Teen pregnancies have spiked exponentially in the United States in recent years, and according to the NCSL (National Conference of State Legislatures), Mississippi had the third highest teen birth rate in the United States in 2012, and is now number one in the nation for teen pregnancies between the ages of 15-19, 60% more than the U.S average, according to the Centers For Disease Control and Prevention.

Abstinence-only policies

Due to a law passed in 2012, Mississippi’s public school district had to adopt either abstinence-only sex education or abstinence-plus education policies. Before this new law, Public school districts were required to teach Abstinence-only sex education, and a majority of Mississippi schools adopted abstinence-only education even after this new law was passed, and continue to avoid or discourage the use of contraceptives.

Jamie Holcomb Bardwell, director of programs for Woman’s Fund of Mississippi, stated in an interview by the Huffington Post:

“Research shows that when young people have access to a curriculum that’s not abstinence-only … when it includes medically accurate information, they’re more likely to have lower pregnancy rates and lower sexually transmitted infection rates.”

According to the state Department of Education, Mississippi kept no record of how many districts taught abstinence-only under the old law.

Due to the lack of sexual health education and the overall consequence of abstinence-only education policies in Mississippi’s public schools, our youth rely solely on the internet, television, and even pornography to answer any sex-related question they might have, instead of getting their information from a well-informed health instructor or medical professional. This type of activity not only leads to risky sexual behavior, but also damages and drastically impacts our youths views on sex and relationships, as well as encourages unrealistic expectations of body image and performance.

Appearing on CBC News, sex therapist Wendy Maltz stated in an interview that “you won’t stop our young peoples curiosity about sex, and it’s important for them to know that curiosity is normal”.

Not only is abstinence-only sexual education unrealistic, it robs our youth of the opportunity to receive a well informed, professionally guided demonstration of the use of contraceptives, such as condoms and birth control, which have been proven to be 97% effective in preventing unwanted pregnancies as well as the spread of sexually-transmitted infections such as HIV and AIDS.

Safer Sex Means Safer Youth

The youth in Mississippi are in desperate need of the educational and economical support from parents, teachers, coaches, and pastors or youth leaders. The youth of this generation are THE FUTURE, and their well-being matters.

The cycle with teen pregnancies in relation to criminal activity, use of illicit drugs, the state poverty level, and dependency on child welfare is all linked to the lack of education — or more specifically the failure to properly educate or inform our youth on the importance of safe sex — as well as the importance of acquiring access to nearby sexual health care clinics that offer free birth control, condoms, free testing for STD’s and other medical necessities.

Regardless of personal opinion, studies have proven over and over that these things are necessary for ensuring that our youth COME FIRST. And further, they have proven that being properly prepared for the life-long, life changing commitment of parenthood not only positively impacts the experience as a whole, but will positively impact the rate of homeless or fostered youth, criminal charges in children under 18, gang-related illicit activity, drug use and addiction, the spread of incurable, life-threatening sexually-transmitted diseases, neglectful behavior and abandonment by young parents, and ensure the promise that every young person living in our community is deserving of a healthy life filled with hope, as well as the gift of opportunity.

After all, you can’t control the choices another person will make in their lifetime, but what you CAN do is give them the means necessary for them to be successful in anything they decide to do.

Sources

http://www.ncsl.org/research/health/teen-pregnancy-in-mississippi.aspx

https://www.cbc.ca/news/health/pornography-kids-and-sex-education-what-to-do-1.2836021

https://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/08/27/feature-mississippi-schoo_n_1831069.html