Representative Bob McDermott releases report critical of Pono Choice sex education program

Wednesday (2/5/14) in the state capitol auditorium from 6:30 PM to 8:30 PM.

Special guest expert is Mr. Phil Lees.

News Release from Office of Rep Bob McDermott 

Pono Choices, intended for young impressionable children, is clearly not age appropriate; it is inconsistent with state statues and policies.  Any talk of anal sex—which the curriculum does frequently—is instinctively repulsive for pre-pubescent children.   Additionally, calling the anus a genital—as Pono Choices does—is just plain medically wrong.  Redefining the term to suit the authors' preferences is inappropriate.  The curriculum's definition of oral sex is also not consistent with the definition commonly found in medical literature.  Further, the data on condom use and effectiveness is inaccurate with regard to HPV, herpes, and HIV; the curriculum also utterly ignores the Federal Drug Administration's warning regarding the astonishing risks of condom use when engaging in anal sex.

This curriculum is presented to the students under the guise of STD prevention.  Yet Pono Choices—whether by negligence or willful omission—fails to inform children of the exponentially increased risks of male on male anal sex.  Such omission renders the entire document questionable at best and agenda-driven social engineering at worst.

The lessons depart from community norms by equating various sex acts.  Under Pono Choices, oral, vaginal, and anal sex all have the same value and import—no meaningful distinction is made, contrary to reality.  This is compounded by the wanton, disproportionately high number of fictional scenarios featuring homosexual characters—in spite of the fact that homosexuals are a strikingly small part of the population.  "Gender ambiguous" fictional scenarios only aggravate this problem.

The term "abstinence based" is a misnomer for this program.  While abstinence is covered, it is not the central message of the curriculum—which gives a mixed message on what is "Pono".  The parental op-out forms are woefully inadequate; they lack clarity and transparency by concealing some controversial aspects of the material.

As a father of eight, I have reviewed this material--every page.  If parents knew what was in it, and how it was presented, they would not walk away—they would run away.  This material should be pulled from the schools now.  Continued use of this curriculum could put the school system in legal peril, as students may detrimentally rely on the information contained therein.

Therefore, I have prepared the attached report.  Extensive footnotes are included, and they confirm that my objections to the curriculum are based on the facts and the law.

DOWNLOAD COMPLETE REPORT HERE: LINK

Contact: repmcdermott@capitol.hawaii.gov  

Video produced by Olelo community Television: LINK