In an email update from LifeNews.com was reported
Texas State House Rejects Bill Attacking Abstinence Education, Pro-Lifers Fight
Austin, TX (LifeNews.com) -- After pro-life advocates fought to defeat it, the Texas state House defeated a bill attacking abstinence education. House amendments were brought forward to attach to a Senate bill that were a direct attack on abstinence-based teaching in Texas. Texas law currently requires that students be taught that abstinence before marriage is the most effective way to prevent pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases. Under one of the proposed amendments, this language would have been stripped out of Texas law. These amendments were pushed by Planned Parenthood and were filed by Rep. Mike Villarreal and Rep. Joaquin Castro. The Villarreal amendment was rejected by a point of order and Rep. Castro withdrew his amendment. Jonathan Saenz, director of legislative affairs at Free Market Foundation, who testified against the amendments at the Texas Capitol, talked with LifeNews.com. This is a victory for school children and for local control by parents. We are grateful that Texas students have been spared from Planned Parenthood-based sex education. It is irresponsible and harmful to ban children from knowing that abstinence before marriage is the most effective way to prevent pregnancy and STDs, he said. Since Texas began promoting abstinence-based education, teen pregnancies are down 24%, teen abortions have dropped by 41%, and teen births are down 22%.