Sexual and Reproductive Rights for Saskatchewan Youth
If you are wondering what to do now, we’ve got a few ideas for you:
- Contact your local MLA about your concerns. You can send a letter in minutes here
- Follow Show Up for Sask Trans Youth on Instagram and sign their petition
- Sign the petition calling to stop the policy over on change.org
- Talk with parents, friends, family, and administrators about why this policy is dangerous
- Support your local teachers as they navigate these changes
Some stats to get you started
The new parental inclusion and consent policies announced by the Saskatchewan government are a threat to the safety of Saskatchewan youth, families, and educators. They represent an organized attempt to erase 2SLGBTQIA+ individuals from our communities and public institutions. The Saskatchewan government consulted little to no relevant academic research, community experts, youth, professional regulators, or even the Saskatchewan Advocate for Children and Youth before announcing these policy changes.
Planned Parenthood Regina knows how important affirming, inclusive, and accessible sex education is. As an organization, we strive to create a safer space for everyone, regardless of their identity. As we navigate these changes, we will be working to support teachers, youth, and parents during this difficult and upsetting time. Take a look below for some more information about the importance of sex education and respecting youth identities:
“Attention to the full range of sexual health topics, scaffolded across grades, embedded in supportive school environments and across subject areas, has the potential to improve sexual, social, and emotional health and academic outcomes for young people”
(https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1054139X20304560)
“Abstinence only education (AOE) programs in schools have been shown ineffective in delaying sexual initiation or decreasing the teen pregnancy rate. Conversely, comprehensive sex education (CSE) programs have demonstrated the ability to decrease teen pregnancy and delay initiation into sex”
(https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30033801/)
Empowering youth “requires access to comprehensive sexual health education, sexual health services, safe spaces for diverse youth, and open dialogue and supportive guidance in all their social environments—among peers, in schools, at homes, and in the communities. Together, these promote youth’s self-affirming identities, as well as sexual health literacy, healthy interpersonal relationships, access to sexual and reproductive health services, [preventing] abusive relationships, [preventing] unintended pregnancies and preventing HIV/STI”
(https://www.utpjournals.press/doi/full/10.3138/cjhs.2019-0049)
“Adolescents overwhelmingly requested honest, comprehensive content delivered by nonjudgmental, well-educated health professionals in a comfortable environment”
(https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0140197120301184)
“Sexual health education for young people is crucial not only for development of norms but also for protection against vulnerabilities during this stage in life”
(https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/00224499.2016.1247779)