Textbook Sticker Addresses Sex And Anti-Abortion, Sparks Controversy As Outrage Ensues
One Arizona mother is outraged right now and it’s all because of a controversial sticker that she discovered inside her son’s biology textbook. Although class discussions about the process of reproduction are relatively common topics of study for middle and high school students, Suzanne Young definitely wasn’t pleased with the mandatory sticker her 14-year-old son found inside of his Campbell Biology: Concepts & Connections (Seventh Edition) textbook.
According to KPHO, the seventh edition of the textbook includes a revised chapter that “discusses abstinence, birth-control methods, tubal ligations and vasectomies, and drugs that can induce abortion.” For this reason, the Gilbert Public School District, with the support of a conservative religious group, reportedly voted to include a disclaimer regarding anti-abortion.
The sticker reads as follows.
“The Gilbert Public School District supports the state of Arizona’s strong interest in promoting childbirth and adoption over elective abortion. The District is also in support of promoting abstinence as the most effective way to eliminate the potential for unwanted pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases. If you have questions concerning sexual intercourse, contraceptives, pregnancy, adoption or abortion, we encourage you to speak with your parents.”
The textbook sticker also echoes the views of Arizona’s state laws regarding the promotion of childbirth over anti-abortion.
“In view of the state’s strong interest in promoting childbirth and adoption over elective abortion, no school district or charter school in this state may allow any presentation during instructional time or furnish any materials to pupils as part of any instruction that does not give preference, encouragement and support to childbirth and adoption as preferred options to elective abortion.”
Needless to say, Young was outraged. The frustrated mother, who is also a New York Times best-selling author widely known for authoring young adult novels, reportedly took to Twitter to share her opinion of the controversial sticker. Young feels the sticker is highly “inappropriate and misleading” and that the school has crossed the line, reports Huffington Post.
Son got in the car, turned to me and handed me his biology book. "You're going to want to read this," he said, pointing to the sticker
— Suzanne Young (@suzanne_young) August 19, 2015
It's SCIENCE! According to the majority religion in your area.
— Suzanne Young (@suzanne_young) August 19, 2015
I wonder how the girls felt about it in class. I would have refused.
— Suzanne Young (@suzanne_young) August 19, 2015
It's SCIENCE! According to the majority religion in your area.
— Suzanne Young (@suzanne_young) August 19, 2015
It definitely didn’t take long for Young’s rant to catch the attention of an overwhelming number of social media users, which is why the textbook sticker photo has gone viral. During an interview with Buzzfeed, Young reiterated her sentiments about the school district’s perspective.
“The public school district has taken an educational text and used it to teach morality,” Young said. “It assumes that all students have supportive parents to talk to and shuts down further discussion. It shames and isolates girls before supplying them with information and biological facts.”
However, Superintendent Dr. Christina M. Kishimoto has also defended the school district’s decision to include the sticker in the textbook. She recently released a statement addressing the situation during an interview with Cosmopolitan.
“I worked closely with the Governing Board to provide a solution to last year’s matter regarding the District’s biology books,” her statement read. “The board and I have full confidence in our teachers and because we trust the way our teachers instruct, we agreed that the stickers on the back cover are the best course of action. We are pleased with the collaboration and completion of this matter.”
[Image via KPHO Screen Capture]
