The study may be a casualty of “Don’t Say Gay” law
It emerged on November 1 that Florida is one of a number of other states (including Kentucky, Colorado and Idaho) that will be withdrawing from a long-term CDC study of teen mental health.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Youth Risk Behavior Study has been reaching out to thousands of high-school aged kids across America for the last 30 years, and is considered a good means of assessing the mental health stressors and safety risks facing teenagers across the nation.
“Don’t Say Gay” prevents such studies?
Recently however, the questionnaires that are used to gather the data from participating teens have started to contradict state-level laws, since they gather data on gender, sexual orientation and other factors. Since the Parental Rights in Education bill took effect in Florida (the so-called “Don’t Say Gay” law), school kids are not allowed to participate in such surveys without parental consent.
The law could therefore prevent the potential early detection of feelings of hopelessness, despair and suicidal ideation amongst participants who might otherwise have reported via the study, placing lives and welfare at risk.
“An enormous loss”
The broad intention behind Florida’s Parental Rights in Education Law as introduced by Governor Ron DeSantis was to allow schools to focus on the teaching of appropriate subjects in classrooms, while also protecting privacy and preventing government overreach into the lives of kids and families.
That it also prevents the gathering of mental health data regarding the state’s teenagers could be seen as a harmful side-effect.
Commenting on states like Florida withdrawing from the study, Kathleen Ethier of the CDC had this to say:
“Having that kind of data allows us to say ‘do this, not that’ in really important ways. For any state to lose the ability to have that data and use that data to understand what’s happening with young people in their state is an enormous loss.”
Many Floridians agree that federal government overreach (including that from the CDC) is not welcome in their state and in recent months, Governor DeSantis’ refusal to allow vaccine mandates to be enforced has been a good demonstration of this.
However, when it comes to gathering data that could help predict and prevent depression, addiction and suicide amongst teenagers seems like an enormous loss in the supposed name of freedom. Time will tell if there are unfortunate long-term consequences for Florida and the other states that opt out of the study.
Do you think Florida should continue to participate in a study that helps to protect teen mental health, or is the battle to protect freedom and privacy more important? Let me know your thoughts in the comments section below.
