Op/Ed: Education, parental guidance religious teaching will protect children not book bans

Recent disclosures in the state legislature have raised the temperature of my blood to boiling. Sen. Jim Tomes, R-District 49, has revealed that there are people in our state who are sharing "harmful material" with underage children. Specifically, they are exposing our children to "really, really, really bad books," including "raw pornography." Some of these "disgusting works" deal with sex education, drug use, violence, sexual abuse, and gender identity."

Thank God, Tomes, has introduced a bill that will deal with these dangerous people. If charged, they could face a Level 6 felony which carries a maximum penalty of 2 1/2 years in prison and a $10,000 fine. But wait, who are these degenerate people who would destroy the innocence of our children? Teachers? Really, teachers?

As if our underpaid, overworked teachers do not suffer enough under the misinformed efforts of the state legislature to control what is best left to competent educators. Wake up people! Do you not live in the modern world? Look around you. The state is awash with drugs. Sexual predators exist in every community. Young women are being led into lives of outright sexual slavery through interactions on their cell phones and computers with "really, really, really" bad people. Underage pregnancies lead to abortions and/or alter the lives of young women in ways that can never be undone.

Banning bad books: 'I hope it does have a chilling effect': Indiana Senate passes bill targeting 'bad books'

Tomes does not want teachers exposing children to "disgusting works" dealing with sex education, drug use, violence, sexual abuse and gender identity, the very works that might well prevent young people from falling into a bad situation that can destroy their lives. Far from harming children, education in these sordid matters along with parental guidance and religious teaching are the only ways we have of protecting our children. Ignorance inevitably will cause some children to stray into trouble, which can ruin their lives.

The Tomes bill comes at a time when the state is desperately looking to fill open teaching positions and when the respect for teachers among parents and society in general is at a low ebb and falling. The people who will pay the cost of this are our young people. If the state continues to attack our teachers, it will become even harder to recruit new teachers and already overworked teacher will have to fill in the gaps. Many will leave instead. My word to legislators: Keep your hands off that which you are not competent to change. Your efforts can only do more harm to an educational system already groaning under the stress of lack of funds, rapidly changing demographics and legislative interference.

Jim Curry is professor emeritus of biology at Franklin College and a former president of the Indiana Academy of Science and is the author of two books: "Dragonflies of Indiana," and "Children of God, Children of Earth."

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Book ban penalties will have chilling effect on recruiting teachers