On May 15, some Colorado media outlets reported on Gov. Bill Ritter's (D) signing of several pieces of legislation, including House Bill 1292, which requires public schools to maintain human sexuality curriculum standards based on scientific research, and House Bill 1330, which allows so-called “second-parent” adoption. However, The Gazette of Colorado Springs and the Rocky Mountain News uncritically reported opponents' falsehoods about HB 1292, including claims that the bill will cost schools “federal grants” and “ban” abstinence-only education. Moreover, The Gazette and the News, along with KDVR Fox 31's Good Day Colorado, misleadingly focused on the most controversial aspect of HB 1330: adoption by same-sex couples.

A May 15 article in The Gazette (accessed through the newspaper's electronic edition) by Ed Sealover stated that HB 1292 “eliminates abstinence-only sex education” and uncritically reported opposition by "[r]eligious groups" that, according to the newspaper, claim the bill “will cost schools federal grants for abstinence instruction.” In fact, as Colorado Media Matters has pointed out, the bill explicitly exempts schools that currently receive federal funds for abstinence-only education.

Similarly, a May 15 News article by Alan Gathright reported, “Critics [of HB 1292] warned the law will ban abstinence-only sex education classes.” Like The Gazette, the News omitted the fact that the bill preserves current federally funded abstinence-only programs. It also requires that school districts "[e]stablish a procedure to exempt a student, upon request of the parent or guardian of such student, from a specific portion of the health education program on the grounds that it is contrary to the religious or personal beliefs." Furthermore, HB 1292 states explicitly -- as the News noted -- that schools offering planned instruction in human sexuality must “maintain content standards for the curriculum based on scientific research” and, at the same time, “emphasize abstinence and teach that sexual abstinence is the only certain way and the most effective way to avoid pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases and infections.”

Furthermore, in reporting on HB 1330, The Gazette, the News, and KDVR Fox 31's Good Day Colorado all emphasized that the bill allows same-sex couples to adopt a child -- even though it makes no direct reference to adoption by gay couples. As Colorado Media Matters has noted (here, here, here, and here), by referring to HB 1330 as a so-called “gay-adoption” bill, Colorado media outlets have frequently echoed the conservative Christian organization Focus on the Family's misleading characterization of the bill as “a back-door effort to legalize adoption by gay couples.”

While co-anchor Steve Kelley correctly reported on the May 15 broadcast of Fox 31's Good Day Colorado that Ritter “signed a number of bills into law, including one that let gay couples adopt,” the on-screen caption labeled HB 1330 as “Gay Couple Adoption.” Similarly, the headline on the News' article in its print edition read, “Gay adoption is law,” while the online version of the article was headlined, “Ritter signs bills on gay adoption, sex ed.” The Gazette's headline read: “Gay couples OK'd to adopt; abstinence-only sex ed cut.”

From Alan Gathright's May 15 Rocky Mountain News article, “Gay adoption is law”:

Gov. Bill Ritter signed bills into law Monday allowing gay couples to adopt and requiring science-based sex education standards at school districts offering human-sexuality courses.

Some religious groups, including Catholic Charities, had urged Ritter to veto House Bill 1330, the so-called second-parent adoption bill.

Focus on the Family founder James Dobson also called on his Christian radio show listeners to voice opposition to such legislation, saying “liberals have declared war on traditional morality and traditional family values in this state.”

[...]

Ritter also signed House Bill 1292, which requires that public schools offering sex education adopt standards rooted in sound scientific research.

The law advises districts to encourage parental involvement in crafting the standards and to teach that “sexual abstinence is the only certain way and the most effective to avoid pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases.”

Critics warned the law will ban abstinence-only sex education classes, but Ritter said it will help reduce Colorado's ranking as the 22nd state in the nation for number of teen pregnancies.

From Ed Sealover's May 15 Gazette article, “Gay couples OK'd to adopt; abstinence-only sex ed cut”:

DENVER -- Gov. Bill Ritter signed new laws Monday, among them, one that allows samesex couples to adopt and one that eliminates abstinence-only sex education.

The first-year Democratic governor had come under pressure from religious groups to veto the measures, but said in a statement he thinks the laws will help children -- the sex-ed bill by preventing unintended pregnancies and the adoption bill by giving kids a better chance to grow up in a stable home.

[...]

House Bill 1292 by Rep. Nancy Todd, D-Aurora, requires that school districts use scientificbased standards if they teach sex education. It allows for abstinence lessons but mandates that districts that offer them must also teach about contraception and sexually transmitted diseases.

Religious organizations and adoption agencies complained the adoption bill allows children to be too easily assigned to adults who are not their parents.

Religious groups objected to taking away the option of teaching only abstinence, saying it will cost schools federal grants for abstinence instruction.

From the May 15 broadcast of KDVR Fox 31's Good Day Colorado at 5:30 a.m.:

KELLEY: Governor Ritter is putting his pen to -- actually, put his pen to paper 26 times yesterday. He signed a number of bills into law, including one that let gay couples adopt. Another requires schools to include science in sex education classes. The governor still has another 200 bills to consider by June 4th.