SALT LAKE CITY (ABC 4 News) - Utah's legislative session may end at midnight Thursday but the controversy over its sex ed bill will not.
House Bill 363 says Utah school districts can teach abstinence or no sex ed at all.
According to the President of Utah's senate, Utahns only want schools to teach "core values."
Senator Michael Waddoups told reporters that he’s hearing from residents who are telling schools to focus on, "Reading, writing, math, science and quit wasting so much time on extra-curricular activities."
But just seconds later and a few seats away, Democratic Senator Gene Davis disagreed saying, "Sex goes on. Yes it does."
Utah's abstinence-only bill is now making headlines all over the country.
One newspaper even claims Utah would become the first state to ban public schools from teaching about contraception.
But when ABC 4 suggested that Utah was getting some unwelcome attention, Utah lawmakers simply laughed.
ABC 4 News: "You're aware it's made national news?”
Senator Waddoups: “Well, once again Utah is leading. Ha ha. (Several legislators laughed at this comment).”
----------------------Updated at 11:35 pm 3/8/12--------------------------------
In an interview late Thursday night, Governor Herbert told ABC 4 News that he has not yet decided what to do with this bill.
His options are to sign it, veto or let it become law without his signature.
----------------------Updated at 12:29 am 3/9/12---------------------------------
By early Friday morning, an on-line petition urging the governor to veto HB 363 had collected more
than 15,000 names.
----------------------Updated 10:19 am 3/9/12------------------------------------
There are now more than 20,000 people who have signed the on-line petition.
This means, roughly, five thousand people have signed in the last ten hours.
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