Go to Content Go to Navigation Go to Navigation Go to Site Search Homepage

NEW YORK, NY – Planned Parenthood Federation of America celebrated passage today of state legislation to improve sex education in key states.

With a vote of 37 to 21, Illinois state senators sent Governor Pat Quinn a bill that creates uniform standards for sex education.  In addition, Colorado Governor John Hickenlooper is poised to sign  a similar measure that will ensure sex education programs that are taught in public schools are comprehensive and medically accurate, and a similar bill is advancing in Nevada, one of the three states in the country where parents are required to opt a student “in” to sex education curricula.    

Efforts in Illinois, Colorado and Nevada to promote sex education programs which are designed to reduce teen pregnancy and STDs come at a time of unprecedented assault against women’s health care on the state level, with legislatures across the country considering more than 300 provisions to restrict access to safe and legal abortion in America.

Following is a statement from Leslie Kantor, Vice President of Education, Planned Parenthood Federation of America. 

“As one of the nation’s largest and most respected providers of sex education, Planned Parenthood is thrilled to see state legislators work to advance policies that equip young people with the knowledge and skills they need to make healthy decisions.  Every national, state or local poll on sex education shows that parents, teens and the general public overwhelmingly support comprehensive sex education that includes information on topics such as birth control, abstinence, healthy relationships and STD prevention.  Over 100 studies have shown that high-quality sex education helps young people delay sex and use condoms and contraception when they do become sexually active. 

“Comprehensive sex education is also supported by leading medical and public health organizations such as the Society for Adolescent Health and Medicine, the American Academy of Pediatrics and the American Medical Association.”

BACKGROUND:

Nearly 750,000 teenagers in the United States will become pregnant this year alone, and half of the 20 million new cases of sexually transmitted diseases every year are diagnosed in young people ages 15-24.  Evidence shows the best way to help American teens make responsible decisions and stay healthy is to give them comprehensive sex education.  

Public opinion polls show that most Americans support sex education. Parents and students want sexuality education to be taught in our schools. National surveys underscore parental support for school-based sexuality education. 

•A nationally representative poll conducted by Planned Parenthood and the Center for Latino Adolescent and Family Health (CLAFH) at the Silver School of Social Work at New York University for May’s National Teen Pregnancy Prevention Month shows that Latinos in the U.S. believe that addressing teen pregnancy is a major priority — an even higher concern within their own communities than for other groups — and that access to birth control and sex education are critical. 

•An October 2012 nationwide survey found parents overwhelmingly support school-based sex education programs and believe that school-based programs should cover a range of topics, including birth control. Ninety-three percent of parents believe birth control should be covered in high school sex ed programs, and 78 percent believe this information should be provided in middle school. Over 95 percent of parents said STDs should be covered in both middle and high school programs, and a majority of parents said that sexual orientation should be covered in both middle and high school sex ed programs.  These are consistent with 2011 findings. 

Indeed, these bills are advanced with the support of young women and parents, like Meagie Maddock and her mother, Kim, in Colorado.  Says Meagie, “I support sex ed because my peers and I deserve better. We deserve comprehensive, science based, and inclusive education that empowers us to lead healthy sexual lives — whether we choose to have sex or not.”  Kim Maddock says, “As a women's health nurse practitioner, I have seen firsthand the consequences of abstinence-only ‘non education.’ I support sex ed because we have to educate our youth and give them choices so they can make the decisions that are best for them.”

Despite widespread support, some states are considering new restrictions on sex education.  For example, the North Carolina State Senate recently passed a bill that would impose a requirement on  North Carolina’s sex education curricula that students be told of a risk of prematurity in subsequent births after an abortion, despite consensus from the medical community that there is no such link.  

###

Planned Parenthood is the nation’s leading provider and advocate of high-quality, affordable health care for women, men, and young people, as well as the nation’s largest provider of sex education. With more than 700 health centers across the country, Planned Parenthood organizations serve all patients with care and compassion, with respect and without judgment. Through health centers, programs in schools and communities, and online resources, Planned Parenthood is a trusted source of reliable health information that allows people to make informed health decisions. We do all this because we care passionately about helping people lead healthier lives.

Source

Planned Parenthood Federation of America

Contact

Planned Parenthood Federation of America media office: 212-261-4433

Published

May 22, 2013

Updated

September 07, 2016

We and our third partners use cookies and other tools to collect, store, monitor, and analyze information about your interaction with our site to improve performance, analyze your use of our sites and assist in our marketing efforts. You may opt out of the use of these cookies and other tools at any time by visiting Cookie Settings. By clicking “Allow All Cookies” you consent to our collection and use of such data, and our Terms of Use. For more information, see our Privacy Notice.

Cookie Settings

We, and our third-party partners, use cookies, pixels, and other tracking technologies to collect, store, monitor, and process certain information about you when you access and use our services, read our emails, or otherwise engage with us. The information collected might relate to you, your preferences, or your device. We use that information to make the site work, analyze performance and traffic on our website, to provide a more personalized web experience, and assist in our marketing efforts. We also share information with our social media, advertising, and analytics partners. You can change your default settings according to your preference. You cannot opt-out of required cookies when utilizing our site; this includes necessary cookies that help our site to function (such as remembering your cookie preference settings). For more information, please see our Privacy Notice.

Marketing

On

We use online advertising to promote our mission and help constituents find our services. Marketing pixels help us measure the success of our campaigns.

User Feedback and Session Replay

On

We use qualitative data from LogRocket, UserZoom, Hotjar and AB Tasty to learn about your user experience and improve our products and services. LogRocket allows us to view session replays.