Pushing Sex Talk
Who would have thought the Spears sisters — Britney, a troubled mother of young sons entangled in a messy and public custody battle, and her pregnant, 16-year-old sister, Jamie Lynn — could influence Connecticut politics?
But Planned Parenthood’s in-house lobbyist Susan Yolen said the Spears’ woes and the popularity of Hollywood hit movies about unplanned pregnancies — such as Juno and Knocked Up — are reasons lawmakers need to focus on these issues now.
“You look at pop culture and you can’t help but notice these things,” Yolen said. “It’s been out there recently and it’s time to do something.”
The Connecticut chapter of Planned Parenthood is gearing up for a strong legislative push this session for the state to provide “real” sex education. While the organization has lobbied for more thorough guidelines for sex education in the past, the current landscape of popular culture is its impetus to get something done in the coming legislative session.
It is a challenge for Yolen, who is Planned Parenthood’s only registered lobbyist, to make this happen by herself.
“We simply don’t have the resources of our own to spend on lobbying that, for instance, a big business has,” she said.
As a result, her group is focusing on coalition lobbying, reaching out to like-minded volunteers, including parents, teachers and even teenagers themselves, and organizations with the same goal. The organization’s Connecticut chapter, located in New Haven, will push its legislative agenda with volunteers who will man phone banks on Jan. 29. It will be its second such effort within a two-week period.
“For what we’re trying to do, it is crucial that we show that there is a groundswell of support,” she said. “We’ve been talking to our allies in the General Assembly and we’ll continue to make our points.”
More Sex Ed
Ultimately, Planned Parenthood wants the state to bolster its guidelines on sex education and include more information about sexually transmitted diseases and distribute the latest findings on teenage sex studies to older students. The organization maintains that many public school sex ed curricula are outdated.
Another factor is that sexual ed varies greatly from district to district because each board of education is responsible for setting its district’s curriculum. In many cases, these boards are hamstrung by a lack of funding, staffing, and at times, public disapproval.
As for potential opponents, Yolen said they know of none so far, but it could change when these suggested reforms turn into actual, proposed legislation.
The Family Institute of Connecticut, represented by Dolores Malloy of Malloy & Associates, is undoubtedly an opponent. “We would oppose any further involvement by Planned Parenthood because whatever they’re pushing, it’s really about abortion,” said Family Institute executive director Peter Wolfgang. “They are the nation’s largest abortion provider and should be the last folks involved in sexual education.”
The institute will again lobby for parental notification for abortions, as Malloy said the state is one of a handful in the country that does not require parents to be involved in that process.
“We were able to get an informational hearing last year and there has been the possible promise of a bill for parental notification this year,” she said.
Wolfgang also said the group is beginning to take a strong look at abstinence education.
“We want there to be less sex education and more education of the whole person,” he said. “It shouldn’t be just about managing sexual appetites and sexual desires. It should be about marriage and a fulfilling adulthood.”
Sean O’Leary is a Hartford Business Journal staff writer.
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