California Governor shuts down bill to give high school students free condoms
The bill would have required all public schools that have grades nine through 12 to make condoms available for free to all students.
Gavin Newsom rejected a bill on Sunday that would have made free condoms available to all public high school students, arguing it was too expensive for a state with a budget deficit of more than $30billion.
Legislative staff estimated it would have cost in the low millions of dollars each year. California had about 1.9 million high school students enrolled in more than 4,000 schools last year, according to the California Department of Education.
Explaining why he had vetoed the bill, known as Senate Bill 541, Newsom said: “This bill would create an unfunded mandate to public schools that should be considered in the annual budget process."
The bill is one of hundreds passed by California’s Democratic-dominated state Legislature before lawmakers adjourned last month.
Newsom has been signing and vetoing legislation since then, including rejecting bills on Saturday to ban caste-based discrimination, limit the price of insulin and decriminalize possession and use of some hallucinogens.
READ MORE: 'Worse than ISIS': Hamas terrorists 'behead Israeli soldiers' in sickening footage
In addition to forcing public schools to make condoms available for free to all students, the bill would also have required public schools with grades seven through 12 to allow condoms to be made available as part of educational or public health programs.
And it would have made it illegal for retailers to refuse to sell condoms to youth.
State Sen. Caroline Menjivar, the Democrat the author of the bill, argued it would have helped “youth who decide to become sexually active to protect themselves and their partners from (sexually transmitted infections), while also removing barriers that potentially shame them and lead to unsafe sex.”
Newsom said programs increasing access to condoms are “important to supporting improved adolescent sexual health.”
But he said this bill was one of several measures lawmakers passed this year that, when added together, would add $19 billion in costs to the state budget.
DON'T MISS:
Doctors disconnect half of six-year-old's brain to save her from deadly disease [HEALTH]
Groom watches in horror as wedding guest torn apart in shark attack [PHOTOS]
Sharon Osbourne fans question relationship with 'forgotten' daughter [CELEBRITY]
Newsom said: “With our state facing continuing economic risk and revenue uncertainty, it is important to remain disciplined when considering bills with significant fiscal implications, such as this measure."
The decision sparked the fury of the non-profit organization California School-Based Health Alliance, which warned failure to guaranteed access to condoms could leave high schoolers grappling with sexually transmitted diseases and unplanned pregnancies.
They said in a statement: "When barriers remain, youth with low incomes are often left without the option to regularly utilize condoms to help protect their health and prevent an unintended pregnancy from occurring."
The issue of sex education in California has long been the subject of controversy – especially after the introduction of the California Healthy Youth Act in 2016.
The act introduced comprehensive sexual education as well as HIV prevention education.
Follow our social media accounts here on facebook.com/ExpressUSNews and @expressusnews
