The Gilbert Public School District in Phoenix, Arizona, is under fire for inserting a message in its biology textbooks stating that they support abstinence as well as adoption instead of abortion, the Washington Times reports.
Area mother Suzanne Young first took to Twitter to share the sticker:
The Gilbert Public School District supports the state of Arizona’s strong interest in promoting childbirth and adoption over elective abortion. The District is also in support of promoting abstinence as the most effective way to eliminate the potential for unwanted pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases. If you have questions concerning sexual intercourse, contraception, pregnancy, adoption, or abortion, we encourage you to speak with your parents.
According to the Blaze, Young objects that the district took an “educational text and used it to teach morality.” She further tweeted, “I don’t care what your religion is or if you think abstinence education works, that sticker crosses the line for public school,” “I wonder how the girls felt about it in class. I would have refused,” and “It’s SCIENCE! According to the majority religion in your area.”
The bottom of the sticker lists a state law requiring public schools to “present childbirth and adoption as preferred options to elective abortion.” GPS spokeswoman Irene Mahoney-Paige stated the sticker was necessary to comply with the law.
GPS Superintendent Christina Kishimoto also released a statement declaring “full confidence in” the “way our teachers instruct,” and declaring that the administration is “pleased with the collaboration and completion of this matter.”
Last year, AZ Central reported that the GPS School Board voted to edit a high-school biology book for references to abortion and abstinence deemed not in compliance with the law.
Maya Dusenbery, Executive Director of the pro-abortion Feministing, declared that the district “believe[s] in withholding information on how to prevent unintended pregnancies from you.” However, Live Action News has previously reported that numerous studies indicate that abstinence education is effective.
