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Amplify Report Card: Alabama


Alabama has a higher teen pregnancy rate than the national average; a slightly lower AIDS rate;  and has among the worst STI rates in the nation.

Sexual Health Stats at a Glance
  Teen Pregnancy Rate* Teen Birth Rate* AIDS Rate (Cases per 100,000 people) STI Rate+ % of high school students who used a condom at last sex
Alabama 90 54 10  236.7 Not reported
National 84 42 13 117.4 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.



While many states have recognized the damaging effects of Title V funding and rejected it, Alabama continues to accept the funding (over $955,000 in Fiscal Year 07). 

 
CBAE funding is awarded by the federal government, bypassing any state approval process, to state and local organizations which offer abstinence-only programs. Organizations in Alabama received over $2.8 million in CBAE funds in Fiscal Year 2007 – more money per school child than in 40 states and the District of Columbia. 

 
Alabama requires its students receive abstinence-only programs which closely track with the 8-point federal definition of abstinence-only education

 
GLBTQ students in Alabama are at serious risk for harassment and discrimination.


(Want to know where these grades come from?  Visit the Amplify Report Card Grading Standards page to learn how we assessed the grades for Sexual Health, Title V Funding, CBAE Funding, Sex Education Policy, and School Safety for GLBTQ YouthGrades reflect existing policies and available statistics as of July 2009. Report cards will be updated as new information becomes available.)


Did You Know?


Alabama state law requires that sex education classes must emphasize abstinence until marriage, even though over 82,000 teenagers in Alabama are already sexually active. Alabama has among the highest rates of chlamydia, gonorrhea, and syphilis of any state in the union. Alabama is one of 7 states prohibiting any positive depiction of homosexuality in schools, and in fact, schools must emphasize that homosexual conduct is a criminal offense under state law (even though state laws criminalizing homosexuality were declared unconstitutional by the United States Supreme Court in 2003).

Other facts about Alabama:

  • Fifty-one percent of Alabama’s high school students report ever having had sex.
  • Alabama has the 15th highest teen pregnancy rate in the nation.
  • There are over 6,000 people living with HIV in Alabama.
  • Seventeen percent of Alabama’s population lives in poverty – a higher percentage than 41 states.


Looking for more information

Looking for more information on young people’s rights or reproductive and sexual health in Alabama? 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:

Learn more about sex education in Alabama: 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.

Does Alabama 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 Alabama: 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 Alabama? At what age can a teen get care without parental consent? What are the laws around minors and sex in Alabama? Sex, Etc. has the answers in their Sex in the States info on your state.

Additional State Resources:

Official Site

Department of Health

Department of Education