California Gov. Gavin Newsom on Sunday vetoed a bill that would require all public high schools in the Golden State to make free condoms available to students.
The Democrat said he decided to return Senate Bill 541 without his signature because the economically stressed state – with more than 4,000 public schools – does not have the funds for such an extensive program.
The legislation, introduced by state Senator Caroline Menjivar, aims to prevent and reduce unwanted teen pregnancies and the spread of sexually transmitted infections among high school students.
Newsom said he believed in the merits of the bill, but the financial cost prevented him from signing.
“While evidence-based strategies, such as increasing access to condoms, are important to support better adolescent sexual health, this bill would create an unfunded mandate for public schools that would need to be considered in the annual budget process “he said in a memo announcing his veto.
Gov. Gavin Newsom vetoed a bill that would require all public high schools in the state to have free condoms on hand for students. AP
California’s governor and lawmakers passed a budget this year that closed a $30 billion deficit.
However, state lawmakers passed a series of bills that, if enacted, would add nearly $19 billion in costs outside of the approved state budget, Newsom said.
“As our state faces continued economic risks and revenue uncertainty, it is important to remain disciplined when considering bills with significant fiscal implications, like this measure,” he said. “For this reason I cannot sign this bill.”
The bill would also have prevented stores from denying customers from purchasing contraceptives based on their age.
The bill was intended to help reduce the number of teen pregnancies and prevent the spread of STIs among high school students. AP
Menjivar, the bill’s Democratic sponsor, said that “by requiring free condoms in all California high schools, we are empowering young people who choose to be sexually active to protect themselves and their partners from [sexually transmitted infections]while removing barriers that potentially embarrass them and lead to unprotected sex,” according to the LA Times.
Conservative groups had raised public objections to the bill. The California Policy Council said the bill would have encouraged teenagers to think that “sex is meaningless and done for fun with multiple partners,” the local newspaper reported.
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Source: vtt.edu.vn