Gaining Support
Gaining Public Support:
A high level of public support is necessary for our policy to be passed because sex education is often a controversial topic, and people are very sensitive to issues that concern education and possibly changing the curriculum. For lawmakers to vote in favor of our proposal, they must see that their constituents support the plan. Accordingly, we will also need to influence those who are more conservative and oppose comprehensive sex education, so they see why it’s important to improve what is taught in schools.
We think that one of the ways to gain public support is by allotting some of the money derived from our excise tax into a separate grant that the states would receive upon accepting the curriculum. We would give money to implement the curriculum but also to amend infrastructure around the state, to provide another incentive to take the money. Because we are allotting the money based on population of a state, we anticipate that some states need more money for infrastructure and/or implementing the curriculum. To amend that, If states need more money, they can apply for additional money to the federal government in order to receive the money they need.
Other groups that need to be influenced would be school districts and school boards, as they would have the power to expand upon the guidelines. Each district would have the freedom to present the required information however they please, so long as it is appropriate, unbiased, and medically accurate.
Generally, conservative lawmakers tend to be more opposed to comprehensive sex education than liberal policymakers. Thus, convincing right-leaning politicians to support our plan will be more of a challenge. One way to get conservative policymakers on board is to explain the effect of comprehensive sex education on abortion rates. If teenagers are given information about how to prevent pregnancy, logically, abortion rates will decrease, as they will be armed with the knowledge to ensure they do not experience an unwanted pregnancy.
Religious, specifically Christian, Americans also tend to resist comprehensive sex education. We plan to reassure them that we have no intention of stripping their religion from them. We are not trying to change their religious opinions, but rather prevent their religious opinions from influencing public policy. We support their first amendment right to freely practice religion, and we want to reiterate that if they fundamentally disagree with comprehensive sex education, they have the option to opt out of the lessons. This should remain a personal decision that each individual can make.
Also, if we prove that their constituents care about this topic, which they do (A Planned Parenthood Federation of America poll found 98% of voters support sex education in high school), they will be more likely to vote to approve this budget amendment. For them to understand this level of support, we will encourage people to contact their representatives and communicate their need for comprehensive sex education in their state.
Ideally, we could foster the environment for a grassroots movement to take place, with people lobbying for improved sex education in their area. We want lawmakers to see that this is personal, and their decision to vote for or against comprehensive sex education impact the way that teenagers grow into adults.
Potential supporters of the cause:
ACLU (American Civil Liberties Union)
National Coalition for Sexual Health
Advocates For Youth
American Sexual Health Organization
Woodhull Freedom Foundation
SIECUS (The Sexuality Information and Education Council of the United States)
RISE: Healthy For Life
Sexual Health initiatives for Teens (SHIFT)
Healthy Teen Networks
Religious Coalition for Reproductive Rights (RCRR)
Future of Sex Education (FoSA)
Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA)
Potential opponents of the cause:
Citizens for Excellence in Education
the American Family Association
Concerned Women for America
the American Life League,
The Christian Coalition
the National Coalition for Abstinence Education
CPO (Catholic Parents Online)
The Educational Guidance Institute
The National Monitor of Education
Many of these organizations directly oppose implementing sex education in schools, because parents are worried about the sex education infiltrating the religious beliefs of their children.
To appeal to parents:
We would explain how their children would be safer and more capable of making the right decisions when they become sexually active. This would give them greater peace of mind, as they would feel safer knowing of their child’s ability to protect themselves and their potential partners. By extension, this sense of safety would facilitate trust between parents and children. If the parent is still uncomfortable, they can always opt their child out of the curriculum. We hope that because we are giving money to not only our cause but infrastructure will help make the transition to this curriculum smoother.
For both parents and students:
We would present the statistics that prove comprehensive sexual education is more effective than abstinence-only education. Doing this will help dismantle an older generational standard that abstinence-only education is the sole solution to teen sexuality in addition to demonstrating to teenagers that these lessons are an upgrade from what they have experienced in past lessons.
Public Support and Advocacy Through Social Media:
Teens and Youth:
Sex education is already a hot topic amongst teens: its popularity is present throughout pop culture and media, such as the Netflix show “Sex Education”.
To capitalize on this pre-existing understanding of the topic, we plan to run a social media campaign on the following platforms:
Instagram
TikTok
Twitter
The prevalence and importance of this topic will not be lost on the youth, as the information they take away will be of use to them as they continue to grow and have new experiences.
Older Generations:
Not everyone affected by this plan is a teenager, so we must also market accordingly to older generations. We will extend our promotional efforts to Facebook and contact local news outlets to see if they have an interest in covering our project. We plan to gain traction locally and gradually expand into other areas, as opposed to trying to publicize ourselves nationally all at once.
