Title: Supporting the goals and ideals of the month of May as Sex Ed For All Month: Equity and Access for All.
Policy area: Health

Summary:
This resolution expresses support for the goals and ideals of Sex Ed For All Month.

[Congressional Bills 117th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 375 Introduced in House (IH)]

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117th CONGRESS
  1st Session
H. RES. 375

 Supporting the goals and ideals of the month of May as Sex Ed For All 
                   Month: Equity and Access for All.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                              May 7, 2021

Ms. Jayapal (for herself, Mr. Carson, Ms. Lee of California, Mr. Pocan, 
 Ms. Norton, Mr. Cohen, Mr. Takano, Mr. Blumenauer, Mr. Grijalva, Mr. 
    Cardenas, Mr. Smith of Washington, Mr. Jones, Ms. Pressley, Ms. 
   Williams of Georgia, Ms. Adams, and Ms. Schakowsky) submitted the 
following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Education 
and Labor, and in addition to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, for 
a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for 
consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the 
                          committee concerned

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
 Supporting the goals and ideals of the month of May as Sex Ed For All 
                   Month: Equity and Access for All.

Whereas Sex Ed For All Month is a nationwide observance that calls on people to 
        take action to invest so as to ensure all young people have access to 
        inclusive and honest sex education;
Whereas young people face vast systemic inequities and structural barriers to 
        ensuring their lifelong health;
Whereas racial disparities persist in young people's sexual health, highlighting 
        ongoing social inequities in access to sex education as well as sexual 
        health services;
Whereas access to quality information and education about young people's sexual 
        health is a critical step toward addressing disparities caused by 
        structural barriers;
Whereas despite historic declines, the United States has the highest rate of 
        unintended teen pregnancy among comparable countries and limited 
        resources available for young parents;
Whereas young people aged 15 through 25 contract half of the 19 million sexually 
        transmitted infections each year, despite making up only a quarter of 
        the sexually active population;
Whereas young people under the age of 25 accounted for 1 in 5 new HIV 
        transmissions;
Whereas three-quarters of LGBT students report harassment, 56 percent report 
        feeling unsafe, and nearly a third skipped at least one day of school in 
        the month prior to reporting due to concerns for their safety;
Whereas approximately 1 in 3 young women in the United States experiences 
        physical, emotional, or verbal abuse from a dating partner;
Whereas sex education that includes information beyond abstinence has been found 
        to delay sexual intercourse, increase condom or contraceptive use, 
        reduce the number of partners among young people, and decrease physical 
        aggression with intimate partners;
Whereas young people who received sex education are 50 percent less likely to 
        experience an unintended pregnancy, 31 percent less likely to contract a 
        sexually transmitted infection, and more likely to delay sexual activity 
        and use contraception upon becoming sexually active;
Whereas sex education provides information about the prevention, treatment, and 
        care of pregnancy, sexually transmitted infections, and interpersonal 
        violence; the importance of consent as a basis for healthy relationships 
        and for autonomy in health care; sexual orientation, gender roles, and 
        gender discrimination; and the historical and current conditions in 
        which education and health systems, policies, programs, services, and 
        practices have uniquely adversely impacted Black, indigenous, Latinx, 
        Asian, Asian American and Pacific Islander, and other people of color;
Whereas sex education promotes gender equity, and is inclusive of young people 
        with varying gender identities, gender expressions, and sexual 
        orientations; safe and healthy relationships; and racial equity ensuring 
        responsiveness to the needs of young people who are Black, indigenous, 
        and other people of color;
Whereas sex education promotes and upholds the rights of young people to 
        information that empowers them to make decisions about their bodies, 
        health, sexuality, families, and communities in all areas of life; and
Whereas May of each year is now recognized as Sex Ed For All Month: Now, 
        therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
            (1) supports the goals and ideals of Sex Ed For All Month;
            (2) calls on all public and elected officials to advocate 
        for and invest in sex education legislation;
            (3) encourages State and local governments, including their 
        public health agencies, education agencies, schools, and media 
        organizations to recognize and support Sex Ed For All Month;
            (4) commends the work of community and faith-based 
        organizations, State education agencies, local education 
        agencies, and health centers that are providing sex education 
        to young people;
            (5) prioritizes sex education programs that are evidence-
        informed, comprehensive in scope, confidential, equitable, 
        accessible, medically accurate and complete, age and 
        developmentally appropriate, culturally responsive, trauma-
        informed, and resilience-oriented;
            (6) discourages health education programs that withhold 
        health-promoting or life-saving information about sexuality-
        related topics, including HIV; are medically inaccurate or 
        incomplete; promote gender or racial stereotypes or are 
        unresponsive to gender or racial inequities; fail to address 
        the needs of sexually active young people, pregnant or 
        parenting young people, survivors of interpersonal violence, or 
        youth of all physical, developmental, or mental abilities; fail 
        to be inclusive of individuals with varying gender identities, 
        gender expressions, and sexual orientations; or are 
        inconsistent with the ethical imperatives of medicine and 
        public health;
            (7) recommends implementation of sex education in schools 
        and continued professional development for educators and 
        administrative staff that work with young people; and
            (8) calls for all youth-serving professionals, educators, 
        and decisionmakers who impact the lives of youth to take action 
        to ensure access to inclusive and honest sex education for all 
        young people.
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