A bill requiring school programs on sex, drug use or other risky behavior to emphasize "risk avoidance" rather than "risk reduction" cleared a House committee in a divided voice vote Thursday.
House Bill 1621, sponsored by Rep. Jim Dotson, R-Bentonville, would require the avoidance strategy -- such as abstaining from sex outside of a long-term, committed relationship -- to be used before other strategies, such as using birth control, are discussed.
Elizabeth Bryant, director of Rogers-based Reality Check, which offers abstinence-focused sex education programs, told the House Committee on Public Health, Welfare and Labor that some programs by other organizations have a different focus.
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"There are other programs through the state that will come in and tell your 10-year-old child not only that they need to use a condom and be sexually active, but they will also tell them about sexual fantasy, mutual masturbation and things like that," Bryant said.
Stephanie Williams, the state Department of Health's deputy director for programs, said after the meeting that the department distributes about $1 million a year in federal funding to programs such as Reality Check and that they all focus on risk avoidance.
None of the programs covers sexual fantasy or mutual masturbation or encourages students to be sexually active, she said.
HB1621 next goes to the full House.
-- Andy Davis