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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:

• 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.
  • Chlamydia Rate
  • Gonorrhea Rate
  • Syphilis Rate
• 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 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. Or, see the legal statutes governing sex education in Alabama.

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