SIECUS State Report Cards: Sex Ed Divides Widen as Anti‑Abortion Materials Spread in Classrooms

# What the new SIECUS analysis shows

SIECUS: Sex Ed for Social Change released its 2026 State Report Cards and the picture is uneven. Where a young person lives increasingly determines whether they get age‑appropriate, medically accurate sex education or instruction shaped by political and ideological priorities.

The report updates a state‑by‑state grading system that tracks laws and policies governing sex education. Its findings point to widening policy gaps: only five states have statutes that require comprehensive sex education, while multiple states received failing grades under SIECUS's metrics.

# Bills, laws, and the legislative landscape

SIECUS tracked 174 sex‑education bills in 2026. More than half of those bills (54%) were classified as restrictive. Six restrictive bills became law during the year. These measures frequently promote abstinence‑only teaching, limit discussion of contraception and LGBTQIA+ topics, or mandate content that public health groups consider medically inaccurate.

A specific example highlighted in the report is the so‑called "Baby Olivia" style legislation, which requires fetal development content that SIECUS describes as medically inaccurate. The report frames these moves as part of coordinated efforts by anti‑abortion and anti‑LGBTQIA+ organizations to reshape curriculum.

# Federal policy changes and litigation

The federal administration attempted to expand abstinence‑only rhetoric, spread misinformation about contraception, and shrink protections for LGBTQIA+ youth through changes to programs such as the Teen Pregnancy Prevention Program. A federal judge blocked implementation of the administration's new requirements on August 19, 2026. SIECUS is a plaintiff in the lawsuit challenging those changes.

The court's order halted implementation but did not restore grants that had already been terminated. Litigation remains active, so federal policy and funding for sex‑ed programs could change further depending on legal and administrative outcomes.

# Geographic effects and student access

States with statutes requiring comprehensive sex education — California, Colorado, Illinois, Oregon, and Washington — stand out in SIECUS's analysis. In many other states, sex education varies widely by district or is shaped by restrictive laws, leaving students dependent on ZIP code for access to accurate health information.

SIECUS's State Report Cards aim to make these policy differences visible and create a baseline for communities to understand how local and state rules affect classroom instruction.

# Response and advocacy

To translate the report into action, SIECUS launched a digital advertising campaign targeted at priority states. The campaign is designed to raise public awareness about changes to sex‑education policy and to connect parents, educators, young people, and advocates with resources to engage in local policy debates.

# What this means for educators, parents, and policymakers

• Expect continued legal and political fights over curriculum content, funding, and program eligibility.

• Advocacy and outreach efforts — like SIECUS's campaign — are likely to increase in states where policy shifts threaten comprehensive, medically accurate instruction.

SIECUS's 2026 State Report Cards are intended as a tool for communities to monitor changes and mobilize where needed. The litigation over federal policy and the recent crop of state bills mean sex education policy will remain a contested area in the near term.