REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH CARE IN TEXAS

Texas and the 49 Other States

• Texas has the highest rate of uninsured people at 24.4%.¹

• Texas has one of the highest rates of births to adolescents aged 15-19.²

• Texas has the highest rate of repeat births to teens aged 15-19.³

• Texas has the 5th highest rate of pregnancies to adolescents aged 15-19.⁴

• Texas has the 8th highest rate of syphilis among the general population.⁵

• Texas has the 18th highest rate of gonorrhea among the general population.⁶

• Texas has the 25th highest rate of chlamydia among the general population.⁷

• Texas has the 43rd lowest rate of provision for contraceptive services to women in need.⁸

• Texas has the 44th lowest rate of women receiving prenatal care.⁹

Access to Reproductive Health Care and Contraception

• In Texas, 31% of women ages 15-44 lack health insurance, the highest uninsured rate for women of child-bearing age in the country.¹⁰

• There are nearly 1.4 million women in Texas who qualify for, but do not have, access to subsidized family planning health care.¹¹

• Since September 1, 2003, insurers in Texas can offer plans to employers and individuals that do not include state mandated coverage of health benefits, such as contraceptives.¹²

• In Texas, emergency rooms have to provide information about emergency contraception to survivors of sexual assault, but they are not required to dispense it, even if requested.¹³

Sexual Health Education

• Texas does not require schools to provide sexuality education.¹⁴

• If a sexuality education course is taught, it must teach abstinence but is not required to provide information about contraception, including condom use.¹⁵

• Sex Education courses must:
  • Present abstinence from sexual activity as the preferred choice of behavior in relation to all sexual activity for unmarried persons of school age

  • Devote more attention to abstinence from sexual activity than to any other behavior

  • Emphasize that abstinence from sexual activity is the only method that is 100 percent effective in preventing pregnancy, HIV/AIDS, and the emotional trauma associated with adolescent sexual activity

  • Direct adolescents to a standard of behavior in which abstinence from sexual activity before marriage is the most effective way to prevent pregnancy AND

  • Teach that condoms and contraception are ineffective because of human error if instructions on condoms and contraception are included in the curriculum.¹⁶

• If a course providing sexually transmitted infection (STI) education is taught, it must teach abstinence, but is not required to provide STI prevention information, such as the use of condoms.¹⁷

• In November 2003, the Texas State Board of Education adopted sex education textbooks that do not discuss contraceptives or condoms, except for their ineffectiveness, and only talk about remaining abstinent until marriage.¹⁸  The books also do nothing to help sexually active teens comprehend and deal with the emotions of adolescent sexual activity.  These textbooks will be used in Texas schools for the next ten years.

1. U.S. Census Bureau.  Current Population Reports, P60-235.  "Income, Poverty, and Health Insurance Coverage in the United States:  2007."  August 2008.  [Online, accessed October 14, 2008, http://www.census.gov/prod/2008pubs/p60-235.pdf].

2. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).  National Vital Statistics Report.  "Births: Final Data for 2006."  January 7, 2009.  [Online, accessed January 21, 2009, http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nvsr/nvsr57/nvsr57_07.pdf].

3. ChildTrends.  "Facts at a Glance."  Publication # 2008-29.  July 2008.  [Online, accessed October 15, 2008, http://www.childtrends.org/files/Child_Trends-2008_07_30_FactsAtAGlance.pdf].

4. Guttmacher Institute.  "U.S. Teenage Pregnancy Statistics National and State Trends and Trends by Race and Ethnicity."  September 2006.  [Online, accessed October 15, 2008, http://www.guttmacher.org/pubs/2006/09/12/USTPstats.pdf].

5. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).  National Center for HIV/AIDS, Viral Hepatitis, STD, and TB Prevention.  "Texas - 2007 Profile."  2007.  [Online, accessed October 15, 2008, http://www.cdc.gov/nchhstp/stateprofiles/Texas/Texas_Profiles.htm].
6. Ibid.

7. Ibid.

8. Guttmacher Institute.  "Contraception Counts: Texas."  March 2006.  [Online, accessed October 15, http://www.guttmacher.org/pubs/state_data/states/texas.pdf].

9. Legislative Budget Board.  "Texas Fact Book 2008."  [Online, accessed December 9, 2008, http://www.lbb.state.tx.us/Fact_Book/Texas_FactBook_2008.pdf].

10. March of Dimes.  "Census Data on Uninsured Women and Children."  September 2008.  [Online, accessed December 9, 2008, http://www.marchofdimes.com/files/Uninsured_Highlights08(2).pdf].

11. Guttmacher Institute.  "Contraception Counts: Texas."  March 2006.  [Online, accessed December 9, 2008, http://www.guttmacher.org/pubs/state_data/states/texas.pdf].

12. Texas Insurance Code.  Chapter 1507.005 (Williams 2003).

13. The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation.  "Texas: Emergency Room Requirements To Offer/Provide Sexual Assault Survivors with Emergency Contraception."  December 1, 2008.  [Online, accessed December 9, 2008 http://www.statehealthfacts.org/profileind.jsp?ind=497&cat=10&rgn=45].

14. Guttmacher Institute.  "State Policies in Brief: Sex and STI/HIV Education."  December 1, 2008.  [Online, accessed December 9, 2008, http://www.guttmacher.org/statecenter/spibs/spib_SE.pdf]

15. Ibid.

16. Texas Education Code.  Section 28.004.  (West 1996).

17. Ibid.

18. Stutz, Terrence.  "Texas picks textbooks that stress abstinence."  The Dallas Morning News, November 6, 2004.  [Online, accessed January 3, 2007, http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/education/2002083822_gays06.html].