title:  Teens Get Creeped Out When Republican Lawmaker Asks If They Are Virgins During Statehouse Visit
text: Can you imagine if Republicans interrogated every constituent about their sexual activity? Well, these kids don t have to imagine it, they experienced it.During a visit to the offices of several lawmakers on Teen Lobbying Day, a group of students chaperoned by Planned Parenthood employee Rachel Todd were absolutely stunned when Washington State Rep. Mary Dye interrogated them about whether or not they are virgins and began offering them unwanted marriage and sex advice.The teens were there to advocate in support of expanding insurance to cover birth control, but when they got there, Dye gave them an  unprompted  lecture instead about the choices she thinks teen girls should make. After she made the statement about virginity, all of my teens looked at me and I said,  You don t have to answer that. You don t have to answer that,  Todd told the Seattle Times.Soon after, Dye delivered a prepared apology: I shared with them that I did not support the issues they were advocating for. Following a conversation they initiated on birth control for teenagers, I talked about the empowerment of women and making good choices   opinions shaped by my mother and being a mother of three daughters. In hindsight, a few of the thoughts I shared, while well-intended, may have come across as more motherly than what they would expect from their state representative. If anything I said offended them or made them feel uncomfortable, I apologize. Todd, who is an education specialist with the women s health organization, said that she has never witnessed such inappropriateness during a meeting. I ve never been in any type of meeting, especially with teens where an adult, especially an adult legislator, was so incredibly disrespectful and inappropriate,  she said.One student in the group, Alex Rubino, thinks Dye was insane. It seemed kind of insane for her to say that, especially on the record, to constituents,  he said.Indeed, lawmakers should be acting like lawmakers instead of trying to parent other people s children. These teens came to talk to her about a serious issue and ended up being questioned about their sex lives and told what choices they should make.Considering Dye is an anti-birth control conservative, it s assumed that she preached about the virtues of abstinence-only as the only choice these teens should make when it comes to sex. However, it is increased access to and knowledge of birth control that is responsible for the dropping teen birth rate and abortion rate across the country.Perhaps Dye and other Republicans should stick to facts and reason next time they meet with constituents instead of prying into their private lives and giving out unwanted opinions.Featured Image: CSPAN