A subcommittee in the State House has approved a new bill that would redefine sex education. The sponsor is a Representative from Nashville.

Jim Gotto proposed the legislation after a different bill, nicknamed “Don’t Say Gay,” was fought to a standstill in the General Assembly.

Gotto’s new sex education bill would spell out what the legislature expects schools to do in teaching a “family life” program that already requires abstinence be the primary goal.

“There are no, practically no guidelines in there that either describe what a family life program should include, nor does it define the terms ‘abstinence’ or any other terms.”

Gotto’s bill even includes a definition for puberty.

The Nashville Republican got unexpected help in the House Education Subcommittee from a Memphis Democrat, John DeBerry.

For years, the inner city minister has taken up the cause out of young-teen girls having babies.

“You got children who are unprepared, untrained, who have not been taught the …ability, the maturity, and the discipline of taking care of their own bodies…”

DeBerry says trying to change that behavior is too important to be a Republican or a Democratic issue.

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Action on the Senate version has been put off until next week in the Senate Education Committee.

The bill, HB 3621 Gotto / SB 3310 Johnson, was amended in the House Education Subcommittee.

The original nine-page bill, before amendment, is here.

The nine-page bill replaces three paragraphs in existing law. Gotto says the proposal puts pertinent laws from four places in the Tennessee law books in one place.

The new bill introduces a new term, “gateway sexual activity,” defined so:

…means sexual contact encouraging an individual to engage in a non-abstinent behavior. A person promotes a gateway sexual activity by encouraging, advocating, urging or condoning gateway sexual activities;

The bill later states that a family life curriculum may not:

…promote, implicitly or explicitly, any gateway sexual activity or health message that encourages students to experiment with non-coital sexual activity.

It bars the distribution of “contraception” on school property.

The bill also defines puberty and lists the changes that indicate the onset of that biological process.

The bill sets up a system whereby a parent can file a complaint against a teacher or instructor hasn’t complied with the provisions of the act.

Sponsor Gotto says the bill is intended to make “organizations,” apparently subcontractors teaching family life, liable. Gotto says it isn’t intended to create a way for parents and guardians to sue teachers who are employees of the local school board.

Religious Lobbying Groups Cheer

Within hours the Family Action of Tennessee, a group headed by former senator David Fowler, sent out an e-mail claiming a victory with the advancement of the bill. Fowler is an influential conservative spokesman and activist. Family Action TN’s full e-mail:

Great News! House Bill 3621 just passed out of the House Education Subcommittee by a vote of 10 to 3.

The bill would make it clear that our schools are to teach abstinence and not promote, encourage, or condone sexual activity among our young people Rep. Jim Gotto, the bill’s sponsor, did a great job presenting the bill and answering a lot of questions from those who opposed the bill.

The bill will now be heard in the full House Education Committee next week. The Senate Education Committee will also hear the bill next week.

Those voting for the bill were Representatives Harry Brooks, Kevin Brooks, Joe Carr, John DeBerry, Bill Dunn, Joey Hensley, Ron Lollar, Debra Maggart, Richard Montgomery, and Joe Pitts.

Those voting no were Representatives Lois DeBerry, Craig Fitzhugh, and Jimmy Naifeh.