Consent Builds Confidence, Improves Child Safety

Growing up, we had a small, 4 ft above ground pool. My parents had a few basic rules, and one very, VERY clear rule: no one yells “HELP!” in the pool unless they really need help. If you yell “help!” in the pool, the nearest adult is jumping in, fully clothed, electronics included, to save you. This is serious business. My sister and I would articulate this to every friend who joined us to swim.

As young parents, my husband and I took the spirit of that rule and made one connected to our every day: “When someone says stop, we stop.” Tickling and having fun, and someone says stop? We stop. Joking around and someone says stop? We stop. It was the easiest rule to enforce and model for both our daughter and our son. Even in their advanced ages (13 and 10), we use the same language. Teaching consent from an early age isn’t really rocket science.

However, in committee session for SB 442 yesterday, Senator Byrne had no answers for why he removed language around consent. The bill, aimed to remake human sexuality coursework, does however ensure that students watch high-definition video of sperm meeting egg, and ultrasound of fetus development. 

According to the Indiana Coalition to End Sexual Assault, 3 in 5 women and 1 in 4 men in Indiana are victims of sexual violence. One of the easiest and best ways to change those statistics is to introduce consent as early as possible. Why is Senator Byrne so averse to teaching such a simple, age-appropriate, human-respect idea such as consent? The idea that watching a video of a sperm meeting an egg as being more important than understanding consent and preventing sexual assault is laughable at best and insulting at worse.

Join us in demanding Senator Byrne reinstate the language of consent in SB 442 by contacting his office: s47@iga.in.gov, 317-232-9497. Working together to set clear rules and boundaries for children helps them build confidence and prevent sexual assault.