Georgia lawmaker files bill to add consent to sex education
Georgia lawmaker files bill to add consent to sex education
Every 68 seconds an American is sexually assaulted and every 9 minutes that victim is a child, according to the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network. Speaking on the floor of the House of Representatives, State Rep. Dr. Jasmine Clark, D-Lilburn, cited that data for her colleagues.
ATLANTA - Every 68 seconds an American is sexually assaulted and every 9 minutes that victim is a child, according to the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network.
Speaking on the floor of the House of Representatives, State Rep. Dr. Jasmine Clark, D-Lilburn, cited that data for her colleagues.
"This gut-wrenching statistic [...] is one that we should never, ever feel comfortable within our society," said Rep. Clark.
In order to address the problem, Rep. Clark pre-filed legislation ahead of the 2022 legislative session to add instruction concerning consent to Georgia's sexual education curriculum.
"This will actually protect people from sexual assault. This will actually let people know what is sexual assault. This will actually let people know what is sexual assault so they don't perpetuate it or they know if they've been a victim of it," said Rep. Clark. "'Cause the truth is, especially across college campuses and in adulthood, even in our high schools and middle schools, we have students that are still not necessarily clear on what is and what is not consent and this is something that we can teach them."
Rep. Clark said she pre-filed the legislation so that she could start having conversations with her colleagues about the importance of the measure.
"Any time we talk about sex education here in the Capitol, there is always the potential for pushback. But I hope people can see past the partisanship. I hope that people can see past the, you know, ideological divides that we have and see that this is about protecting all children--the children of Democrats and the children of Republicans and people who don't identify with either party. This is not about politics. This transcends politics. It's about children," Rep. Clark explained.
If lawmakers approve the bill, it would require the State Board of Education to develop a curriculum by August 1, 2022. Local school systems would then have to start teaching the material in 2023.
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