For the first time in many Texas Public School Districts abstinence only programs are becoming a thing of the past. Across the state, policy makers are starting to change their sex education programs based on the need for a curriculum that works to prevent teenage pregnancies.
In Midland Texas alone, one city that is implementing the Abstinence -Plus system, 172 pregnant girls enrolled in the school system last year, many of whom were as young as 13 and on their second pregnancies. Increasing rates of STI cases and teenage pregnancies have opened the eyes of Texas school boards. They are beginning to see that the abstinence only program approach is ineffective in preventing STI transmission or teenage pregnancies.
The Abstinence -Plus system, developed by Suan Tortolero, the director of the UT Prevention Research Center, emphasizes students to wait to engage in sex, while also teaching them about condoms and other contraception methods. Research shows that teaching proper condom use and birth control actually delays sexual initiation and gives students the correct information to make good decisions and choices regarding their bodies. “The more we demystify it,” Ms. Tortolero said, “the more we talk about it, the better overall.”
Still Today, the vast majority of Texas school districts still choose to teach only abstinence. This is changing slowing however with many counties adopting the abstinence -plus curriculum. The change in programs is due to the severity of the teenage pregnancy problem in Texas, which has the 3rd highest birth rate among 15-19 year olds in the nation. It has become clear that local communities want their students to learn about more than just abstinence.
ONE Condoms supports the spread of proper knowledge for individuals to make the smartest decisions of their sexual health. People need to know how to practice safe sex in order to protect themselves from harmful diseases and unwanted pregnancies. The abstinence -plus system, although it might not be the best sex education solution, is the step in the right direction for the very conservative Texas Education System.
Do you think that this Abstinence - Plus system will be effective in preventing the spread of STIs and reducing the teen pregnancy rate?
