Editor:

Republican Vice Chair Todd Weiler’s editorial (“How should sex ed be handled in schools?” June 30) argues that comprehensive sex education does not belong in Utah schools, and sees casting the issue of one’s health as a ploy to get a liberal “foot in the door.” He also warns residents not to be swayed by sex education proponents’ use of staggering teen pregnancy and STD statistics. Is Mr. Weiler asking us not to pay attention to scientific facts? Should we not consider that nationwide, 1 in 4 teenage girls has contracted an STD? Or that 12 teenage girls in Utah get pregnant every day? I, for one, am swayed by facts, and these particular facts cannot be swept under the rug simply because parents want to believe that their child would never be sexually active outside of marriage, even though a majority of Utah teens are. While Mr. Weiler cites a fear that even those kids whose parents enroll them in an abstinence-only track will hear about what “the other class” is learning, this is entirely insufficient to justify denying any student the right to information that could protect his or her health and future.

Erin Ohrenberger

Layton