To hell with admitting to reality and preventing the spread of
AIDS, we can't admit or let the kids learn about sex!
http://deseretnews.com/dn/view/0,1249,600104456,00.html
Bob Dog
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Thursday, January 13, 2005
Is blood donation info too explicit?
Orem mom says students need consent to read it
By Jennifer Toomer-Cook and Lois M. Collins
Deseret Morning News
The American Red Cross' desire to keep a pure blood supply may be
at odds with Utah's sex ed laws.
Orem resident Diane Ogborn told the State Board of Education
Wednesday that American Red Cross' high school blood drives
exposed students to explicit language regarding sex acts.
Utah law on human sexuality instruction in schools requires
parents give permission before information is given to students.
"I believe (the Red Cross forms are) in violation of Utah state
law," Ogborn said. She wants the state school board to place a
moratorium on school blood drives until procedures are put in
place to protect student and parent rights.
There's not much the Red Cross can do to edit the language Ogborn
complains about, said Julia Wulf, acting chief executive officer
of the Lewis and Clark Blood Region, which includes the Utah
Blood Services Division. The document was approved by the U.S.
Food and Drug Administration, which requires it be given to
potential blood donors.
"The reason we're doing this is because our priority when we're
collecting blood is the safety of the blood supply. It's all
tested, but we have several layers of safety. We check to see if
you are an eligible donor. We ask you several questions to
protect you as the donor and to protect the recipient," Wulf
said. "There are lots of layers in place."
There's also a fundamental legal question in play: Does the
agency's packet really count as "instruction" as regulated by
Utah law? Or is it simply information that would not fall under
the same legal category?
The questions are raised by the Red Cross and Carol Lear,
director of school law and legislation for the State Office of
Education.
But Lear doesn't want to split hairs.
"(Ogborn's) concern is a legitimate one," she said. "We'll
address it."
Sex education has been a hot topic at the Legislature, which has
placed several restrictions on instruction, including parental
permission requirements, in hopes of preserving parental rights.
Blood donations, however, were not part of the debate.
The American Red Cross holds blood drives in about three-fourths
of Utah high schools.
"We have about 75 high schools that hold them, some one a year
and some up to three a year," said Utah Blood Services
spokeswoman Judy Christensen. "These drives are very important to
us because when people make a first donation, they become
lifelong donors. So we try to get high school and college
students involved."
During blood drives in high schools, only students who are 17 or
older can donate. And 17-year-olds need permission from their
parents to participate.
But Ogborn's concern is this: Potential donors get packets that
include one page, "What You Must Know," that provides
information, including short descriptions of various types of
sexual contact. She says the information is viewed by students
before parents have a chance to review it and give the OK.
Wulf says the wording on the form doesn't meet the state's
additional requirements for parental consent. She says she's
talked with state school officials on the matter.
"We don't need permission because we're not educating, we're
providing a description," Wulf said. "We have to get consent for
donors to donate blood (if they're 17). We send a packet home
that students give to parents."
The matter is sensitive for parental rights - and maintaining an
adequate blood supply.
"Those students are the donors of the future. We want them to, as
early as possible, get into the habit of donating blood," Wulf
said. "We need to constantly replenish the blood donor pool.
People drop out, get deferred, their health status changes. We
need new people going into our donor base. Students are an
important part of that."
Lear indicated a resolution could be at hand. And barring blood
drives isn't part of it.
"It seems like it would be better for schools to notify parents
that participation in the blood drive will involve providing
information to students that might be sensitive about sexual
issues," Lear said. Parents could then decide whether to give
permission for their student to receive that information.
The state education office could urge school districts to do
that, or create a new rule, Lear said.
"I think we're more careful now than we were six or eight years
ago...(as) parents' sensitivity to such concerns has increased,"
Lear said. "I don't think we're encouraging districts to be more
casual or cavalier; we're encouraging greater caution."
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