Healthy Youth Act
Full title: An Act relative to healthy youth (H.544 / S.268)
Lead Sponsors: Rep. Jim O’Day and Rep. Vanna Howard; Sen. Sal DiDomenico
Committee: Joint Committee on Education
The Issue
Massachusetts schools currently lack uniform guidelines for teaching sex education, which leaves our young people unprepared for their future relationships and health issues.
Studies routinely show the importance of sex education to increasing the use of birth control, reducing unintended pregnancies, lowering the rate of STIs, reducing bullying for LGBTQ youth, and enhancing students’ overall ability to learn. Over the last decade, MA has seen sharp rises in cases of STIs, and although the teen birth rate is declining, there are stark disparities by race and ethnicity.
Moreover, statistics highlight the strong need for consent education early. Recent studies reflect that approximately 1 in 4 female undergraduate students of residential colleges or universities are sexually assaulted during their undergraduate experience. And more than 4 in 5 LGBTQ youth in MA report learning nothing about LGBTQ topics in sex ed, and LGBTQ youth are disproportionately likely to experience negative outcomes like STIs, sexual violence, and physical dating violence.
The Solution
The Healthy Youth Act would require that school districts that offer sex education provide a curriculum that is age-appropriate, medically accurate, consent-informed, and LGBTQ-inclusive so that all students have the knowledge and tools they need to form healthy relationships.
Contact Your Legislators
Find your legislators’ contact information here.
Massachusetts schools teach a patchwork of Sex Ed curriculum. There are no uniform guidelines, such as medically accurate information, protecting themselves from STIs, being inclusive of LGBTQ youth, and teaching about consent and healthy relationships These programs can contribute to a number of public health problems and leave our young people unprepared for their future relationships and health issues.
This is why it’s time for Massachusetts to pass the Healthy Youth Act (S.268/H.544). This bill would require that school districts that offer sex education provide a curriculum that is age-appropriate, medically accurate, consent-informed, and LGBTQIA-inclusive so that all students have the knowledge and tools they need to form healthy relationships.
[Explain why the bill is important to you]
Can I count on you to co-sponsor and champion this bill?
- The #HeathyYouthAct is a commonsense bill that ensures that students have access to medically accurate, age-appropriate, comprehensive sex ed.
- We need to make sure that students are learning the foundations of healthy relationships. The #HealthyYouthAct can help make that happen.
- Why is the #HealthyYouthAct so important? Because students need the knowledge and tools to ensure healthy relationships.
- The #MeToo movement has put into the spotlight the epidemic of sexual assault. We need to ensure that students are learning about consent early on, and that’s why we need to pass the #HealthyYouthAct this session.
- LGBTQ youth are facing legislative assaults across the country. We need to make sure that they are provided the supports that they need, and the #HealthyYouthAct is a key part of that.
Write a Letter to the Editor
Adapt the template below! Or email us at issues@progressivemass.com for help!
Every young person deserves to know how to stay safe and healthy. Comprehensive sex education makes sure young people have vital information to make healthy decisions, develop strong communication skills, and stay focused on their futures. Teaching young people how to prevent pregnancy and protect themselves from sexually transmitted infections is critically important to their health and the health of our communities, but that is not enough. Truly comprehensive sex education teaches young people about autonomy, respect, consent, and relationships.
The Healthy Youth Act (S.268 / H.544) ensures that any Massachusetts public school choosing to teach sex education teaches a curriculum that is medically accurate, inclusive, and truly comprehensive. Right now, there is no way to guarantee a Massachusetts public school is teaching medically accurate, age appropriate sex education. Under the Healthy Youth Act, young people will be protected from inaccurate and incomplete information taught in abstinence-only programs. This will help counter what they hear from friends, or what they find on the Internet.
[Talk about why the issue is important to you. For examples…]
The #MeToo movement has been a much needed and long overdue wake-up call. We need to do more to educate our young people about consent—why it’s important, what it looks like, how to ask for it. Young people need to know how to talk about sex before they start having sex, so they will be better prepared to build healthy relationships, have respectful and mutually consensual experiences, and navigate difficult situations now and throughout their lives. Teaching all people they have a responsibility to listen to and respect others can address the sexual assault epidemic at its roots and change our culture.
The Healthy Youth Act will make sure sex education is taught in an LGBTQ-inclusive way. That means schools will become safer spaces for LGBTQ students overall. It’s not enough for schools to tolerate LGTBQ students – all students deserve to feel accepted in their school community; by recognizing LGBTQ people, their health, and relationships in a nonjudgmental way, sex education helps ensure LGBTQ youth have the information they need to stay healthy and feel supported. LGBTQ-inclusive lessons foster a safer school environment overall because they push back against stereotypes and harmful beliefs that can lead to bullying. Rates of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) have climbed dramatically over the past decade, and young people bear the brunt of STIs. By expanding access to comprehensive sex education, the Healthy Youth Act can help young people understand how to protect themselves and stop this disturbing public health trend in its tracks.
Read More
- Klufts, Jamie, Brittany Charlton, and Julia Raifman. “New CDC Data Highlights the Importance of Passing the Healthy Youth Act in Massachusetts.” BU School of Public Health. March 23, 2023. https://www.bu.edu/sph/news/articles/2023/new-cdc-data-highlights-the-importance-of-passing-the-healthy-youth-act-in-massachusetts/.
- Massachusetts Department of Public Health, Bureau of Infectious Disease and Laboratory Sciences. 2021 Massachusetts Integrated HIV, STD, and Viral Hepatitis Surveillance Report. Boston: Massachusetts Department of Public Health, 2022. https://www.mass.gov/doc/2021-integrated-hiv-std-and-viral-hepatitis-report-pdf/download.
- Nally, Alex and Amanda Robbins. Campus Safety and Violence Prevention 2022 Annual Report. Boston: Massachusetts Department of Higher Education, 2022. https://www.mass.edu/strategic/documents/2022-11-08%202022%20CSVP%20Annual%20Report%20Launch%20Webinar.pdf.
- For more info on the Healthy Youth Act Coalition, visit https://www.healthyyouthact.org/.
Talking Points & Sample Tweets