INDIANAPOLIS— Planned Parenthood Alliance Advocates Indiana (PPAA-IN) is calling on Governor Mike Braun to veto Senate Bill 442, warning that the measure threatens students’ health, weakens science instruction, and ignores overwhelming public support for medically accurate sex education.
Haley Bougher, Indiana State Director, Planned Parenthood Alliance Advocates (PPAA):
“SB 442 still puts politics ahead of public health,” said Haley Bougher, Indiana State Director for PPAA. “It claims to require ‘medically accurate’ content, yet offers no system to verify materials against standards set by the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, the American Academy of Pediatrics, or the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Without a transparent vetting process, ideologically driven misinformation can masquerade as curriculum, robbing students of the facts they need to stay safe and healthy.
“Hoosier youth deserve truth, not ideology; health, not hurdles. Governor Braun can protect students, respect educators, and honor the will of Indiana families by vetoing SB 442.”
Under the bill, school districts must adopt new parental-notification procedures and instructional mandates but receive no additional funding or guidance to implement them. Indiana already ranks near the bottom nationwide for comprehensive sex ed; only 28 percent of high schools teach all 22 CDC-recommended topics.
PPAA-IN urges the Governor to side with the majority of Hoosiers who support comprehensive sex education and act swiftly by vetoing SB 422 immediately.
