Alaska’s New Sex Ed Law Is Both Ludicrous And Harmful

Just as Alaska’s minors were being granted bodily autonomy by the state’s Supreme Court, its legislature was taking action to reduce access to comprehensive sexual health education under the guise of “a parent’s right to direct the education of a child.”

State Senator Mike Dunleavy of Wasilla introduced an amendment to HB 156, which supposedly empowers local communities and protects students by ensuring that the person administering sex ed classes throughout the state is a certified teacher. What it actually does, however, is kick Planned Parenthood out of the classroom.

Like a lot of state and federal legislators who have trouble passing stand-alone bills (see: North Carolina’s 2013 “Motorcyle Safety Abortion Law”), Dunleavy chose to give new life to his failed Senate Bill 89 as an amendment to a larger piece of legislation. SB 89, which would have prohibited abortion providers from teaching sex ed classes, couldn’t get through the state senate. Similar trouble garnering support in its amendment form led him to water it down to a slightly less obvious iteration: prohibiting anyone who’s not a certified teacher from teaching sex ed — rather than specifically barring abortion providers.

Obviously, this is ridiculous on its face; abortion is part of health care and accredited OBGYNs who are part of our…