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BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — Lawmakers have killed a measure that would have allowed public high school students to be surveyed about sex-related risk behaviors.
The House voted 55-38 against the proposal by Baton Rouge Rep. Pat Smith, a Democrat, after raising concerns about children being corrupted by the questions.
Under the bill, the state education department would be allowed to ask questions on sex health as part of a national survey addressing teen risk behaviors. Currently, the survey includes questions about drug use, asthma and other health matters, but not sexual activity.
Smith says the survey would help collect information on teen pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases, in a state with high rates of both.
Opponents say it could lead to more sex among youth.
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House Bill 393 can be found at www.legis.la.gov
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