Ill. Senate Approves Sex Education Bill

Pat Quinn's office says the governor supports legislation that seeks to modernize how sexual education is taught in Illinois.

The Senate approved the measure on Thursday, sending it to the governor's desk.

The legislation said junior and high schools that offer sex ed courses have to use evidence-based, age-appropriate material that has been approved by the State Board of Education. It must include information on contraception and sexually transmitted diseases.

State Sen. Chapin Rose (R-Mahomet) opposes the change. He said it is not an issue for the government.

"My root problem with all of this is we are inserting ourselves into the conversation, which frankly is far more appropriate between the parent and the child," Rose said.

But Sen. Mattie Hunter (D-Chicago) said the lessons she got in health class as a student helped to dispell false information about sex.

"Becuase you know what happens when you get together withyour friends, the girls get together, the boys get together, and eveyrone professes to be experts, even though we're all children," Hunter said. "And so I would rather receive accurate, education and information in the schools from a professional."

She said teaching students about birth control will help prevent unwanted pregnancies and STDs.

Schools have the option to simply not offer sexual education classes, and parents are free to withdraw their children.