RISE IN TEEN PREGNANCY

Cindy Marquez

The Signalz

The latest report issued by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2009) lists Texas as the state with the highest teen birth rate in the nation among girls age 15 – 19.

The National Vital Statistics System on the CDC website shows that in Texas, a total of 52,656 girls between the ages of 15 and 19 became mothers in 2009: 44,175 Caucasians; 7,922 African Americans; 176 American Indians; and 383 Asian or Pacific Islanders.

Ninety-four percent of Texas schools teach abstinence-only programs.  In fact, Texas receives more federal funding for abstinence-only-until-marriage sex education than any other state. This program excludes discussion on any forms of contraception or birth control including condoms.

Regardless of what type of federal funding has been applied for and received, in the state of Texas it is up to the individual school districts whether to teach comprehensive sex education or abstinence-only programs.

Governor Rick Perry has only sought funding for abstinence-only sex education programs in Texas schools.  In October 2010, Perry sat down with Evan Smith, editor in-chief of the Texas Tribune.  During the interview, Smith asked Perry why he continues to promote his abstinence-only sex education policy since Texas has one of the highest teen pregnancy rates in the nation.

Perry’s response was that “abstinence works,” despite Texas’ teen pregnancy ranking. His argument was that the problem “is the way it’s being taught or the way it’s being applied out there.” Perry went on to say that from his own personal experience, abstinence does work.

The School Health Advisory Council’s responsibility is to review the recommended sex education and curriculum to the school board. It is a state requirement that parents make up a percentage of SHAC membership.

“What we do know is that a lot of school health advisory councils, they don’t have the time or sometimes the knowledge to investigate the different programs that may be proven to work,” said Kim Johnson, project director for The University of Texas Prevention Research Center. “What will happen is they’ll have different vendors come in and sell their product and sell their curriculum; a lot of times that’s how their programs are selected. What we’ve been doing is educating school health advisory councils in choosing a program that’s evidence-based, abstinence-only, abstinence-plus, whatever program it is, that it’s evidence-based behavior.”

Johnson pointed out that Harris County was granted $15 million to do evidence-based programming. Also, The University of Texas Prevention Center is currently in collaboration with 10 school districts offering a program that is abstinence-plus that has been proven to delay sex among adolescents in middle school.  This program emphasizes the benefits of abstinence, but also includes medically accurate information as well as information on contraception and disease prevention.

“We know that abstinence is the healthiest and safest lifestyle and is the only 100 percent effective protection against the possible consequences,” said Julie Mayfield, director of ReL8, an abstinence-only program dedicated to influencing youth to pursue a lifestyle of saving sex for marriage. “Abstinence education encompasses far more than ‘just say no to sex;’ it’s relationship building, healthy versus unhealthy relationships, refusal skills, navigating media influences, talking about goals, and really character-education based.”

In contrast, comprehensive sex education supporters such as Advocates for Youth “champions efforts to help young people make informed and responsible decisions about their reproductive and sexual health.”

“I think we need to recognize that sexuality is a normal and healthy part of all of us,” said Will Neville Rehbehn, director of strategic communications for Advocates for Youth. “Abstinence has no effectiveness whatsoever; looking at the problem backward rather than taking a realistic approach to what young people need.”

Although there are many sex education programs out there, they fall into five basic categories.  In addition to the abstinence-only-until-marriage and abstinence-plus programs these include: 1.) comprehensive sex education – provides information on human development, relationships, decision-making, abstinence contraception and disease prevention; 2.) abstinence-only – emphasizes abstaining from all sexual behaviors and does not include information on contraception or disease prevention; 3.) fear-based – abstinence-only and abstinence-only-until-marriage programs that instill fear, shame and guilt, and send negative messages about sexuality.

“Some of the common fatal flaws or fatal errors in programs that aren’t evidence-based are what we call scare tactics into abstaining, which we know does not work,” Johnson said. “If you provide the right information and the skills, they can abstain.”

Mona Lee, 19, took health education during her second semester of 12th grade in high school, but she was already pregnant. Lee is the mother of a 23-month-old boy and an 11-month-old girl.
“My life changed from having freedom to no freedom at all,” Lee said “Can’t do anything with a baby on the hip.”

Johnson points out that Texas parents have an opportunity to implement other programs besides abstinence-only-until-marriage. “What parents can do is join their local SHAC,” Johnson said. “The SHAC is probably one of the most influential committees in terms of sex education in the state for a school district. We’ve seen a lot of districts push a lot of good programs through when they have a really effective SHAC and the parents are there actively, so we’re seeing parent support overwhelming support abstinence-plus programs.”