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COLUMBUS, Ohio -- An Ohio bill that would require public schools to provide age-appropriate child sexual abuse prevention instruction has been held up in an Ohio Senate committee, as a conservative Christian public policy group is pushing for changes that would emphasize abstinence before marriage, discourage transgender students from gender-affirming care, ban the simulation of sexual acts and the demonstration of contraception use during the lessons, among other propositions.

House Bill 105, also known as Erins Law, has been introduced five times in the Ohio General Assembly. This legislative session, the Ohio House passed the bill June 10 by a margin of 86-8.

The bill requires school districts, charter schools and science, technology, engineering and math or STEM schools to provide child sexual abuse prevention instruction for grades K-6.

For grades 7-12, schools would have to provide age-appropriate instruction in sexual violence prevention. Schools must also provide counseling and resources for students who have been victims of abuse and violence.

But the Center for Christian Virtue is wading into the bill and has circulated a proposed amendment with several changes to HB 105.

The proposed changes come at a time when a vocal contingency of parents do not trust their kids schools. They say they are concerned about liberal ideologies taught to their kids about the history of American racism, social-emotional learning and sex education. Critics say the new fears over indoctrination are invented and a ploy for the GOP to anger and mobilize voters ahead of the November midterm election.

Some of the groups suggestions are already in other parts of Ohio law, such as instruction that promotes sexual abstinence until marriage.

Erins Law is named after Erin Merryn, an Illinois woman who was abused by two people when she was a child. She suffered with confusion and shame for years, and struggled with self-injury, an eating disorder, depression and a suicide attempt as a result. Both men who abused her told her to not utter a word, she said.

I stayed silent because my only education was from these perpetrators, she said.

Realizing that children are taught what to do when a fire alarm goes off, but not what to do when theyre abused, she created Erins Law. Over 30 states have passed it. Ohio is a special place for Merryn, she said, since her husband is from the state. She said she wants it passed but does not agree with some of the ideas the Center for Christian Virtue have for her bill.

This bill will get passed and I will make sure of it, she said. I dont want these changes. They are being unrealistic and putting all this fear that Erins Law addresses all these other issues it doesnt. It teaches personal body safety, so they need to quit interrupting the process and let the bill pass.

Erins Law is now in the Ohio Senate Primary and Secondary Education Committee. Bill sponsor Rep. Scott Lipps, a Dayton-area Republican, said he believes there are the votes in the committee to advance the bill to the Senate floor. But its being held up, he said.

Committee Chair Sen. Andrew Brenner, a Delaware County Republican, hasnt held a hearing on the bill since Oct. 5. He wants the sponsors and the Center for Christian Virtue to negotiate a compromise.

Among the provisions in the Center for Christian Virtues amendment:

- The bill should stress that students should abstain from sexual activity until after marriage.

- That age-appropriate instruction means no visuals showing couples in sexual situations, children shouldnt role play scenarios or sexual conversations in the K-6 instruction

- That there be no instruction about consent for grades 7-12.

- No instruction shall imply that healthy relationships for minor children may include consensual sexual activity.

- Contraception use cannot be demonstrated.

- No instruction shall incorporate materials from groups advocating abortion, marketing contraceptives or cross-sex hormones, or those advocating or condoning sexual behavior among minor children.

- No instruction should advise that any information be withheld from parents, or imply that parents are untrustworthy, or in any way undermine the parent/ child relationship or the primary role of the family. Very few parents are guilty of sexual abuse of children, and to imply in any way that information should be concealed from most or all parents is unjust and deeply harmful to children and the family relationship.

- No teachers/staff may encourage students to join school-based groups that advocate teen sexual identities and behaviors.

For Lipps and Rep. Brigid Kelly, a Cincinnati Democrat who is also sponsoring the bill, the changes are unacceptable and steer away from the original purpose of Erins Law.

Its really about trying to prevent kids from being victims, from having to live through a life of trauma, Kelly said.

Lipps and Kelly recently agreed to a compromise in which parents can choose to opt their children out of receiving the instruction, which is another suggestion from the Center for Christian Virtue expected to soon be amended into the bill. But beyond that, the sponsors arent interested in the other provisions the group wants.

Brenner, the chairman of the Senate committee, said in addition to the Center for Christian Virtue, Ohio Value Voters also have concerns with the bill.

Theyre concerned that it is leading to sex ed and promoting a social agenda, Brenner said. ... There is so much distrust among a large chunk of the electorate over what is going on on these matters in schools -- with the issues around identity, you know students identity. Theyre concerned that things are going to be taught or promoted that are not along the lines of Erins Law.

Aaron Baer, president of the Center for Christian Virtue, said the amendment in part attempts to prevent Planned Parenthoods curriculum from making its way into Ohio schools, although Planned Parenthood has not provided testimony on the bill and hasnt been involved in the drafting of HB 105.

The Center for Christian Virtue doesnt agree with Planned Parenthoods stances on abortion and gender-affirming care for transgender kids.

Its all of these things that we have concerns with that parents dont want to have in their classroom. And so were saying, Look, if you want to do sexual violence prevention education, OK. Lets see what it is. Show us what it is. And then people can go along with that, Baer said.

Aileen Day, a spokeswoman for Planned Parenthood Advocates of Ohio said that the organization has no specific curricula for sexual violence prevention. It has a number of sex education programs, depending on the audience, that include discussions about the age of consent, identifying healthy and unhealthy relationships, communication with parents and other topics that are interconnected with sexual abuse and violence prevention.

Baer said that his organization wants to continue to work with Lipps and Kelly on the bill to make sure parents arent locked out of this equation, and children arent being pushed into more risky behaviors. Then well be in great shape.

Ohios existing sex education law is clear: When schools provide instruction in venereal disease prevention, they shall emphasize that abstinence from sexual activity is the only protection that is one hundred per cent effective against unwanted pregnancy, sexually transmitted disease, and the sexual transmission of a virus that causes acquired immunodeficiency syndrome.

So why is it necessary to repeat the abstinence requirement in Erins Law, which isnt about sex ed but sexual abuse and violence?

Baer said that its to prevent schools or curriculum from veering too far off course. He also notes that having a bullet point in the law emphasizing abstinence doesnt mean that teachers have to literally tell children they need to refrain from sex outside of marriage in the same breath as explaining good touch versus bad touch.

But with all laws, the devil is in the details, and instruction will depend on how the law is interpreted.

Theres a potential that if a child hears about the abstinence requirement during sexual abuse prevention education, they may blame themselves for abuse that has happened to them, which could cause shame and a slew of psychological harm that could last decades, said Erin Ostling Burkholder, director of outreach and prevention for Crime Victim Services.

Her organization offers 10 different programs in Allen and Putnam counties in the west-central part of the state, including rape crisis, child advocacy and violence prevention. It favors the bill in its original form, she said.

I think we can still teach an abstinence-only sexual education, curriculum and have a sexual violence, sexual abuse prevention curriculum, Ostling Burkholder said. Sexual abuse and sex are not the same thing. Rape and sex are completely different. And so to try to say that they are the same or to talk about them in the same way is very harmful. And I think its very confusing and misleading, particularly for children.

Merryn, who created Erins Law, said that she supported the Center for Christian Virtues position that parents deserve an opt-out from the instruction if they so choose. Several other states have that. But she doesnt support the groups other propositions as they might weaken the effectiveness of the legislation, she said.

In discussions with the Center for Christian Virtue, Merryn said that her website contains a list of age-appropriate sexual abuse and sexual violence prevention curriculum used in the other states that have Erins Law. Examples include Kid Power, a curriculum that also includes bullying prevention, abduction and other violence, and Darkness to Light: End Child Sexual Abuse, which trains adults in prevention so they can take it to their communities.

Ninety-percent of sexual abuse is perpetrated by someone a child knows -- a family member, faith leader, coach or others, said Dr. Tracy Najera, executive director of the Childrens Defense Fund of Ohio. Its important for children to know they deserve bodily privacy and what is appropriate touch. As a child gets into middle and high school they need to learn about sexual violence.

There are curriculum out there that are age-appropriate, posted on websites for school administrators, for teachers, for parents, for community members to take a look and see whats being taught, so theres nothing off or weird or would make parents take pause, she said.

Najera found the Christian organizations position puzzling, she said.

This is not the time and place for these types of cultural wars, she said. Theres so many stories in the last couple of years of someone who is a teacher or a coach, or someone who is trusted, violating a child. And this goes on for years, and the child is suffering. And then when the child is asked, Why didnt you tell anyone? They say, I didnt think anyone would believe me.

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Culture wars may sink bill in Ohio General Assembly on child sexual abuse prevention instruction - cleveland.com