Republican Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey vetoed legislation that would have required parents of school children to opt in to sex education lessons addressing gay and transgender issues, taking executive action instead.
Ducey called the bill “overly broad” on Tuesday, saying it could leave vulnerable children at risk of losing important child abuse prevention education if misinterpreted by schools. In lieu of the bill, the governor issued an executive order titled “Ensuring Parents’ Rights Are Protected,” which he said goes further than the original legislation. The order requires schools to post sex education curriculum online so that parents may review what their children will be taught before opting in.
In a veto letter to Arizona Senate President Karen Fann, Ducey wrote that while he is “proud” that Arizona is one of five states already with a general opt-in requirement for parents of school children, “The language of the bill is overly broad and vague and could lead to serious consequences, including the very real possibility that it could be misinterpreted by schools and result in standing in the way of important child abuse prevention education in the early grades for at risk and vulnerable children.”
BILL REQUIRING SEX EDUCATION TO BEGIN WITH KINDERGARTEN TO BE FILED IN ILLINOIS LEGISLATURE
Had the bill been signed into law, Arizona would have required parents to opt in for sex education lessons addressing HIV and AIDS within the context of discussions about sexual orientation or gender identity. It also would have added a parental assent requirement to non-sex education lessons that discuss things gay and transgender adjacent. The proposal also banned sex education classes before fifth grade.
Prior to the veto, the bill was passed through Arizona’s Republican-led Legislature without Democratic support.
“It is a repressive bill that threatens to take us back before the 1950s,” Democratic state Sen. Victoria Steele said of the measure.
Republican State Sen. Nancy Barto, the chief sponsor of the bill, argued in support during a hearing in the Senate Education Committee on Feb. 16, saying, “Parents shouldn’t have to worry about what schools are teaching their children about human sexuality and gender identity.”
In a statement provided to the Washington Examiner, Barto said Ducey “undermined parents’ rights” by vetoing her bill, adding, “An executive order is no substitute for parental rights grounded in law.”
Today I issued an Executive Order requiring all sex education materials to be posted online for parents to review. Read more on today’s actions here: https://t.co/cIrTB2U4Mw
— Doug Ducey (@dougducey) April 20, 2021
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
Other states have worked on similar measures relating to sex education and parental assent in their 2021 sessions. The Republican-led legislature in Tennessee passed a bill on April 14 allowing parents to waive gay and transgender lessons for their children. Legislators in Missouri have taken up a similar measure.
