Sec. 3. Definitions
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In this Act: The term age and developmentally appropriate means topics, messages, and teaching methods suitable to particular ages, age groups, or developmental levels, based on cognitive, emotional, social, and behavioral capacity of most young people at that age level. The term characteristics of effective programs means the aspects of evidence-informed programs, including development, content, and implementation of such programs, that— have been shown to be effective in terms of increasing knowledge, clarifying values and attitudes, increasing skills, and impacting behavior; and are widely recognized by leading medical and public health agencies to be effective in changing sexual behaviors that lead to sexually transmitted infections, unintended pregnancy, and interpersonal violence among young people.
The term consent means affirmative, conscious, and voluntary agreement to engage in interpersonal, physical, or sexual activity. The term culturally responsive means education and services that— embrace and actively engage and adjust to young people and their various cultural identities; recognize the ways in which many marginalized young people face unique barriers in our society that result in increased adverse health outcomes and associated stereotypes; and may address the ways in which racism has shaped national health care policy, the lasting historical trauma associated with reproductive health experiments and forced sterilizations of Black, Latinx, and Indigenous communities, or sexual stereotypes assigned to young People of Color or LGBTQ+ people.
The term evidence-informed means incorporates characteristics, content, or skills that have been proven to be effective through evaluation in changing sexual behavior. The term gender expression means the expression of one's gender, such as through behavior, clothing, haircut, or voice, and which may or may not conform to socially defined behaviors and characteristics typically associated with being either masculine or feminine. The term gender identity means the gender-related identity, appearance, mannerisms, or other gender-related characteristics of an individual, regardless of the individual's designated sex at birth.
The term inclusive means content and skills that ensure marginalized young people are valued, respected, centered, and supported in sex education instruction and materials. The term institution of higher education has the meaning given the term in section 101 of the Higher Education Act of 1965 ( 20 U.S.C. 1001 ). The term interpersonal violence means abuse, assault, bullying, dating violence, domestic violence, harassment, intimate partner violence, or stalking. The term marginalized young people means young people who are disadvantaged by underlying structural barriers and social inequities, including young people who are— Black, Indigenous, and other People of Color; immigrants; in contact with the foster care system; in contact with the juvenile justice system; experiencing homelessness; pregnant or parenting; lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, or queer; living with HIV; living with disabilities; from families with low-incomes; or living in rural areas.
The term medically accurate and complete means that— the information provided through the education is verified or supported by the weight of research conducted in compliance with accepted scientific methods and is published in peer-reviewed journals, where applicable; or the education contains information that leading professional organizations and agencies with relevant expertise in the field recognize as accurate, objective, and complete. The term resilience means the ability to adapt to trauma and tragedy.
The term Secretary means the Secretary of Health and Human Services. The term sex education means high quality teaching and learning that— is delivered, to the maximum extent practicable, following the National Sexuality Education Standards of the Future of Sex Ed Initiative; is about a broad variety of topics related to sex and sexuality, including— puberty and adolescent development; sexual and reproductive anatomy and physiology; sexual orientation, gender identity, and gender expression; contraception, pregnancy, and reproduction;
HIV and other STIs; consent and healthy relationships; and interpersonal violence; explores values and beliefs about such topics; and helps young people in gaining the skills that are needed to navigate relationships and manage one’s own sexual health. The term sexual development means the lifelong process of physical, behavioral, cognitive, and emotional growth and change as it relates to an individual's sexuality and sexual maturation, including puberty, identity development, socio-cultural influences, and sexual behaviors.
The term sexual health services includes— sexual health information, education, and counseling; all methods of contraception approved by the Food and Drug Administration; routine gynecological care, including human papillomavirus
(HPV)vaccines and cancer screenings; pre-exposure prophylaxis or post-exposure prophylaxis; substance use and mental health services; interpersonal violence survivor services; and other prevention, care, or treatment services. The term sexual orientation means an individual's romantic, emotional, or sexual attraction to other people. The term trauma means a response to an event, series of events, or set of circumstances that is experienced or witnessed by an individual or group of people as physically or emotionally harmful or life-threatening with lasting adverse effects on their functioning and mental, physical, social, emotional, or spiritual well-being. The term trauma-informed and resilience-oriented means an approach that realizes the prevalence of trauma, recognizes the various ways individuals, organizations, and communities may respond to trauma differently, recognizes that resilience can be built, and responds by putting this knowledge into practice. The term young people means individuals who are ages 10 through 29 at the time of commencement of participation in a project supported under this Act. The term youth-friendly sexual health services means sexual health services that are provided in a confidential, equitable, and accessible manner that makes it easy and comfortable for young people to seek out and receive services.
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