A Gilbert, Arizona, school board has voted to remove two pages from a biology book that talks about contraception, citing a state law that gives preference to
childbirth and adoption over abortion, The Arizona Republic reported.
A faith-based organization brought text from “Campbell Biology: Concepts and Connections” to the attention of Gilbert schools Superintendent Christina Kishimoto in August, focusing on a two-page section titled “Contraception can prevent unwanted pregnancy."
The text said abstinence is the only fail-safe birth control, but also listed the morning-after pill in its contraception options.
The governing board decided that the pages should be removed, pointing to a 2-year-old state law that said schools can’t make presentations or use materials “that does not give preference, encouragement and support to childbirth and adoption as preferred options to elective abortion,” the Republic said.
The board made the ruling despite an opinion by the Arizona Department of Education that the textbook didn’t violate the law, and the board’s attorney concurred, the Republic said. The board vote was 3-2 to remove the section.
Gilbert Public Schools covers 39,000 students in Chandler and Mesa areas.
In an opinion article, the Republic said that all the board had done “is assure that every high school kid in the district will know all about the subjects of contraception and abortion. This probably would not have happened if the book had been left alone, knowing the attention span of most teens, and how easily they are bored.”
Chris Kotterman, the ADE deputy associate superintendent for policy development and government relations,
told USA Today that he looked at the book and the text in question and it "does not appear on its face to violate the statute."
"In general, the mere mention of a means of medically inducing abortion does not automatically signal a lack of preference for childbirth and adoption ... the responsibility lies with the teacher to provide context for the student," he told USA Today.
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