Legislators in Olympia Working to Stop Sexual Health Education From Moving Forward

More than 220 Amendments Introduced to Obstruct and Extend the Process to Pass the Bill

OLYMPIA, WA – Today, Planned Parenthood Votes Northwest (PPVNH) issued the following statement after legislators introduced more than 220 amendments to Senate Bill 5395, a bill to ensure age-appropriate, inclusive and medically-accurate sexual health education in Washington state schools.

Statement from Courtney Normand, Washington State Director at PPVNH:

“Right now, we are seeing a contingent of the Republican party do everything it can to keep information from Washington youth. At this time, 221 amendments in total have been introduced, in an effort to obstruct the passage of this bill. These are disingenuous amendments, ranging from ‘no curricula that includes bingo or games’ to ‘exempting parents from certain property taxes, or giving them a voucher if they excuse their child from comprehensive sexual health education’ that have one intent: to stand in the way of progress on a critical issue for our young people. Republicans had more than a year to work on revising the bill, but this is how they decided to ‘work together’ on this issue.

“The reality is, sexual health education is overwhelmingly supported by a bipartisan majority of Washingtonians who want young people to get the information they need — including parents and young people themselves. Sexual health education is essential to young people’s health, relationships, and life goals. Young people deserve to have the information, resources, and skills they need to protect their health and build their future — without shame or judgment.”