OLYMPIA, Wash. -- The Immoral Minority, a group formed after the Moral Majority began exercising political muscle, is urging school districts to 'think carefully' before complying with the Majority's request for details of their sex education programs.
'They may find themselves deluged with similar nuisance-like requests from other individuals who have no children in their school district,' Robert Shirley, a founder and spokesman for Immoral Minority, said Wednesday.
Shirley's warning followed a request by Michael Farris, state director of the Moral Majority, to the state's 300 school districts for material 'regarding sexual reproduction, contraception, abortion, homosexuality, sexual intercourse or other sexual contact.'
Last month, Farris backed off on a demand that the state librarian supply him with the names of school districts which had checked out an award-winning sex education film titled 'Achieving Sexual Maturity.'
The state had refused to comply with his demand and Farris eventually dropped a lawsuit aimed at forcing the disclosure.
'We are concerned about some self-appointed guardian of the public morals cruising across the state in an attempt to usurp the right of individual parents to take a hand in their own childrens' education,' Shirley said.
'The real issue is that Mr. Farris does not want to talk about the 17,000 teen-agers who became pregnant last year in Washington,' he said.
Shirley said teen-age pregnancies can only be avoided if there is 'frank discussion taking place in public schools.'
Shirley raised the possibility of a legal confrontation between the Moral and Immoral groups when he said he would consider intervening as a 'friend of the court' if any school districts are sued by Farris for refusing to comply with his request.
