INDIANAPOLIS — The Indiana Reproductive Health & Access Coalition (IRHAC), a coalition of advocates and medical professionals working to protect and advance reproductive health in Indiana, urges the House Education Committee chair to hold Indiana Senate Bill 442 (SB 442), titled “Instruction Concerning Human Sexuality” and the recently proposed Amendment #6,
Ninety percent of Hoosiers support comprehensive sex education in schools. Comprehensive, medically-accurate sex education equips young people with the tools they need for lifelong health and well-being—promoting understanding of healthy relationships and consent, preventing sexual violence and abuse, and encouraging critical thinking.
SB 442 imposes unnecessary red tape on schools and undermines the delivery of sex education, which is essential to students’ well-being. The proposed legislation requires school boards to approve detailed lesson plans—including the identity of instructors—months in advance, despite existing parental opt-out rights. It adds burdens without increasing the quality or effectiveness of sex education and creates a grievance process that could lead to inconsistent standards across districts.
Amendment #6 worsens SB 442 and the state of sexual education in Indiana by requiring schools to present an animated or computer-generated video representing fetal development. The video must not be reviewed by medical professionals or to include only medically accurate claims or representations of development. Instead, this amendment is more likely to promote materials rooted in a political agenda–a broader campaign designed to shame and misinform young people about pregnancy and reproductive health.
SB 442 and the proposed amendment do not reflect Hoosier values or promote Hoosier health. Our coalition urges Representative Behning to hold this bill and prevent the harmful language from moving forward.
“The Indiana Reproductive Health & Access Coalition urgently calls Representative Behning, Chair of the Education Committee, to hold Senate Bill 442 and Amendment 6 from the upcoming Education Committee hearing. Hoosiers overwhelmingly want and deserve comprehensive, medically accurate sex education—yet these measures would take curriculum decisions out of the hands of educators and contradict the wishes of the 90 percent of the state’s residents who favor age-appropriate, science-based curricula. Sex education should be factual, equitable, and free from stigma—anything less not only violates the trust of Hoosier families but also jeopardizes the well-being of future generations.” – Indiana Reproductive Health & Access Coalition
The current state of Sex Education in Indiana does not promote health:
- Indiana is one of 20 states where sex education (beyond HIV instruction) is not required.
- Indiana doesn’t require sex education to be medically accurate.
- No requirement to teach consent.
- Schools must attempt twice to obtain written permission from parents/guardians before automatically enrolling students in sex education.
With some of the worst maternal and infant health outcomes in the country, Indiana cannot afford to politicize sex education. Young people need access to accurate, comprehensive, life-saving information—now more than ever. This bill would further undermine the little protection for students to access inclusive, accurate information. We urge Representative Behning and the House Education Committee to listen to educators, health experts, parents, and students to craft policy rooted in science and common sense.
