MAP Advocate
AIDS Advocacy Update
Vol. 9 No. 7
March 21, 2003
Your AIDS Advocacy Update
Vol. 9 No. 7 - March 20, 2003
Miss Something in the Last MAP Advocate? It's Still Here:
The message is simple. Let them know you are concerned about policies - such as abstinence-only-until-marriage education or repeal of GLBT human rights protections, and budget cuts that will weaken our efforts to prevent HIV and STD infections and care for those who are ill.
Yup. It's as simple as that. But, now is the time to make the contact. The work is heating up. Deadlines are looming. Decisions are starting to be made. Next week may be too late.
Need help reaching your legislator, click here and we can help you find your legislator.
The Senate Judiciary Committee will hold a hearing on Friday, March 21 at 1 p.m. on SF545, a bill to repeal sexual orientation provisions in the human rights act. This bill was introduced by Sen. Jungbauer [R-New Bethel] and is the companion to HF341 introduced by Rep. Arlon Lindner [R-Corcoran].
Click here for more information, but here's something to watch for: the backers of this bill are telling us and the media things like "we support human rights" but "that bill just goes way too far." They are saying, "we're just concerned about pushing the homosexual agenda and teaching homosexuality in the schools."
Yep. The line of attack on GLBT rights is shifting to the schools and the target is to impose abstinence-only-until-marriage curriculum mandates on all schools. And don't be surprised if they come up with an amendment to the Jungbauer bill that simply permits discrimination in education.
MAP Executive Director, Lorraine Teel, will testify at the hearing in opposition to the Jungbauer bill.
The Senate Education Policy Committee voted on Tuesday, March 25 to approve
SF851
authored by Sen. Mee Moua (DFL-St. Paul), a bill to ensure young people
in Minnesota's schools have access to comprehensive sexual health education.
Voting in support of the bill was Sen. Steve Kelley (DFL-Hopkins), Sen. Sandy Pappas (DFL-St. Paul), Sen. Rod Skoe (DFL-Clearbrook), Sen. Bob Kierlin (R-Winona), Sen. Jane Ranum (DFL-Minneapolis) and Sen. David Tomassoni (DFL-Chisolm).
Voting in opposition was Sen. Michelle Bachman (R-Stilwater), Sen. Geoff Michel (R-Edina) and Sen. Gen Olson (R-Minnetrista). The committee also rejected a bill offered by Sen. Betsy Wergin (R-Princeton) that would have required schools to offer an abstinence-only until marriage curriculum.
There's been a lot in the papers over the past week or so about sex education. Visit click here to see what the press has had to say. We can also give you an idea or two about crafting a letter to the editor!
Erickson and the bill's supporters represented the bill as simply requiring school districts to place a greater emphasis on "abstinence-until-marriage/risk avoidance curriculum," but they could not really address the bill's practical implications. To do what the bill calls for, school districts will either have to offer dual track classes or teach two, separated units of sexual health - one comprehensive and one abstinence until marriage.
This can be costly for school districts and Rep. Lyndon Carlson [DFL-Robbinsdale] asked the group to refer the bill to another committee where the costs could be studied but his request was turned down on a party-line vote. Rep. Ron Latz [DFL- St. Louis Park] also tried to get the bill's author to clarify the practical implications of the bill and to define what "risk avoidance curriculum" was, but could not get answers.
MAP opposed the bill citing it as an effort to replace science and research-based public health with ideology, and wasteful and harmful because the curriculum has never been proved to work.
Click here to get MAP's take on this bill.
There was plenty of news coverage on this one. Click here for articles on our Web site.
Another publication has joined in the call to eliminate government funding for the Minnesota AIDS Project. The Minnesota Christian Chronicle's March 20 issue features a story about the Minnesota Family Council's efforts to strip MAP of funding by stating MAP has an extremist "pro-gay agenda" and attacking prevention efforts that focus on safer sex rather than abstinence. A similar article appeared in MFC's pro-family news.
In a recent debate in the House Education Committee, Rep. Mark Olson (R-Big Lake) attacked comprehensive sexual health education programs for their role in undermining a young woman's modesty, stating that once a girl loses her modesty, it is a gateway for sexual experimentation.
The Minnesota Women's Press did a follow-up with Rep. Olson and his comments were the focus of a recent article, which will be available on their Web site Friday, March 28 at http://www.womenspress.com/index.html.
The request for $350,000 over the next two years (HF715)
was introduced in the House by Rep. Mindy Greiling (DFL-Roseville) and
will be introduced in the Senate on March 13 by Sen. Steve Kelley (DFL-Hopkins).
The regional training sites are located in Brainerd, Grand Rapids, Park
Rapids, Winona and Hopkins. They offer training and assistance to surrounding
school districts and have become integral partners in providing HIV/STD
general awareness and prevention services throughout the state.
A copy of the bill and more is available by clicking here.
Started at the end of 2001, the bill will continue funding through the Department of Economic Security (DES) at the level of $75,000 for two more years. DES contracted with Minnesota AIDS Project to provide the service.
MAP also secured assistance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and will be launching the new Wise @ Work service in April. The service aims to reduce workplace discrimination and disruptions in productive, and to reach families with general information about HIV prevention and care.
Contact Doug Flateau, MAP workplace services representative for more information at wiseatwork@mnaidsproject.org, 612-341-2060 or 800-248-2437.
A copy of the bill and more is available by clicking here.
The brochure is one of over three-dozen produced by ETR Associates - one of the nation's most respected providers of health promotion materials, and distributed by request to Map's clients and through the MAP AIDSLine. The brochure in question is called "5 Smart Steps to Condoms." It is distributed to sexually active adults and specifically addresses strategies for incorporating condom use into sexual patterns. It doesn't address everything about HIV, STDs, abstinence, safer sex or condom use that is part of the Family Council's basis for complaint. We have other brochures to do that. This brochure addresses one thing and only for certain people-those who are sexually active adults.
All materials distributed through services funded by the Minnesota Department of Health, and the MAP AIDSLine is one of those services, must be submitted to the state to be reviewed for accuracy and appropriateness for the intended audience. This brochure went through that process.
Cutting to the chase, the Family Council's attack is yet another example of misrepresenting the facts in an effort to replace what works - scientific and research-based public health, with ideology-based public health that has never been proven to work.
HF352 and SF570 would essentially require frightened teens who might want screening for HIV or STDs or have questions about pregnancy or substance abuse to show up with a permission slip from their parents before they can receive health care services. The bill prohibits schools from providing any such services - i.e., no condoms available through school-based health services - and repeals the state's minors' consent law.
It also prohibits minors who are mothers from consenting to health services for themselves or their child without asking their parents - unless they are married. According to the American Medical Association (AMA), confidential health services for adolescents have become increasingly important as the severity and prevalence of adolescent health problems have increased over the past two decades.
The good news is, according to AMA's Council on Scientific Affairs, most adolescents (55 percent) discuss their use of reproductive health services with their parents, and a greater number of adolescents involve their parents in the event of an unplanned pregnancy. The bad news: AMA reported 25 percent of teens would not seek medical care if it meant their parents finding out they are sexually active.
Click here to learn more and to read these bills.
If you have a comment or wish to unsubscribe to the MAP Advocate e-mail list service, please contact MAP Public Policy by phone or e-mail.
MAP Public Policy
Minnesota AIDS Project
1400 Park Avenue
Minneapolis, MN 55404
612-341-2060
800-373-2437
communityaffairs@mnaidsproject.org
Mission & Values | Executive Director | Board of Directors | Annual Report | Publications | Calendar of Events | Employment | Contact Us
Last Updated:
Friday, March 30, 2007
[an error occurred while processing this directive]