More Texas Schools Teach Safe Sex With Abstinence
In the spring, public school students in Midland will cross what until very recently was the political third rail of sex education. For the first time, they will be taught about contraception — and how to practice safe sex.
The West Texas town is known for oil and Republican presidents, not progressive social policy. But after watching the teen pregnancy rates creep up year after year — 172 pregnant girls were enrolled in the town’s public schools last year — many in the community realized something needed to change.
“These are girls as young as 13 that are pregnant, some of them ...
Comments (21)
Beverly Nuckols
How about the pitfalls of using the word "pratfalls," as in "the pratfalls of so called safe sex?"
BTW, Abstinence, like condoms, works when used consistently and correctly. Unlike condoms, abstinence is 100% protection from pregnancy and STD's. We teach "Worth the Wait" in Comal County, a course designed by an OB/Gyn at Scott and White. Our pregnancy rates have fallen dramatically in the last 10 years. It's a 17 or 18 lesson course that includes presentations by local doctors about pregnancy and std's and from the local DA's office and other lawyers about the legal consequences of pregnancy and sex.
Kimberly Hilsenbeck
That's a great concept to teach that it's worth the wait, self respect, etc. Yet, I can't help think that providing ALL of the information to students including contraception is not a bad option. I remember being a teenager. When you have raging hormones, peer pressure, even the desire to have sex, that combination is not always going to be outweighed by an abstinence only approach. Our school didn't offer sex ed until our senior year, and by then for MANY students, it was too late. It's extremely challenging to change the mindset of teens. And then take a look at most any TV show, movie or even book geared toward teens and sex is everywhere. Isn't it better to be prepared to face all of these messages with information along the whole spectrum from abstinence to contraception? And while Comal's teen pregnancy rates have fallen, that's not the case every where - including areas where they use an abstinence only curriculum. And STDs are still a big issue. I think it comes down to being well informed, having options, and knowing it's OK to talk about all of the issues surrounding sex.
Luisa Inez Newton via Texas Tribune on Facebook
yes, despite Michele Bachmann's or Rick Perry's yammering about abstinence & "innocence," 12 year old girls in Midland DO get pregnant
Karen Spivey-Cummings via Texas Tribune on Facebook
All I can say is that it is about time!
Vibeke Mendonca Lee via Texas Tribune on Facebook
Knowledge is always power !
Laura Tanner via Texas Tribune on Facebook
Go to San Antonio, where the pregnancy rate is about 4%. Yea, when 1 in 25 girls in a city that big is getting pregnant, something sure as heck isn't working!!
Poka Hontas via Texas Tribune on Facebook
I think I CAN HANDLE TEACHING MY KIDS ABOUT SEX WTF!!
Beverly Nuckols
"Worth the Wait" is an abstinence-based program. We mention condoms to discuss STD's and report the 11% pregnancy rate with their use. Nevertheless, the Program won awards from the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecologists, in spite of ACOG's bias against abstinence based programs.
Beverly Nuckols via Texas Tribune on Facebook
Abstinence-based programs delay sexual debut 1 1/2 to3 years, and work! "Worth the Wait" is a good program, the one we use in Comal county.
Jason Bergman via Texas Tribune on Facebook
If abstinence only programs worked Texas would not have the HIGHEST rate of teen pregnancy in the country. Comprehensive sexual education works best at lowering the rate of teen pregnancy and keeping it low.
@Poka Hontas, you maybe able to handle teaching your children about sex, but it's obvious that most parents in the state are not up to the job.
Connor Kilpatrick via Texas Tribune on Facebook
Beverly, who do you think you're fooling? Everyone knows abstinence is a bunch of hokum designed to appeal to the reactionary and the out-of-touch. This ain't the 90s anymore: the "culture wars"--in which a cynical right-wing exploits the backwards concerns of self-hating, religious-fundy voters--are over, at least in the 90s manifestation. Abstinence has never been the norm, never will, nor should it.
Caitlin Gilchrist via Texas Tribune on Facebook
Thank god someone in Texas has some sense. I've never understood how keeping kids ignorant is supposed to keep them safe.
patricia bird
I'm 64 - teenagers got pregnant when I was a teen - only then they were sent off to Edna Gladney's home (or their so-called aunt's house), and put it up for adoption...my parents taught me and my siblings about sex in explicit terms and detail, and we were told to wait. Condoms were prevalent in men's restrooms, and used. The pill was not legal until 1972 and abortion was illegal, but I had friends who had one and a friend who died from one. Europe does not have the teen pregnancy problem that we do since they teach sex in detailed and explicit terms - my parents were European. I cannot understand why anyone thinks just saying "no" works - ask Palin since her children have either had to get married like she did, or had a child out of wedlock. Abstinence reminds me of the "rhythm method" and back then we called it motherhood. Just saying “no” does not work with sex or drugs – get real with you children, give them some self-esteem, put them in sports, and stop allowing them to date at 12 because you think that cool. Allow your children to be children, and not mini-grownups – and most of all, stop making schools responsible for teaching your children about sex – you and your partner need to do this in a loving and honest way and stop making sex so taboo…has not changed, as far as I know, in millions of years.
Laura Tanner via Texas Tribune on Facebook
Poka Hontas: You may be able to teach your children about sex, but many parents could give a crap. Most school districts will let you opt out - maybe you can do that?
Beverly: I would be interested to see some data/studies to back up your post. Do you have some links?
Tom Sweazea via Texas Tribune on Facebook
So the GPTprty plan to sew labia closed of 12 yr olds is off the table ?
patricia bird
so Beverly - from your post, you are saying that you delay sexual debut 1 1/2 to3 years...what exactly is SEXUAL DEBUT...once hormones kick in, no matter what your age, sex is going to be on the agenda...that is what being a teenager is about...and from your post that means you are delaying sex from 12 to 13.5 or 15 and you are proud of that? I don't want to go back to "shamming" but darn it, if I grew up in the 60's and was a teenager at that time when there was "free love" going on, how do you explain that more of us did not have sex or children outside of marriage? Kids are going to have sex - no matter if you pass out chastity bracelets, rings, ropes, ties - they are only wearing that to keep parents in the dark...but honest discussions with details about sex - especially telling girls sex is more about emotions than the act, and your sons that while they are interested in the act, girls are more about emotions - until you have frank discussions with your own kids, nothing will change...I am a probation officer, and I see more kids in my office who have such low self-esteem who got pregnant, but they are wearing the latest clothes, have the latest cell phones - where did the disconnect occur between parents when their sex discussion actually explained not only the mechanics of sex, but the emotional implications and to wait until they can handle both parts...if you are too embarrassed to speak about the very act you performed to bring these kids into the world, then you need to work on yourself - not ask teachers to take over your responsibility....my sex ed class in 1963 was a room full of students, priests and nuns trying to get through that...in college my "health class" consisted of the movie "birth of a baby" with males and females - believe me - that put a damper on having kids where girls were concerned...and their peers talked openly about sex and why they either waited or were not waiting...but all in all, our parents talked to us sans books, movies, pamphlets - and they went into detail...sex has been here since the beginning of time - but making something normal seem taboo appears to be a way to entice kids to do it - not by giving them condoms and explaining the facts and details...this country really needs to get out of the puritanical aspects of sex and treat it as a natural part of life that is wonderful with the right person and hopefully you can explain that waiting until you find the partner you want to spend the rest of your life with is the one you will have sex with, and if they can’t wait – then make sure your child is as protected as possible with birth control. We seem to err on the side of “just say no” while we allow our children to be unprotected and put their lives at risk.
Steve Clark
Without conducting an on-line "Evaluation 101" training, WTW can't make the claim they "reduced teen pregnancy by X%" in any county. Emperical evaluation requires controlled settings in which students are exposed to curriculum A vs curriculum B. Tight controls on additional sexuality instruction are also employed. Validated and reliable assessment tools must be developed and pilot tested.
To claim that "teen pregnancy was reduced in the county" due to any program is analagous to saying obesity increased in the county because McDonalds built a new restaurant in Belton.
The bad part of this is WTW presents this info to uninformed parent groups and they believe it.....
Check out the standards for emperically evidenced programs at www.teenpregnancy.org. You will see the claims by WTW are laughable....
Steve Clark
One last point, the CDC's Youth Risk Behavior Survey reports 70% of Texas hs seniors have had sex at least once. That tells you 7 out of 10 students are ignoring the messages of WTW and the other pro-marriage promotion programs. We are third in the nation in teen births and second in repeat births.
There is ZERO evidence that any of these ab-only programs are doing anything to reduce teen sexual risk-taking and teen births. ZERO.....
Kimberly Hilsenbeck
We didn't even mention that some conservative religious right wingers want to cut funding for Planned Parenthood. Young women need to have access to information - at home, at school and places like PP. Only teaching abstinence is dangerous. I think we need a broad based approach with credible info. I also agree with the many posters who said we need to be able to open up discussion with pre-teens and teens - it should be natural to talk about both the act of having sex and more importantly the emotions and responsibilities that come along with it. Just telling them to wait is not an effective method of birth control.
John Goodin
How can not having sex be "safe sex?" On the other hand I applaud a more realistic approach to sex education.
Native Texan
Actually, the government should butt out of the private business of parents and children. Contraception and everything related to it is a private matter that has NO place in the classroom. Whether or not parents are teaching their own kids about these matters does not in ANY way authorize the government to get involved. You are going to begin seeing a political pushback against intrusive government. We've had enough.