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HELENA - The proposed sex-education portion of the health curriculum at Helena Public Schools continues to garner national attention and stir controversy.

On Wednesday, nationally-acclaimed author and physician Miriam Grossman visited Helena and called the health curriculum a violation of children's innocence.

She spoke to a crowd of more than 400 people at Carroll College, telling attendees that the proposed curriculum was dangerous and seriously flawed, and that it violates Montana's curriculum standards of being abstinence-based.

"The curriculum presents too much information about sexuality in the early grades, and it doesn't present enough to the older grades middle school and up," Grossman said.

Grossman says teens need to understand the science of human attachment and that women are more susceptible to sexually transmitted diseases than men.

Curriculum supporters say the proposed health curriculum is age-appropriate and medically accurate, and claim that a comprehensive health curriculum is needed to help students make informed decisions.

"I do think that there are some areas I disagree with. I think that providing information to children when they are young to start building on the conversation and finding teachable moments so that they are prepared when you get into more technical subjects," commented Jill Baker of Planned Parenthood of Montana.

The proposed curriculum outlines sex education topics for each grade, K through 12. In the first grade, children would be taught that human beings can love people of the same gender; in second grade, kids are taught not to make fun of people by calling them "gay" or "queer."

By fifth grade, they would be taught there are several types of intercourse, and by the sixth grade, the draft document states that students should, "Understand that sexual intercourse includes but is not limited to vaginal, oral or anal penetration; using the penis, fingers, tongue or objects."

Click here to read the entire document (PDF).