Parents Protest Planned Parenthood Link

Parents Protest Planned Parenthood Link

A group of parents in Batavia, Illinois, have asked Batavia Public Library to remove from its young adult website a link to Teenwire, a sex education website created by Planned Parenthood and targeted at adolescents.

About 50 residents, some of them members of the group Concerned Families for Batavia, attended a hearing before the library board’s June 17 meeting convened to speak out against the link, the Kane County Chronicle reported June 18. “There’s no way teens can look at this and get accurate information,” said Kerry Knott, a member of the group. Knott cited a video on the site in which animated characters explain how pregnancy occurs. Another group member, Scott Russell, charged that Teenwire is “encouraging teenagers to use birth control, not abstinence.” The board made no decision, but will hold another public hearing before its regular July 15 meeting.

Concerned Families for Batavia had previously filed a complaint about the link with the library, asking that it be removed or that the library require teens to get parental permission to view the page. A library staff committee recommended maintaining unfettered access to the link in May because the library considers the site accurate and because it has received positive reviews and awards, BPL Director George Scheetz told American Libraries. Scheetz noted that, as a result of the review, the library has added a link to FamilyDoctor.org’s For Teens page, which Knott recommended as an alternative to Teenwire.

“We’re really focusing on information and accuracy and provided well-rounded resources for our community,” Scheetz added.

Posted on June 23, 2008. Discuss.