Kansas City News Blog

​Earlier this year, when President Obama zeroed out funding for "abstinence-only sex education" in the 2010 federal budget, parents and teachers who don't want their kids stumbling ignorantly into adolescence celebrated. But that doesn't mean students in the Kansas City region can count on age-appropriate, medically accurate sex education -- unless the community pushes for change.

Jen LaBarbera, an organizer for Planned Parenthood of Kansas and Mid-Missouri, says her organization, and others, are ramping up their efforts to make sure youngsters understand the birds and the bees. "We sensed a buzz in our community around comprehensive sex education, and the momentum seems to be building to hold our local schools accountable for providing youth with real sex ed," she says.

Tonight, a panel of students, activists, educators and physicians are turning that buzz into a town hall forum.

And guess what? This isn't just an issue for moms and dads, but environmentalists, too. Along with Planned Parenthood, the discussion is co-sponsored by the local chapter of the Sierra Club. According to the nation's largest environmental organization, teaching kids about safe sex and contraception is critical for the survival of the species:

The Sierra Club recognizes that all of our environmental successes may be short lived if they do not include efforts to address global population growth. The current rate at which we consume and degrade natural resources jeopardizes the health of the planet and threatens the availability of clean water and air for generations. ... The Sierra Club advocates for policies and comprehensive sex education programs that have research supporting their effectiveness in reducing teen pregnancy.

Tonight's discussion to "help ensure that all public schools in the bi-state metro area provide comprehensive, age-appropriate sexuality education" starts at 7 p.m. in Conover Cafe at All Souls Unitarian Universalist Church.