Past Issues

SUMMER 2008 ISSUE

ACCESS TO EFFECTIVE SEX EDUCATION

Prevention—it's a common-sense public health policy that we can all support.  The ability to access vital information and services helps people avoid poor health outcomes and leads to healthy, happier families.  May is National Teen Pregnancy Prevention Month, an opportune time to spotlight the need for proper sexual health and prevention education.  Unfortunately, Texas adolescents are not receiving this important information they need in order to stay healthy, and we are seeing the distressing repercussions. 

• Texas now has the highest teen birth rate in the U.S. of those 15-19 years old and the 5th highest teen pregnancy rate, according to a November 2007 study published by the non-profit group Child Trends.

• As well, young people in the U.S. ages 15-19 are contracting sexually transmitted infections (STIs) at epidemic rates, according to a recent study by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). 

Planned Parenthood is a leader in efforts to reduce teen pregnancy and STI rates. Planned Parenthood of North Texas (PPNT) offers many resources to help adolescents learn vital sexual health information, as well as resources for parents and educators to open communications about sex and responsible decision-making.

PPNT community educators provide group educational programs throughout the North Texas area in locations that include schools, colleges, faith-based organizations, criminal justice settings, shelters, and social service settings.  Last year, PPNT educators taught 16,188 adolescents through our community education programs.

Teen Savvy is a daylong program for young people ages 11-17 who participate in summer programs offered by Dallas social service agencies.  Our Teen Savvy conference teaches life skills such as drug/alcohol abuse prevention, gang prevention, career skills, and positive body image.

TACT (TeenAge Communication Theatre) is a group of high school student volunteers who educate their peers, their families, and other adults about sexuality, substance abuse, peer pressure, and decision-making through drama.  Since TACT's inception in 1984, PPNT has trained more than 400 TACT members who have performed for more than 55,000 people. 

PPNT's Sid W. Richardson Learning Resource Center in Fort Worth houses an extensive collection of books, journals, curricula, videos, and other materials pertaining to sexuality and reproductive health that are available for public use.

All of these educational resources are a vital part of our mission to help everyone protect their health, improve their lives, and create stronger, happier families.

An alarming study was recently released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) that found 1 in 4 girls aged 15-19 has contracted at least one sexually transmitted infection (STI) and that many are unaware they are infected or passing infections to their partners.

The study provides a clear picture of infection rates among young people and clearly indicates that STIs have reached epidemic proportions for U.S. teens.  More important, though, is that this study proves once again that American youth lack the information and services they need to prevent STIs and other serious health conditions in the first place.  Many schools in the U.S. and in Texas either give no sex education courses at all or teach abstinence-only-until-marriage sex education, which discusses abstinence as the only way to fully protect against pregnancy and STIs but mentions nothing positive about condoms or contraception.  Thus, most young people who become sexually active have no knowledge of how to protect their health and are left to grapple with the consequences of ineffective, incomplete sex education.

Help Teens Get REAL Sex Education!  The Responsible Education About Life (REAL) Act would provide funding to states for medically-accurate, comprehensive sex education that includes information about both abstinence AND contraception that young women and men need to protect themselves.  Urge your representatives to support the REAL Act by sending an e-mail through our REAL Sex Education advocacy campaign.

U.S HOUSE COMMITTEE DEBATES EFFECTIVENESS OF ABSTINENCE-ONLY PROGRAMS 

Representative Henry Waxman (D-CA) led a committee hearing by the U.S. House Oversight and Government Reform Committee on April 23 to examine the effectiveness of current abstinence-only sex education programs and whether the federal government should continue funding such programs.  The committee heard testimony from many leading medical and youth-orientated organizations who called on Congress to do away with these programs because there is growing scientific evidence that they do not delay adolescent sexual activity, reduce the frequency of youth having sex, or prevent teen pregnancy and STIs.

Since 1996, the U.S. government has provided more than $1.5 billion to abstinence-only sex education.  Federal law dictates that such programs adhere to a strict 8-point definition that restricts educators from talking about condoms or contraception except to say they don't work and requires the programs to teach that sexual activity outside of marriage is wrong and harmful—for people of any age.

However, there is no federal government funding available for comprehensive sex education programs, even though these programs have been shown to be effective in delaying adolescents from having sex and helping them to prevent pregnancies and STIs when they do choose to become sexually active (see, for example, Emerging Answers 2007 by the National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy).  There is no such evidence from peer-reviewed studies to support abstinence-only education in the same way, and in fact, the government's own study of these programs found that youth participating in them were no more likely to abstain from sex or to have fewer sexual partners than those who received no sex education at all.

Seventeen states have refused abstinence-only sex education funding from the federal government since 1996, explaining that they are simply unrealistic.  Yet, Congress continues to spend more than $170 million of taxpayers' dollars every year on these programs, even while more states refuse to waste money on them.

President Bush has proposed increasing funds for abstinence-only programs by $28 million for fiscal year 2009 but, astonishingly, has proposed decreasing funding by $90,000 for studies to further evaluate abstinence-only programs!  Furthermore, his budget does not increase funding for the Title X family planning program, although the program has been proven to prevent unintended pregnancies and lower rates of sexually transmitted infections (STIs).  And Title X is significantly underfunded.  If funding for the Title X program had kept pace with inflation, it would receive more than $700 million a year—instead of its current amount of $300 million.  Clearly, prevention is a low priority in Congress and the White House.

While the Oversight and Government Reform Committee’s hearing is a great first step, it’s not enough to protect young people’s health and prevent unintended pregnancies.  It’s past time young people received effective sex education through medically-accurate, comprehensive programs that teach about abstinence AND the benefits of condoms and contraception.  Visit our current advocacy campaign today and urge your Representatives to fund REAL sex education.

Join PPNT for our 18th annual Teen Savvy workshop in Dallas and volunteer to make a difference to North Texas teens.  Teen Savvy is a daylong program in July to help build life skills and self-image for at-risk youth ages 11-17.  PPNT needs volunteers to help assist as hall, room, or parking lot monitors; with on-site registration; or with food and T-shirt distribution.  It’s fun, free and a great way to give back to your community!  Please contact Denise Rodriguez at (214) 363-2004 ext. 185 if you would like to volunteer.