Newsom rejects bill mandating schools to provide condoms to high school students.
California Governor Vetoes Bill Requiring Schools to Provide Free Condoms to Students
California Governor Gavin Newsom made the decision to veto a bill on October 8th that would have mandated schools to offer free condoms to middle and high school students. In his veto message, Newsom cited the state’s current $30 billion deficit as the reason for his decision, stating that implementing the bill would be too costly for the already financially burdened state.
“This bill would create an unfunded mandate to public schools that should be considered in the annual budget process,” Mr. Newsom wrote in the letter.
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Legislators estimated that the bill would have cost the state several million dollars annually. The proposed legislation would have required all public schools to provide both internal and external condoms to students in grades 7–12 free of charge, while also ensuring that students were aware of their availability.
In addition, the bill aimed to prohibit retailers from denying the sale of contraception based on age and from requiring identification for purchase.
State Senator Caroline Menjivar, who introduced the bill, emphasized that its purpose was to prevent unwanted pregnancies and the spread of sexually transmitted infections among young people. During a hearing in the Senate Education Committee, Menjivar expressed her hope that the bill would promote safe sexual habits for teenagers.
“While abstinence is, as we know, the only 100 percent effective way to prevent a sexually transmitted infection, we know some teens are still engaging in sexual activity,” she said. “We want to make sure when that teenager makes that personal decision, they have the resources to stay safe.”
Menjivar also highlighted the barriers that teenagers often face when trying to access condoms, such as cost, availability, age restrictions, and the potential for embarrassment when purchasing them.
“Youth are often denied and turned away [when purchasing condoms], and it’s not deterring them from engaging in sexual behavior, it’s just promoting unsafe sexual behavior,” she said. “Providing condoms in school ensures we are meeting youth where they are at.”
During the hearing, representatives from various health and youth advocacy organizations voiced their support for the bill, including members of the AIDs Healthcare Foundation, the California Coalition for Youth, the California Federation of Teachers, and the California Teachers Association.
However, there were also opposing views expressed. Greg Burt, from the California Family Council, argued that the state’s emphasis on condoms in recent years had inadvertently led to an increase in sexually transmitted infections among young people.
“For the last decade or more, this legislative body has been pushing condoms as the solution to sexually transmitted infections spreading among our youth,” he said. “And each time the infection rate rose, [legislators] insisted kids just need easier access to condoms and information about safe sex at younger and younger ages.”
Burt urged the committee to reconsider the issue and instead promote abstinence until marriage as the ideal approach to sexual health.
“It is time to tell young people the truth, that those with the most fulfilling and healthy sex lives are those who treat sex as a special and intimate act to be shared in a monogamous, committed marriage,” he said. “I’m not encouraging you to shame people. But hold up abstinence until marriage as a noble ideal. Sexually transmitted infections can’t thrive in a culture that idealizes marriage.”
What are the arguments for providing free condoms in schools to promote safer sexual practices and reduce rates of teenage pregnancies and sexually transmitted infections?
Rchasing condoms] because the person on the other side of the counter has made a judgment about their maturity level,” she explained.
Supporters of the bill argue that providing free condoms in schools would not only promote safer sexual practices but also help reduce the rates of teenage pregnancies and sexually transmitted infections. They point to studies that show a correlation between increased access to contraception and decreased rates of unplanned pregnancies and STIs among young people.
Opponents of the bill, on the other hand, believe that it is not the responsibility of schools to provide condoms to students. They argue that promoting abstinence should be the primary focus and that providing condoms may encourage sexual activity among young people. Some also express concerns about the potential for condoms to be distributed inappropriately or used improperly.
Despite the veto, Newsom acknowledged the importance of addressing sexual health education in schools. In his veto message, he stated that he looks forward to working with the bill’s author and other stakeholders to find a solution that ensures students have the information and resources they need to make safe and healthy choices.
California is not the only state to consider or implement policies regarding the provision of condoms in schools. According to the Guttmacher Institute, as of April 2021, 29 states, including California, have laws or policies that allow schools to provide condoms to students. However, the specific provisions and requirements vary from state to state.
Despite the veto, the conversation surrounding sexual health education and access to contraception in schools is likely to continue. Advocates and policymakers will continue to debate the best ways to ensure that young people have the knowledge and resources necessary to navigate their sexual health responsibly.
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