They call this sex education?
1990Shirley Pasholk 1990-10Read it in the scan (PDF at ETOL), page 4 →
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4 SOCIALIST ACTION OCTOBER 1990 CLEVELAND-For two years, sixth, seventh, and eighth graders in Zanesville, Ohio, have been subjected to a propaganda barrage titled, "Responsible Sexual Values Program."
Lace Lynch, vice president of Zanesville NOW, told Socialist Action that the program is sponsored by the Zanesville YWCA and funded by United Way contributions. It was written by April Thoms from the Pregnancy Crisis Center, a bogus abortion clinic in Columbus, Ohio. Attendance is required unless students bring a note from their parents requesting that they not attend.
Three 45-minute classes are taught by registered nurses from a Zanesville hospital. Lynch pointed out that these "teachers" are all members of Right to Life. The hospital pays their salaries.
Lynch described the content of these classes, which purport to encourage students to abstain from sex and to promote "self-esteem" among teens. Students are told virginity is a gift and if they have sex as teenagers, the ghost of their sexual past will be with them their entire lives.
A film is shown that refers to the fetus as a baby and points to its ability to perform "gymnastics." A plastic embryo is passed around the classroom to show students the "baby."
A nurse brought her own baby to one class, saying the child was living proof that birth control doesn't work. She and her husband were using birth control when the baby was conceived, she told the students.
Lynch said that the school superintendent approved this curriculum after viewing selected parts and being assured that it is sponsored by the Ohio Department of Health. A spokesperson for the Health Department, however, responded to a NOW inquiry by explaining that they had been approached for sponsorship but declined to do so after viewing the program.
The Zanesville Y WCA defends the program because it allows them to show they are using United Way money to reach out to a large number of school children. Efforts by NOW members to explain the inappropriateness of the program have been dismissed as "just a couple of NOW mem-