Fight for Life in Hamilton County

Schools should reflect the communities they are a part of. Hamilton County, as not only a politically conservative county, but also an area known to be “the buckle of the Bible belt”, has Tennessee state standards written to guide schools to provide instruction that promotes and supports abstinence until marriage. We believe part of teaching children how to have appropriate relationships and boundaries is to “teach students how to form pro-social habits that enable students to develop healthy relationships, create strong marriages, and form safe and stable future families” (T.C.A. 49-6-1304).

Research on teen pregnancies throughout our state show that numbers are continuing to drop. According to PowertoDecide.org, a nonprofit that helps prevent unplanned pregnancies, the teen birth rate in Tennessee declined 68% between 1991 and 2019. In 2019, there were 4,918 births to teens. Most teen births in Tennessee (76%) are to older teens (age 18-19). The teen pregnancy rate, which includes all pregnancies rather than just those that resulted in a birth, has also fallen steeply, by 56% between 1988 and 2013 (the most recent data available). As of 2013 there were 10,060 pregnancies among teens age 15 to 19 in Tennessee. In Hamilton County, teen birth rates have also dropped across all racial groups. In 2016, there were 23 births for every 1,000 females ages 15 to 19, or 253 births to females in this age group. By comparison, the teen birth rate in 2010 was 35.3 per 1,000 in 2010 (407 births), a 34% decline. We are seeing numbers steadily declining, which would point to a success in the current Family Life curriculum.

Planned Parenthood has hired a Health Educator, whose job summary is to “Conduct educational programs and related activities, designed to provide PPTNM (Planned Parenthood of Tennessee and North Mississippi) service area with age-appropriate reproductive and sexual health information and skills while working to reduce cultural and communication barriers to accessing comprehensive sexuality education services and reproductive health services''. One of their job responsibilities will be to “Assess the suitability and develop a sustainable Peer Education program for High School youth in Chattanooga.” According to the National Sex Education Standards that Planned Parenthood uses for their programs, children in grades 11 and 12 will be asked to “describe the potential impacts of power and privilege within romantic or sexual relationship (e.g. age, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, socio-economic status, immigration status, ability)”. Not only is this a direct implication of Critical Theory and Intersectionality, but it also puts teenagers at risk of playing into the supposed power struggles and assigning roles in a relationship of an oppressor and a victim, only increasing the chances of emotional and sexual abuse. These terms, such as gender identity, are defined by children before they finish 2nd grade. According to the National Sex Education Standards, by the end of 2nd grade, children will be able to “define gender, gender identity, and gender-role stereotypes.” They will also be able to “define reproduction and explain that ALL living things may have the capacity to reproduce”. Students between 3rd and 5th grades will be able to “explain common human sexual development and the role of hormones (e.g., romantic and sexual feelings, masturbation, mood swings, timing of pubertal onset).” Once they enter high school, students in 9th and 10th grades will “demonstrate the steps to using barrier methods correctly (e.g., external and internal condoms, dental dams)”.

As tax-payers, we are asking you, Dr. Johnson and members of the Hamilton County School Board, to not allow Planned Parenthood to have any direct or indirect influence on the curriculum used by Hamilton County Schools. Teachers and guidance counselors are already impacting our students, it is evident in the recent statistics of a decrease in teenage pregnancy. We want to maintain our conservative values and continue to put the emphasis on families, to educate their children in sexual health and allow parents to make the decisions for when it is time to have the more detailed conversations regarding gender and sexuality at home.