North Carolina: Sex Education Bill Ready for Perdue to Sign

Following months of debate and numerous revisions, a bill to revamp sex education in North Carolina has cleared its final hurdle in the Legislature and now heads to Gov. Bev Perdue (D), who is expected to sign it. On Thursday, the House voted 60-55 to accept changes the Senate made in the measure.

For more than a decade, most North Carolina school districts have taught an abstinence-only curriculum; some, however, offered additional information about STDs and contraception.

The new bill requires all school districts to teach that abstinence until marriage is expected of all students, and that a "monogamous heterosexual relationship in the context of marriage" is the best defense against STDs. However, it also requires districts to provide scientifically accurate information about STDs, all federally approved contraceptives, and other topics including sexual assault and risk reduction. The revised instruction will begin in seventh grade.

While students will be automatically enrolled in both portions, parents will retain the right to withdraw their children from the new supplemental curriculum.

Reaction to the final bill was mixed. Some conservative Christians were pleased that the reworked plan maintains a focus on abstinence; some advocates who pushed for change decried that emphasis as heavy-handed. In addition, some Republicans who opposed the revision worried it will allow teachers to address more controversial topics, such as sex acts that can serve as alternatives to intercourse.

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