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Writtten by Sue Briss, Executive Director of Georgia Parents for Responsible Health Education
I’m a music educator by training and a mom. So why am I writing in support of adolescent health education? Because, in 2004 the DeKalb County School System in Georgia was going to start teaching all 8th grade students sex education using an abstinence-only-until-marriage program called Choosing the Best.
DeKalb County Schools are located in the same county as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the heart and soul of scientific research regarding health. Parents in one school, Shamrock Middle, looked closely at Choosing the Best, and found it to be lacking in facts, full of hyperbole, and sexist in its approach to sexuality. And it excluded the entire LGBTQ population. Through vigilance and stubbornness, parents in DeKalb County, Georgia convinced school officials that it was NOT in the best interest of our students to give them incorrect and incomplete information about sex education, and Choosing the Best was NOT taught to our kids!
I am FOR information. Complete, accurate, age-appropriate sex education, taught in a way that is respectful of all students. After all, we demand high standards in every other subject our children are taught -- we should be JUST as demanding of the health education they receive. The new federal money now available for evidence-based sex ed is wonderful news and I’m looking forward to its implementation in Georgia!
As parents, it is our job to teach our children our beliefs and values, not the schools. But by the time our kids graduate from high school, they ALL should know how their bodies work, how to take care of them, AND how to protect themselves from unwanted pregnancies and STDS.
So, I stand with the youth activists in Georgia and support their efforts as they raise awareness to the need for high quality sex education in our state!
Written by Havilah Driver, 17, a senior at Riverwood International Charter School and a teen staff member of VOX, a teen newspaper published by VOX Teen Communications (www.voxrox.org)
Throughout my high school career, I’ve been pressured to have sex because so many of my classmates were sexually active as underclassman. During my junior year, a guy I dated wanted to go ‘’all the way,’’ but I chose not to. He was known to be a player, and I was certain that if anything were to happen, several things would take a turn for the worse. He would end our relationship, to find another girl who would be willing to have sex with him. Then, he would tell all his friends how I’m a slut, and that I’ve been sexually active with tons of other people, besides him. If those events were to occur, I would have been humiliated by the rumors of my inappropriate behavior. That same year, I was in a serious relationship, where my boyfriend and I chose not to be sexually active. Our relationship ended based on personal issues, mistrust, and carelessness. Although both relationships ended, I can look back and say that I have no regrets. Ultimately, I would have lost my virginity to two individuals who didn’t cherish my mind and soul, and only would have taken advantage of my body. After being involved in S.T.A.R.S (Students Teaching Abstinence & Self-Respect), and the morals and principles my parents taught me, I realized that I must respect myself. If I had agreed to sex, I would have been dumped and known as a slut; I could have contracted a disease, or even became pregnant. I know that I made the right decisions, and will continue to do so.
Adolescent health should be funded and supported by Georgia’s government, in which working to reduce teen pregnancy, poverty, sexually transmitted diseases, and encourage leadership skills such as, being careful as a sexually active individual. A better way to prevent pregnancy is by abstaining from sexual intercourse, where there are no risks. Teens must know the risks of sexual activity, in which protecting themselves, as well as know different forms of sexually transmitted diseases. Research statistics, graphic images of STD’s, and testimonials of several individuals who live with an incurable STD will paint the picture for teens. Promoting the importance of primary and post-secondary and sex education raises awareness, builds confidence, develop leadership skills, and shapes our generation. With these tools, comes the ambition to achieve goals, as the road to success.
Written by Jasmine Carruth, 15, a struggling artist attending Towers High School and a teen staff member of VOX, a teen newspaper published by VOX Teen Communications (www.voxrox.org)
"Mom,"
"Yes, dear,"
"I have something to tell you."
"Make it quick, I'm a bit busy."
"I'm....I'm pregnant, mom"
As a teenage girl, telling my mom that I'm pregnant would be the most embarrassing, scariest conversation. It has to be the scariest because it didn't take long to get in this horrible position. It only took one time, one unprotected unprepared time to get in the most vulnerable state. And then we have to discuss, in depth, about this with our mom, the person whose opinion actually matters to us. What for? The worst part of it all is that we're barely halfway through high school.
I've seen friends of mine caught in this situation but the outcomes only had one thing in common. All the outcomes changed their lives for the worse. My friends won't be going to their high school graduation, go to college or live out their dream lives.
I had a friend, who was the same age as me. We were in the same grade (ninth). We had a lot of things in common but one. My friend messed up and got pregnant. Her mom kicked her out. I talked to my mom and she got me on birth control. We're pretty close. I believe that who we live around influences our choices, young or old. So, who we're friends with does help other people choose whether or not to be our friend.
Written by Annierra Matthews, a teen stafff member at with VOX Teen Communications http://www.voxrox.org/
Imagine this: You’re a teenager at a crucial point in your life. You have the decision of having sex or choosing abstinence. So what do you do? Instead of being irrational and making a possible life-changing decision, you decide to seek some advice from a group of your well-trusted peers. They inform you about the consequences of having sex. Once you’re through talking to them, you feel inspired and rethink your decision about having sex.
In my opinion, many things can happen if you just jump into having sex without a second thought. For one, you could contract an S.T.D or you could even risk the chance of becoming pregnant. No girl/guy wants to deal with any of these problems; it can ruin a life.
Peer pressure can also have an effect on someone having sex. Some teens hear that their friends are doing it or their friends persuade/pressure them to do it. Either way it goes, it’s good to say no. Don’t be ashamed of it.
Choosing abstinence is more so the safest route to take when faced with a tough decision of having sex. If you ever feel tempted to have sex, think of the consequences of your actions and choices before you make a move. Make smart choices that help you, not hurt you.
Written by MJ Violenes-Walker, a youth advocate and liaison at EmpowerMEnt
Being a teenage mom has higher complications and fears alone especially when your biggest concerns are "If I go to the Doctor how will I pay for the visit?" and If I can pay for the visit and they tell me I need a prescription how do I pay for the prescription?" Even with the discounts that are offered prescriptions and doctors visits are still expensive. It is important that adolescent health is supported so teenagers and their children can grow up to be healthy adults. Something simple as being able to go to the doctor or receiving education can prevent teenage pregnancy, and help those that are pregnant from dying or becoming unhealthy.
Being the daughter of a teenage mother I was premature and I have health problems to this day that come from being premature and being a teenage mom myself I know if I had went to the doctor sooner than what I had I might not have gotten as sick as I was in my second trimester of pregnancy. The fear of being pregnant while being in foster care guided my decision to hide my pregnancy and it wasn't until I was sick, recieved bad advice from a hospital hotline and had to be hospitalized afterwards that I started to receive the prenatal care that my daughter and I needed. Had I continued to hide my pregnancy and given birth outside a hospital I would have died because my daughter and I almost died in the delivery room and my foster mother urged the doctors to try and save both of us. Situations such as mine are not abnormal and we should support our teenagers and young adults by supporting the funded needed to keep them healthy.
Written by Michelle Cohen, MPH, CHES who is a Health Educator at the Georgia Institute of Technology
As a health educator who has worked at two major institutions in the Southeast, I have seen many students who have not received comprehensive sex education before college. This lack of education can negatively impact college students’ reproductive health and body image. I define body image as a concept which includes our perceptions, attitudes, and behaviors about our bodies (not only how we look, but what our bodies do for us). Young people must have the skills to evaluate the messages they give to and receive from their peers, friends, and family regarding body image. They need to be able to critically analyze how the media positively and negatively influences body image and their health behaviors. Science-based, comprehensive sex education programs offered from kindergarten through 12th grade can help prepare students for all the challenges, decisions, and opportunities that they will face in the future.
A committee at Georgia Tech (GT) is helping college students explore the many influences on body image and health behaviors. The mission of the GT Body Image Committee is to encourage GT students of all genders to examine their perceptions of body image and to generate discussion of body image issues on-campus.
See what GT students have to say:
What does body image mean to you?
