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GarrettMize
GarrettMizeTuesday, August 16, 2011 at 2:53:00 PM EDT
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In a recent report, Salon created the Sex Ed Hall of Shame, and of course Texas takes it's rightful place on this dreadful list among a number of other states. In particular, Salon points out:
The shame is really on the lawmakers and abstinence-only activists, who continue to push back against evidence-based, medically-accurate comprehensive sex ed policies that would dramatically lower rates of teen pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections.Texas has several claims to sex-shame: It ranks 5th for teen pregnancy, 3rd in young people with AIDS and 4th in terms of syphilis among teens. A whopping 96 percent of Texas school districts teach abstinence only, according to a study by the Texas Freedom Network.
Florida has the sad distinction of ranking 1st in HIV infections and 12th in teen pregnancies.
Alabama has "among the highest rates of chlamydia, gonorrhea, and syphilis of any state in the union," according to youth advocate Amplify, and has the 15th highest teen pregnancy rate in the country. Another not-so-fun fact: It bans schools from teaching anything positive about homosexuality.
There's no doubt that there is plenty of work to do in these states, but I am positive that some big changes will be made in the coming year with the new crop of Cultural Advocacy Mobilization Initiative (CAMI) youth leaders and their unyielding passion to create meaningful change.
It is also good to see Amplify used as a resource for the opinions of young people on this issue.
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