Senate Bill 1098 passed the Senate with one Republican vote from Senator Dick Anderson (R-Lincoln City) and is scheduled for a public hearing in the House Committee on Education. It will legalize pornography in school literature that is otherwise illegal. Democrat sponsors say that isn’t true since there is a process to justify removal or purchase that involves a committee.

Studies show that pornography is the most addictive substance, even worse than cocaine. That's because it is never satisfied, and always wants to go to the next level until it reaches rape and murder.

The younger the exposure, the higher the risk. Study shows 86% of boys and 51% of girls are exposed to porn before 18 and some at young as 8 years old. Viewing porn alters the development of dopamine centers shifting and changing their norms and standards. This affects their adult life, depriving them of intimacy, reducing their ability to be aroused by their spouse, robbing them of a satisfying marriage and family life. This bill plays political suicide with children lives. They want to blame guns for an increase in suicides in young people, but this exposes them to what has been proven to be improper and destructive life altering behavior. This will be another reason to homeschool and make public schools less desirable.

The State Library reports there were 20 challenges to literature across the state but many went unreported and solved internally. A clear pattern has emerged in recent OIFC reports: incidents and challenged materials are disproportionately about, by, or center around the stories of individuals who belong to an underrepresented protected class under ORS 659.850. In 2023-24, 87% of the items challenged told the stories of one or more underrepresented groups. 66% of challenged materials focused on 2SLGBTQIA+ people, while 22% were centered on Black, Indigenous, or people of color. This bill seems to be a challenge to our discrimination statues exposing vulnerabilities, and how it has conditioned us, forced us, to be tolerant of immorality.

ORS 336.455 curriculum requirements for human sexuality education must include promoting abstinence for school-age youth and mutually monogamous relationships with an uninfected partner for adults as the most effective way to prevent pregnancy and the transmission of STDs. However, abstinence may not be taught to the exclusion of other material and instruction on contraceptive and disease reduction measures.

It also requires a balanced, accurate information and skills-based learning on the risks and benefits of contraceptive and disease reduction measures. The mandates in ORS 336.035, 336.455 and 336.465, as well a ORS 581-022-2030 and 581-022-2050 authorizes the school district as the body to make choices of literature that are age-appropriate, based on best practices that are proven theory and practices.

A D V E R T I S E M E N T

A D V E R T I S E M E N T

Sex education courses must also include information on teen dating violence and “must be presented in a manner sensitive to the fact that there are students who have experienced sexual abuse” and must not devalue or ignore students who have engaged in sexual intercourse. Parents or guardians may remove their children from sex education via a opt-out policy.

SB 1098 applies to teachers with a classroom library, and purchase of textbooks and instructional material. It totally destroys all these safe guards crafted to protect students. Since a school library is defined as part of the educational infrastructure that supports learning, the bill conflicts with the statutes for sex education standards. To give students free reign of sexual materials in the library that does not comply with instructional standards and without parents’ knowledge or opt-out option is in violation and should not be permitted.

Placing temptations in school libraries that would be a crime if anyone on the street were to show these books to a child may lead to other crimes. It opens the door to more experimentation for students and headlines like "St. Helens High School teachers arrested on charges of sexual abuse of students".

Sponsors further don't want any challenges from voters to override their illegal, unethical, and immoral actions by adding an emergency clause to the bill. What constitutes an emergency in a bill that needs preplanning for school boards to enact policies, isn't justified. Testimony can be submitted until 3pm on May 2. Track on Oregon Citizens Lobby Alerts.


--Donna Bleiler

Post Date: 2025-04-29 17:59:14

Last Update: 2025-04-30 00:54:27