related to the human reproductive system.

i.          Teaches about the preventable risks for preterm birth in subsequent pregnancies, including induced abortion, smoking, alcohol consumption, the use of illicit drugs, and inadequate prenatal care.

Materials used in this instruction shall be age appropriate for use with students. Information conveyed during the instruction shall be objective and based upon scientific research that is peer reviewed and accepted by professionals and credentialed experts in the field of sexual health education.experts."

SECTION 2.  G.S. 115C‑81(e1)(4a) reads as rewritten:

"(4a)     Each local school administrative unit shall also include as part of the instruction required under subdivision (4) of this subsection the following instruction:

a.         Teaches about sexually transmitted diseases. Instruction shall include how sexually transmitted diseases are and are not transmitted, the effectiveness and safety of all federal Food and Drug Administration (FDA)‑approved methods of reducing the risk of contracting sexually transmitted diseases, and information on local resources for testing and medical care for sexually transmitted diseases. Instruction shall include the rates of infection among pre‑teen and teens of each known sexually transmitted disease and the effects of contracting each sexually transmitted disease. In particular, the instruction shall include information about the effects of contracting the Human Papilloma Virus, including sterility and cervical cancer.

b.         Teaches about the effectiveness and safety of all FDA‑approved contraceptive methods in preventing pregnancy.pregnancy, except for drugs such as those marketed under the name "Preven" or "Plan B" or any "equivalent drug product" as defined in G.S. 90‑85.27(1) that may cause spontaneous abortions.

c.         Teaches awareness of sexual assault, sexual abuse, and risk reduction. The instruction and materials shall:

1.         Focus on healthy relationships.

2.         Teach students what constitutes sexual assault and sexual abuse, the causes of those behaviors, and risk reduction.

3.         Inform students about resources and reporting procedures if they experience sexual assault or sexual abuse.

4.         Examine common misconceptions and stereotypes about sexual assault and sexual abuse.

Materials used in this instruction shall be age appropriate for use with students. Information conveyed during the instruction shall be objective and based upon scientific research that is peer reviewed and accepted by professionals and credentialed experts in the field of sexual health education. Each local board of education shall adopt a policy and provide a mechanism to allow a parent or a guardian to withdraw his or her child from instruction required under this subdivision."

SECTION 3.  This act is effective when it becomes law and applies beginning with the 2015‑2016 school year.