Controversy both locally and nationally following the Utah legislature pushing through a abstinence-only sex-education bill has Gayle Ruzicka's right-wing lobby group The Eagle Forum concerned that Gov. Gary Herbert might buckle before the tide.---
An e-mail went out today encouraging Eagle Forum supporters to phone or e-mail the Guv to not veto HB363, which would allow schools to drop sex ed and also ban discussion of using contraception.
The forum seems particularly concerned that the "homosexual community" is in support of a petition urging Herbert to veto the bill, and that some signatures on the petition may be fake; the e-mail cites three out of thousands that apparently belonged to Daffy Duck, Goofy and Porky Pig.
Here is the text of the phone-tree call to arms:
Utah Eagle Forum
URGENT PHONE CALLS
TO GOVERNOR NEEDED
801-538-1000
Governor Herbert is getting a lot of pressure from people asking him to VETO HB-363 Health Education Amendments!
He is getting calls and e-mails from Planned Parenthood and Homosexual Rights Groups AS WELL AS MEDIA ATTENTION OF A BOGUS ON-LINE PETITION (see info below)
This
is the Health Education bill that passed both houses of the Utah
Legislature with solid support. It changes our law so that we will be
teaching HUMAN SEXUALITY with instruction on human reproduction,
reproductive anatomy, reproductive physiology, marriage, child birth,
parenthood, abstinence before marriage and fidelity afterwards. The
bill provides for the teaching of all of these things - the only thing
not included in the language of the bill is contraception (which should
not be taught in the classroom!)
Teachers
can give instruction on how to nurture healthy relationships and
commitment. It gives local control to districts by allowing them to opt
out of sex-ed instruction all together.
Additional teaching on the subject will be left up to parents, as it should be,
where they can teach it on the foundation of their own moral or
religious belief system, instead of in our schools where discussion of
god, religion and morals IS NOT ALLOWED!
IT
INCLUDES A PROVISION TO PROVIDE INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIALS TO PARENTS WHO
FEEL THEY NEED IT, and parents can always use the resources available to
all through Planned Parenthood if they wish! In fact, parents can
guide their children to Planned Parenthood's TEEN TALK web-site where
they can get all the comprehensive sex education information they want
-- including graphic information on all types of sexual practices with
pictures and all! In fact, Comprehensive Sex Ed is also available
through the Utah Department of Health thanks to Federal Grants (See link
to SL Tribune article here: http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/news/53504684-78/health-education-sex-department.html.csp).
Parents can find comprehensive sex education resources everywhere, but
our children's schools are not the appropriate place for it!
The BOGUS petition is on a site called signon.org. They are an extension of MOVEON.ORG which is the ultra-liberal, George Soros funded site that got Obama elected in 2008!
The reason we say it is a BOGUS PETITION, is because the petition will accept ANY NAME, REAL OR FICTITIOUS!
A person can sit on a computer all day long and make up names and
e-mail addresses and inflate the numbers of total signatures into the
thousands. IT IS PROBABLE THAT
MOST OF THE NAMES ARE NOT REAL PEOPLE (in fact, Porky Pig is signatory
#25452, Daffy Duck #25486, and Goofy #27262)
BUT,
all the media outlets have picked up on the story that this petition
has generated thousands of signatures in just a few days. We have to let the Governor know that he has OVERWHELMING SUPPORT to sign HB-363!
CALL THE GOVERNOR TODAY! 801-538-1000
E-MAIL HIM TODAY! - constituentservices@utah.gov
CALL NEIGHBORS, FRIENDS AND FAMILY - GET THEM TO CALL ALSO!
THE GOVERNOR NEEDS TO HEAR FROM ALL OF US!!
There
has been a lot of anger (mostly from the homosexual community) over
language that prohibits the advocacy of the intricacies of intercourse,
sexual stimulation, or erotic behavior; homosexuality; the use of
contraceptive methods or devices; or sexual activity outside of
marriage.
But
that is the CURRENT LANGUAGE OF OUR LAW and has been the language for
over 15 years. We are sure the parents of Utah would not want the
schools teaching and advocating any of these things! But the people
behind this petition certainly do. Unfortunately, the people signing
the petition have been mis-informed about what the bill does and what
the law is currently, including being told that this is all new
language.
For more information contact:
Gayle Ruzicka
801-756-2499
801-756-8077