EDMOND — EDITOR’S NOTE: This is one in an occasional series of stories about candidates for the 2010 gubernatorial race.
Oklahoma’s two Democrat contenders in the 2010 gubernatorial race support mandatory health education in schools.
Lt. Gov. Jari Askins and Attorney General Drew Edmondson said they would work with the state Legislature to find a solution for teenage pregnancy in Oklahoma. They made that pledge at a recent forum for 2010 gubernatorial candidates at the University of Central Oklahoma.
Edmondson said he is disturbed that Oklahoma and Colorado are the only states in the U.S. that do not mandate health education.
“If that fails, as governor, I will go to school boards,” Edmondson said. “I will go to the state Department of Education. Unless they pass a law saying you can’t teach health education in our schools, I will lobby for it on a school-by-school basis until it gets done.”
Republican 5th District Congresswoman Mary Fallin did not attend the forum because of her responsibilities in Washington, D.C. State Sen. Randy Brogdon chose not to attend the event, said forum moderator Alex Cameron of News 9. Both are seeking the Republican nomination in the 2010 gubernatorial race.
“The incidence of sexually transmitted diseases as well as pregnancy is something that we must address,” Askins said.
Teenage pregnancy increases high school drop out rates, decreases opportunities for employment, creates family instability and clouds a child’s future with undue struggle, Edmondson and Askins said.
“We’ve had instructions at the Capitol saying this is not an appropriate subject to be taught in schools, that it’s important for these sex education lessons to be taught at home,” Askins said.
She cautioned that parents are far too often not educating their teenage sons and daughters about the risks of having sex at an early age. Some teenagers do not consider that sexual activity may lead to pregnancy or serious illness, she added.
Birth rates among Oklahoma teenagers has exceeded the national average for decades. The state ranks seventh in the U.S. for teenage births, according to the Oklahoma Institute for Child Advocacy, sponsor of the 2009 Legislative Forum.
Children are looking for the role models they do not find at home, Askins said. As governor, Askins would create a cabinet dedicated to children’s issues that would study how other states have successfully addressed pregnancy rates.
“The dual approach usually and typically focuses on young girls. It needs to also focus on young boys,” Edmondson said.
Solutions to prevent teenage pregnancy in Oklahoma need a combined approach by the faith-based community and schools, Edmondson said. Families also need to be strengthened, he said.
jcoburn@edmondsun.com | 341-2121, ext. 114
Features
Candidates advocate for health education
- Features
-
-
Operating on feelings can be catastrophic
How they raise their kids is a touchy subject for lots of parents.
-
Take care with puppy vaccinations
Q: My son recently bought a 3-month-old mixed Rottweiler-German Shepherd pup from a dog breeder near Tecumseh. He was assured by the breeder that the pup had received a 5 in 1 vaccination two weeks earlier, but the pup got sick about a week after he took it home.
-
Edmond Beautiful plans Spring Garden Tour
Edmond Beautiful Inc. will have a Spring Garden Tour of the 2011 “Yard of the Week” winners May 26-27. The “Yard of the Week” program recognizes yards and gardens during the summer months for outstanding flowers and landscaping.
-
Sometimes it’s easy to let go of the familiar
Remember the clack-clack of the lawn mower you used to push over your yard every week or so before someone finally figured out how to attach a gas engine to the contraption?
-
‘Attachment parenting’ fad benefits only guru
The cover story in last week’s (May 21, 2012) Time Magazine is all about “why attachment parenting drives some mothers to extremes — and how Dr. Bill Sears became their guru.” That is the article’s subtitle. All I can say, somewhat hopefully, is “at last.”
-
Protect pets from poisons in the yard, garden
After an unseasonably warm winter, many gardens and yards around the country are growing and blossoming well ahead of schedule
-
Norman church keeps up hourly adoration
For nearly 10 years, someone has been present every hour of the day, every day of the year inside the chapel less than a block north of St. Joseph’s Catholic Church.
-
Protecting pets from poisons in the yard, garden
After an unseasonably warm winter, many gardens and yards around the country are growing and blossoming well ahead of schedule. Outdoor enthusiasts who are also pet owners are delighted with the early onset of spring, enjoying their outdoor living spaces while watching their pets run and play.
-
Norman church keeps up hourly adoration
For nearly 10 years, someone has been present every hour of the day, every day of the year inside the chapel less than a block north of St. Joseph’s Catholic Church.
Deacon Jeff Willard said when the “Perpetual Adoration” program was started at St. Joseph’s, he thought it might last six months at best. -
Fatherhood illuminates relationship to God
Like most men, when I got married I didn’t know what I was signing up for. I didn’t expect it to change me much. In fact, it wasn’t until we had children that I realized how different I had become. I didn’t sign up to have squalling infants keep me up for hours night after night. I sure didn’t sign up for diaper duty. And the one thing I definitely wasn’t expecting was that these little sewage-secreting noise machines would have cables jacked straight into my heart. What they wanted, I wanted them to have. It wasn’t even a choice.
- More Features Headlines
-
Operating on feelings can be catastrophic
