TEXAS TEXTBOOKS REVISED: From the Dallas Morning News

The State Board of Education adopted new health textbooks Friday that promote traditional marriage and sexual abstinence while providing scant information about condoms, contraception and other sensitive sex-related topics.

Critics railed against the new high school texts, saying they'll be of little use to sexually active teenagers who need advice on avoiding unwanted pregnancies and sexually transmitted diseases. Texas leads the nation in teenage births.

But most board members said they preferred the overriding emphasis on abstinence. They don't believe it necessary for textbooks to present comprehensive information on condoms and other forms of contraception. Publishers also gave in to last-minute pressure from some board members to clearly define marriage as a "lifelong union" between a man and woman, and eliminate words that could suggest same-sex civil unions, such as "partners" and "couples."

The more striking changes suggested by social conservatives--including language that said homosexuals are more likely to use illegal drugs and commit suicide--were rejected by the publishers. ...

Textbook selection in Texas is closely watched because the state is the second-largest purchaser of school books in the nation and the largest state that approves specific books for all grade levels. Books adopted in Texas generally are marketed to public and private schools in dozens of other states.

Republican board member Terri Leo suggested several wording changes on Thursday after complaining that publishers were violating state laws banning same-sex marriages and civil unions. She said Friday that she was satisfied with the few revisions that were made by publishers overnight.

Holt, Rinehart and Winston added to its middle school health books this sentence: "Marriage is a lifelong union between a husband and wife."

The sentence was placed in three different sections in the books.

That addition came after Leo said the books' use of words like "partners" and "couples" implied approval of gay marriages and civil unions." ...

Publisher Glencoe/McGraw-Hill changed some wording throughout its high school books from phrases like "when two people marry" to "when a man and a woman marry."

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