An “F” is not normally worth celebrating, but that’s exactly what Ohio conservatives are doing after the state received that grade from the Sexuality Information and Education Council of the United States.
John Stover with Ohio Value Voters, Inc., and Aaron Baer with the Center for Christian Virtue are actually thrilled with the rating and disappointed it’s not lower.
“I am disappointed that Ohio did not receive an F minus from the Sexuality Information and Education Council. This organization is a partner with Planned Parenthood, based on its founding over 60 years ago,” Stover told the Daily Signal.
Baer had a similar take. “I’ve never been more proud of getting an F than having SIECUS rate Ohio an F on their sex education report card because SIECUS is quite possibly, one of the most nefarious groups working in education in America today,” he told the Daily Signal.
He called Ohio’s F rating a “badge of honor,” likening it to the Center for Christian Virtue being labeled a hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center in that “it’s a sign we’re doing something right.”
Baer described the Sexuality Information and Education Council as “the primary ideological drivers behind the hyper-sexualization of kids” and “the gender ideology that’s being forced on children” as well as “promoting pro-abortion ideology to kids.”
He too stressed the Planned Parenthood connection, explaining that “Planned Parenthood produces their own curriculum, but they’re very much aligned” and that “SIECUS is kind of the ideological foundation for groups like Planned Parenthood.”
The Sexuality Information and Education Council was founded in 1964 by Dr. Mary S. Calderone, a medical director at Planned Parenthood Federation of America, according to the organization’s website.
Baer specifically mentioned concerns with the state of public schools, warning that respect for the organization is “a sign of the corruption in public schools today.” He also warned about “an ideological takeover of the country,” warning “this is who SIECUS is.”
One doesn’t need to merely take Baer’s word for it, though.
Highlights from the Sexuality Information and Education Council’s own report lament how state laws “create a hostile environment where LGBTQIA+ students are stigmatized and/or excluded from sex education” and “stigmatize abortion in sex ed.”
There’s an added note about “Baby Olivia” laws showing medically accurate fetal development, which the group calls “stigmatizing.” Such a bill has been introduced in the Ohio Legislature.
In addition to Ohio, states earning an “F” include Indiana, Mississippi, Arkansas, South Dakota, Nebraska, Wyoming, Idaho, Utah, and Arizona.
Those states with an “A” rating are dark blue ones with some of the most permissive abortion laws in the world, including Washington, Oregon, California, Illinois, Rhode Island, and New Jersey.
Reporting from Ohio Capital Journal includes handwringing from abortion advocates. “It’s deeply concerning that such an important part of our responsibility to prepare students for life is being so poorly managed,” Abortion Forward Executive Director Kellie Copeland said. “The goal should be to help students be prepared to make decisions about their bodies and their lives, and that’s just not what the Ohio curriculum does at all.”
The Ohio Revised Code stresses abstinence while requiring instruction on sexually transmitted infections. As the Sexuality Information and Education Council has lashed out against when it comes to states promoting adoption over abortion, schools are required to “Emphasize adoption as an option for unintended pregnancies.”
There’s also discussion on consequences of sex outside of marriage, including how students should abstain until after marriage, Instruction is required to “Teach the potential physical, psychological, emotional, and social side effects of participating in sexual activity outside of marriage.”
Ohio Capital Journal also noted that the Ohio Department of Education and Workforce is required to conduct an annual audit to ensure compliance with state law, and that all but two school districts were found to be overall compliance for 2024-2025.
Both Ohio Capital Journal and Baer referenced the success sequence, which passed the Ohio Legislature and just went into effect. It requires schools to teach that graduating high school, getting a job, and getting married in that order before having a baby is the path to success.
The policy areas section on the council’s website suggests further bias.
The LGBTQ+ section insists “that comprehensive sexuality education (CSE) must be affirming and inclusive of diverse sexual orientations, gender identities, and expressions. SIECUS advocates for curricula that reflect the lived experiences of LGBTQIA+ individuals, providing accurate information about sexual health, relationships, and identity development.”
The “Repro” section contains buzzwords like “reproductive anatomy,” “sexual autonomy,” and “reproductive rights.”
The website also blasts sexual risk avoidance education, which the Center for Christian Virtue advocates for, and which Baer made clear is not abstinence-only education. He argued sexual risk avoidance is “the proven standard that actually works to decreasing pregnancy” and “to help students understand healthy sexual behaviors.”
He described this kind of education model as “being honest with children” about “the consequences of sex outside of marriage” and what goes with it. “It’s giving children the true information they need to make healthy decisions,” Baer added. These “honest conversations” also discuss how “unhealthy sexual behaviors” can involve “very real consequences from a health standpoint and a physical and an emotional standpoint.”
Baer further picked at Sexuality Information and Education Council’s model, noting how its problems had to do with “a lot of the different worldviews that they bring to the table.”
This includes beliefs “our sexual identity is core to who we are,” with Baer arguing it’s “a fatalist view of children” to say they are going to have sex. Baer argued for “a fact-forward way” when talking to children about sex and suggested asking children what they want to accomplish in life and how they want to get there, adding, “life is more than who you’re sleeping with.”
The Sexuality Information and Education Council claims sexual risk avoidance training involves “fear-based messaging” and is “ineffective and potentially harmful,” while promoting their own model. “While recognizing the importance of teaching young people about delaying sexual activity and the value of healthy relationships, SIECUS also emphasizes the critical need for comprehensive sexuality education (CSE) that provides accurate information about contraception, sexually transmitted infections (STIs), consent, and LGBTQIA+ inclusivity,” the website reads.
The Sexuality Information and Education Council did not respond to requests for comment from the Daily Signal.
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[ H/T The Daily Signal ]
