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Amplify Report Card: Illinois
Illinois' teen pregnancy and teen birth rates are close to the national average, and the state has a lower AIDS rate than the nation and better than average rates for condom use among high school students. The state's STI rate is higher than average.
| Teen Pregnancy Rate* | Teen Birth Rate* | AIDS Rate (Cases per 100,000 people) | STI Rate+ | % of students who used a condom at last sex | |
| Illinois | 67 | 40 | 10.5 | 162.2 | 65 |
| National | 70 | 42 | 12.5 | 117.4 | 62 |
*Per 1000 young women ages 15-19
+Because of concern over recent changes in Chlamydia reporting and relative low incidence of syphilis, we used the state's gonorrhea rate as a stand-in for sexually transmitted infection rates.
(Visit the Amplify Grading Standards page to learn how we assessed this grade. Report cards will be updated as new information becomes available.)
Did You Know?
Illinois requires HIV prevention education for grades 6-12. Lessons must promote heterosexual marriage and emphasize that abstinence until marriage is the “expected norm,” even though over half of high school students in Illinois report already having had sex. Organizations in Illinois received almost $9 million in funds for abstinence-only programs in Fiscal Year 08.
Illinois is the only state in which HIV positive high school students must notify their principal, who can then share the information with other school personnel as he or she sees fit. There is no medical reason for principals to be notified of a student’s HIV status; and HIV-positive students whose status is made public face stigma and discrimination from students and school personnel alike. An attempt to repeal this law failed in 2008.
Other facts about Illinois :
- There are 222,000 sexually active teenagers in Illinois.
- Illinois has the 20th highest teen pregnancy rate in the nation.
- There are almost 10,000 people living with HIV in Illinois.
- Twelve percent of Illinois’ population lives in poverty.
Looking for more information
Looking for more information on young people’s rights or reproductive and sexual health in Illinois? Check out these sites to learn more!
Learn more about HIV, STIs, teen pregnancy, and the factors that are putting young people at risk in your state and nationwide:
- Illinois’ Youth: Focus on Sexual and Reproductive Health. – Learn important information about Illinois’ youth in this Advocates for Youth fact sheet.
- Kaiser State Facts on HIV/AIDS – Statistics on HIV and AIDS in your state, plus many more health statistics. See how your state compares to other states and to national statistics.
- National Campaign to Prevent Teen And Unplanned Pregnancy - A detailed profile of teen life in your state, including teen population demographics, teen safer sex, and teen pregnancy in your state; check out how your state compares to other states and to national statistics!
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Sexually Transmitted Infections Surveillance Maps: Youth ages 15-19 contract almost half of the nation’s 19 million STIs every year. How is your state doing at STI prevention? Click through to a map of the United States showing each state’s STI rates.
- The Annie E. Casey Foundation Kids Count Data Center – Many social factors contribute to risk for HIV, STIs, and teen pregnancy. See how your state compares in over 100 measures of well-being, including poverty, unemployment and underemployment, and health insurance coverage.
Learn more about sex education in Illinois: What does your state’s law say about sex education? Is sex education mandatory? Is it prohibited? Does your state teach abstinence-only education? The Sexuality Education and Information Council of the United States (SIECUS) has the facts on sex education policy and funding in your state. Read on with Advocates for Youth Policy Brief: Illinois Abstinence-Only Programs: Disseminating Inaccurate and Biased Information
Does Illinois ensure the safety of GLBTQ youth in schools? The Gay Lesbian Straight Educators Network (GLSEN) has examined school policies and programs and assessed each state’s efforts. Find out where your state is succeeding and where more work is needed.
Learn more about contraceptive services in Illinois: Where does your state rank on providing women the contraceptive access and reproductive health services they need? Does insurance cover birth control pills? How many family planning clinics are there? Find out in Contraception Counts, a report on your state from the Guttmacher Institute.
Know your rights: What are your rights to birth control, HIV testing, and abortion in Illinois? At what age can a teen get care without parental consent? What are the laws around minors and sex in Illinois? Sex, Etc. has the answers in their Sex in the States info on your state.
Additional State Resources:
Official Site
