The Alabama Senate passed a bill requiring sexual risk avoidance education and prohibiting comprehensive sex education.
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The Alabama Senate approved a bill that would change how sex education is taught in the state’s public schools.
Senate Bill 209, sponsored by Senator Shay Shelnutt, R-Trussville, would prohibit comprehensive sexual education in K–12 public schools and require instruction centered on what the bill calls “sexual risk avoidance.”
The legislation specifies that sexual abstinence must be emphasized as “the only completely effective protection against unwanted pregnancy, sexually transmitted infections, and sexually transmitted diseases.”
The bill would allow schools to provide sex education on pregnancy, adoption, parenting, and abuse prevention, but the curriculum must be “medically accurate” and age-appropriate. It also requires schools to provide parents or guardians with written notice at least 14 days before any sex education or human reproductive instruction is taught. Upon request, schools must make the curriculum available “in its entirety” and allow parents to opt their child out.
Enforcement authority would rest with the Alabama Attorney General. The bill states that “the Attorney General shall have the authority to enforce this section by obtaining injunctive relief to require compliance with this section.”
During the debate, Shelnutt pushed back on criticism that the bill would eliminate sex education in Alabama schools.
“They claim this bill bans sex education. It does not do that,” said Shelnutt. “It just sets clear, health-based standards. Students still receive instruction on pregnancy, parenting, adoption, abuse prevention, relationships, and following state law.”
Shelnutt responded to concerns that the proposal amounted to abstinence-only education.
“SB209 is sexual risk avoidance, not abstinence only. It allows medically accurate discussion of contraceptive failure rates, while making clear contraceptives do not eliminate risk. Abstinence is the only 100% effective prevention, which is medically accurate,” said Shelnutt.
Opponents did not challenge the emphasis on abstinence but questioned whether restricting certain approaches could leave some students without critical information. Senator Linda Coleman-Madison, D-Birmingham, said the legislation would apply statewide and affect families with varying levels of communication at home.
“This is not a bill about your particular case as a parent and your child,” said Coleman-Madison. “This is about a state law that we are passing that’s going to impact all of our public schools and education and the curriculum and programs that we have.”
She also noted that students have access to information through the internet and media, regardless ofthe school curriculum.
“Everything is in their face,” said Coleman-Madison. “Let’s not sell our kids short and think they don’t know. Let’s teach them the difference to be able to think for themselves and have discernment.”
In a post-floor interview, Shelnutt said the bill would stop what he described as including “some inappropriate things being taught to our students that we don’t want taught.”
“What we want to do is educate our young folks to make wise decisions, so that they will make wise decisions, avoid consequences of inappropriate relationships before they’re ready,” said Shelnutt.
Current Alabama law already requires that sexual abstinence be emphasized in sex education courses. SB209 would expand those requirements by formally prohibiting comprehensive sexual education programs and establishing detailed standards for medical accuracy, parental notification, and instruction related to pregnancy, childrearing and state law.
The bill now moves to the Alabama House of Representatives for consideration.