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Amplify Report Card: Mississippi 


Mississippi's AIDS rate is near the national average.  However, Mississippi has a higher teen pregnancy rate than the national rate,  and among the worst STI rates in the nation, including the worst gonorrhea rate of any state.

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
Mississippi  103  64  12.5  285.7 67 
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, Mississippi continues to accept the funding ($829,000 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 Mississippi received over $7.2 million in CBAE funds in Fiscal Year 07 – more money per school child than in any other state.


Mississippi does not require sex education for its students, but if taught, by law programs must closely track with the 8-point federal definition of abstinence-only education.


GLBTQ students in Mississippi are at serious risk for harassment and discrimination. Mississippi’s homophobic sex education policies and lack of protection for GLBTQ youth earned it the lowest score in this category for any state.

(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 Youth. Grades reflect existing policies and available statistics as of July 2009. Report cards will be updated as new information becomes available.)

Did You Know?

Mississippi schools are not required to teach sex education, even though most high school students in the state report already having had sex. Although a greater percentage of people are living in poverty in Mississippi than any other state, $16 tax dollars per school child is spent every year on failed abstinence-only programs in Mississippi. Mississippi has the highest teen birth rate in the nation.

Other facts about Mississippi :

  • Sixty percent of Mississippi’s high school students report ever having had sex – a higher percentage than in any other state.
  • There are over 60,000 sexually active teenagers in Mississippi.
  • Mississippi has the 4th highest teen pregnancy rate in the nation.
  • There are over 4600 people living with HIV in Mississippi.
  • Over one-fifth of Mississippi’s population lives in poverty.


Looking for more information

Looking for more information on young people’s rights or reproductive and sexual health in Mississippi? 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 Mississippi: 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 Mississippi 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 MississippiWhere 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 rightsWhat are your rights to birth control, HIV testing, and abortion in Mississippi? At what age can a teen get care without parental consent? What are the laws around minors and sex in Mississippi?   Sex, Etc. has the answers in their Sex in the States info on your state.
 
Additional State Resources:
 
Department of Education