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A bill that would allow Louisiana to
survey public school students about their sexual behavior passed the state
House Education Committee on Wednesday. Collecting such data is now against
state law, though it is common elsewhere for public health reasons.
The bill would not alter the current
state law that “students shall not be tested, quizzed or surveyed about their
personal or family beliefs [about] sex, morality or religion.” HB 806, authored
by Rep. Pat Smith (D-Baton Rouge) would add: “However, the Louisiana Department
of Education may survey students about their risk behavior associated with
chronic health conditions including those related to sexual health.”
Parents would be allowed to excuse
their children from participation in such surveys, according to an amendment
Smith later added. It was unclear whether this addressed concerns of the state
Baptist Convention and the Louisiana Family Forum, both of which opposed the
original bill. Representatives from the groups did not speak during the
hearing.
HB 806 now advances to the full
House.
The Friends of AIDS Foundation is
dedicated to enhancing the quality of life for HIV positive individuals and
empowering people to make healthy choices to prevent the spread of the HIV
virus. To learn more about The Friends of AIDS Foundation, please visit: http://www.friendsofaids.org.
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