Sneak Peek: Romney and Obama Debate Sex Ed
July 19, 2007— -- When Barack Obama reaffirmed that he believes elements of sex education should begin in kindergarten, Mitt Romney saw an opening -- and he pounced. LINK
"I was governor four years," Romney said Wednesday in Colorado. "I never had one person coming to me and say, 'You know what, governor, I'm concerned about something. What's that? I'm concerned about sex education. I'm concerned my kids aren't learning enough about sex. I never heard that." LINK
Romney may have never heard that because Massachusetts has one of the most progressive sex education curriculums in the nation. Under the state's non-binding framework, school districts can begin working towards the state's sex education goals as early as pre-kindergarten.
By the end of the fifth grade, it not only encourages schools to teach kids the basics about sex, it also encourages them to know how to define "sexual orientation using the correct terminology (such as heterosexual, and gay and lesbian)." (See page 31).LINK
While Romney had absolutely nothing to do with the development of the state's sex education curriculum, which was put into place more than three years before he became governor, Romney adviser Eric Fehrnstrom concedes that Romney did not take any efforts to undo it either.
"We had no awareness, no input and certainly did not promote these curriculum frameworks," Fehrnstrom told ABC News.
Learn more about the Romney-Obama debate over sex ed on ABCNews.com: LINK
On Friday, Obama spends another day campaigning in New Hampshire attending an 8:45 am ET meet and greet in Hampton, followed by an 11:30 am ET town hall meeting in Manchester. In the evening Obama attends a $1,000 a head Nantucket fundraiser hosted by former John Kerry organizer Lou Sussman.
While Obama is in the Granite State, Romney campaigns in Iowa. He holds town-hall meetings in Denson at 9:00 am ET, Storm Lake at 12:15 pm ET, Spencer at 3:15 pm ET, and Okoboji at 6:00 pm ET. The former governor also attends a 10:30 am ET meet-and-greet in Ida Grove.
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