Pages with information about contraceptive methods will be removed from the textbooks used to teach biology in the Gilbert, Arizona schools following a vote by the school board there.
Gilbert, a town near Phoenix, has 39,000 students in the school district. The Gilbert Public Schools board voted this week to remove two pages from the textbook, "Campbell Biology: Concepts and Connections."
They are removing content about contraception, including an explanation of how emergency contraceptive pills work and information about abortion. Why? Board members stated they had to do this because of a 2012 Arizona state law which says that "the state's strong interest in promoting childbirth and adoption over elective abortion" means that school programs must present those as "the preferred options."
The vote came over the objections of the American Civil Liberties Union of Arizona which wrote a letter to the board objecting to censorship of the textbook. The state's Department of Education said the book did not appear to violate state law. A religious organization disagreed, and pressed the issue with school officials.
There may be more of the same in the future in Arizona. The state senator who sponsored the law requiring the state's schools to advocate for childbirth and adoption for pregnant students is expected to push other school districts to do the same.
More information in this report from MSNBC: http://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow/watch/school-board-to-yank-books-abor...