I was there too, reform4! What boggles my mind is how people are overlooking the manipulation by a CHURCH of public school policy in Knox County. I have started a Facebook group called Sane Parents of Knox County. Please rally support for Planned Parenthood, Knox County Schools, and Separation of Church and State and ATTEND THE SCHOOL BOARD MEETING ON MARCH 2!

By the way that dumb doctor who talked about unwed mothers "going up 40%" in 2008 attributed the cause to "lack of self control." These are the people who want to direct sex ed for teenagers. Yah.

In which I explain why somebody needs to talk to kids about sex.

A friend suggested that I might need a body guard to protect me from the people who want the abstinence only approach.

... learn about sex from country songs or watching dogs go at it outside the window of a Doyle High School classroom? Y'know, the god-given way we did before we knocked up or got knocked up and had to get married...

Sent you a request to join the FB group, reform4.
Honestly, I am tired of my young adult boys having a hard time finding sexually responsible young women to date. 30 years ago it used to be the guy saying some form of I don't like using condoms because _____. Now a days it is the girls. And once my boys realize these young women have no self-respect and no sexual responsibility, they won't date them. Period.
Before anyone gets the wrong idea, they don't date girls to sleep with them, but sexual responsibility and self-respect are part of the conversation as they get to know a young woman.

I heard the priest saying PP had no business in the schools but I think, with their track record, I say priests, with a known record of pedophilia, are the ones who have no business in the schools.

Some further updates here, including dueling Facebook groups.

First, thanks again, Pam...you lit the fire...let's see how quick the truth gets stomped out.

I went by the PP in East Knox yesterday to give them another small donation; several protestors were there and it was closed.

My solution and answer to all the sanctimonious and ignorant: One of our FEMALE Legislators needs to write a strict bill of punishment for the MALE half of the sex act by rape, incest, child abuse, or one that results in pregnancy without a female's consent or protection. I say if convicted, the slug should be forced to have a vasectomy, without drugs, and spend 5 years in prison for EACH charge of rape. And we could march and protest any doctor that refuses to perform this surgery. Fair is fair.

All our children must be provided with factual information about sexual activity and how to protect themselves from disease and pregnancy. I sure could have used this info back in 1961.

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I have a child that is a senior in the Knox County School system. She has had classes designed since her early years to "inform" her and her classmates about the dangers of disease & sex. Nasty photos intended to traumatize young minds burned into their brains forever.

Never did I hear one time about any class designed to speak to their hearts about just waiting for sex until they were really ready and adults.

People are people and pressure pushes lots of young ones into big mistakes. The very lucky kids are the ones with parents or caregivers that are balancing out the noise of the world. Go ahead and talk about the protection issues. The dangers are very real. Talk about the heart of the child and the spirit because they are the future. Once damaged then society pays the price.

Building up the spirit and mind to be strong enough to say no to sex is a very good idea. Many young people are just burned out because they carry around guilt and self hate. Very bad ideas are thrown at our children from many directions. Good ideas should not be feared by those who want the best for the them.

It was my understanding that abstinence is the ONLY curriculum allowed to be taught by school employees if the school receives any federal funding, which is why PP is brought in to teach the rest of the lesson?

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Note that the PP clinic in this O'Keefe style sting ALL called the police or FBI to report the incident. Not that it will matter when compared to videotapes.

The very first paragraph on this page, giving the "issue," is incorrect. This is NOT about stopping sex ed in Knox County Schools. It is about asking our teachers/school officials to FOLLOW THE STATE GUIDELINES AND LIFETIME WELLNESS CURRICULUM GUIDLINES ONLY. Not to go OUTSIDE them on their own. PERIOD. If you read the STATE LAW and the LW CURRICULUM, they CLEARLY state that the programs in the schools ARE ABSTINENCE-BASED ALREADY. No one is trying to "get rid of sex ed" or MAKE THEM "abstinence-based." THEY ALREADY ARE.

ALSO--these parents do not have a problem with the "sex ed" portion of the curricula -- State Law AND LW Curriculum. No one is against INFORMATION here, so everyone needs to stop perpetrating that myth. It is about -- FIRST, keeping parents completely out of the loop on ANY of it -- and then going OUTSIDE the already established state law and LW Curriculum -- THAT is the issue. I think even progressive parents can agree that that is inappropriate. We all need to KNOW what is being taught BEFORE it is being taught -- hence the reason for "state laws" and "curriculum guidlines."

The videos were not shown at the meeting because they are thoroughly disgusting. The "still images" showed a teenager standing there and receiving oral sex, then another guy stands up and wipes his mouth. Another guy is standing there talking about using condoms for oral sex. This is appropriate for teenagers at school? Another one shows a guy "penis" talking to a woman "vagina" cartoon. The "penis" guy gets excited and wipes the top of his head -- and then it gets worse. Google "How Pregnancy Happens" and takecaredownthere.org. Watch ALL of the videos and decide for yourself. I think all parents agree we can do better than this?

Most parents are completely aware of the dangers facing their children out there and have no desire to "return to the dark ages." To do so would be to put our children in grave danger. I think progressives could also agree that they would not want a completely political, totally God-based, no information type program with an agenda, either. BOTH are inappropriate. We should ALL be looking for middle ground from a group that does not MAKE MONEY off our kids by recruiting them in their schools -- no matter WHAT their agenda. Add to that the most recent scandals involving PP -- go to liveaction.org and watch them. BE INFORMED. All of us can agree that a neutral group in the schools giving INFORMATION that is the best INFORMATION, is the best way to go for all of us. Protecting our kids with the best information, with no bias EITHER WAY, makes sense for everyone. Thanks for letting me say my piece here.

Another thing I forgot to add to the previous poster remarking that abstinence programs have failed and that is illustrated by the high pregnancy rate.

If you want to use that argument, then you must go back farther in history and see that when sex education came into the schools is when the pregnancy rate FIRST began skyrocketing.

As far as the argument that is often used that some kids don't get educated at home -- THOSE KIDS are the ones that need the BEST information -- with no one to guide them -- the school would be the ONLY avenue for THEM. Factual -- unbiased -- appropriate INFORMATION. Not a free-for-all anything-goes and come into my clinic where I can make some money off of you. That is common sense. Progressives and conservatives can all AGREE on this issue. I hope that we ALL want what is best for our collective children.

Both CNN and FOX -- supposedly "opposing" views -- are currently reporting on this story.

Three more undercover videos were just released yesterday --

Falls Church, VA
Charlottesville, VA
Roanoke, VA

This after New Jersey and Richmond, VA -- just this week alone. This is going on NATIONWIDE.

Videos speak for themselves. If livaction.org or anyone else were to "make up" these videos and/or edit them, they would be setting themselves up for a serious lawsuit. Lila Rose, herself, would already be in jail for this offense, yet she is not. The fact still remains that ANY group with these kinds of allegations should not be anywhere near children in schools.

Here is the link to view Tennessee State Law regarding sex education in the public schools:

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Actually, I'm happy to see somebody from the anti-PP side on here making their case. I hope she(?) sticks around to talk about it. Just wanted to be clear on what the current law actually says. (Of course, given the new makeup of the Legislature, that could change. This is probably going to be a statewide issue soon, not just a Knox County issue.)

By the way, Gail Collins wrote about all this today at the national level:

But here’s the most notable thing about this whole debate: The people trying to put Planned Parenthood out of business do not seem concerned about what would happen to the 1.85 million low-income women who get family-planning help and medical care at the clinics each year. It just doesn’t come up. There’s not even a vague contingency plan.

Once again, the issue is changed to something other than the issue HERE. This is not about "putting PP out of business." It is about whether or not PP is the BEST group to be in our SCHOOLS -- TEACHING OUR KIDS. By all means, if you do not have a child in the Knox County School System and you support PP, go give them donations.

This is about whether or not a group, ANY GROUP, should "teach" our kids their "agenda" and make money off of the kids to boot. Let's say a local church group wanted to come in and "teach" about God and told the girls if they got pregnant, they could come to their "home for pregnant girls" and the church group would make MONEY from that home and/or services. Would that be acceptable? NO. Same thing here. Because it may support YOUR particular agenda does not mean it is right for EVERYONE because, sooner or later, the "group" teaching your child will NOT be the group YOU want.

Is this the best we can do? All of us? On the pp.org website, they tell the kids, under "virginity" that "there are no right or wrong answers to these questions." Do progressives believe that their 8-year-old daughter is ready for sex? Obviously, there ARE right or wrong answers to these questions. #2 -- The pp.org website REDEFINES the word "Abstinence." Google -- "Planned Parenthood -- Abstinence -- Outercourse." Click on "How Do I Have Outercourse?" Do YOU think this is beyond the state/LW guidelines given to parents?

It is not a complicated issue. I guess I still believe that progressives AND conservatives can find common ground when it comes to protecting our kids.

By the way -- I encourage everyone to read "Unplanned" the new book released in January by Abby Johnson, a former executive director of Planned Parenthood. The women she counseled were, in her words, often in danger from the procedures they were given -- it is hard to argue about her conclusions -- she was a believer and she LIVED it.

About "doctoring tapes." NOWHERE do we find anyone in the media putting forth that "conclusion." Maybe in opinion articles, again, by people with an obvious "agenda." It is hard to argue with videotape -- if, indeed, they were "doctored" the group Live Action would be in serious legal jeopardy. Just a thought, again.

"It is hard to argue with videotape".

Bull feathers!

You have obviously never edited video files.

Is this organization large enough for you?

There are three things necessary to get people to buy into your edited video, the sophistication of the software, the skill of the editor, and the gullibility of the audience.

It is not "peddling in falsehood" to say that the pp.org website, given to our kids in the classroom, is beyond state law guidelines. It is clearly is and anyone can see it by comparing the state law and what is on the pp.org website.

To say that PP does not get huge amounts of federal money from the taxpayers for their "business" is absolutely wrong. Look at PP's own annual reports.

Once the effective "arguments" run out about this issue, it always comes down to the same excuse: "You can always opt your kid out." A lot of people like to say that we "should not be pushing our moral agenda on all the kids." To that I would say YES. But to remove the "moral issue" means completely NEUTRAL teaching. Not changing things to YOUR way of thinking -- or PP's way of thinking -- which is, as THEY state, "no right or wrong" at all. So -- to you, I am "silencing free speech" if I object to the MORAL TEACHING of others -- yet if you want to inject YOUR beliefs -- or PP's -- then the parents who object should just REMAIN SILENT? Doesn't really seem fair, does it?

I hesitate to think about what you and yours have in mind for all the gay kids in the county but I bet it involves copious amounts of denial and the scent of brimstone.

"There comes a time in the affairs of men, my dear Blubber, when we must take the bull by the tail and face the situation"

W. C. Fields