Credit Chas Sisk / WPLN
A bill that would reinforce the state’s abstinence-focused curriculum in schools is heading to Gov. Bill Lee’s desk for his signature. But its sponsors backed away from a provision that would have required parents to give permission before students’ could accept contraceptives in schools.
Sponsored by Republican Sen. Janice Bowling of Tullahoma and Republican Rep. John Ragan of Oak Ridge, Senate Bill 1392/House Bill 577 aligns with what is already the practice in Tennessee schools: It requires schools to state that while contraceptives may prevent pregnancy or sexually transmitted diseases, only abstinence eliminates the risk entirely.