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Sex Education

Editorial: A Troubling Uptick

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January 30, 2010, The New York Times

One of President Obama’s worthier first-year achievements was to redirect federal sex-education financing from an abstinence-only approach to broader, more-effective programs that provide information to young people about contraceptives, pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases.

A new study from the Guttmacher Institute examining the latest federal data on teenage sex, births and abortion — along with the group’s own abortion statistics — suggests the wisdom of that shift.

Rise in teenage pregnancy rate spurs new debate on arresting it

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January 26, 2010, Washington Post

The pregnancy rate among teenage girls in the United States has jumped for the first time in more than a decade, raising alarm that the long campaign to reduce motherhood among adolescents is faltering, according to a report released Tuesday.

The pregnancy rate among 15-to-19-year-olds increased 3 percent between 2005 and 2006 -- the first jump since 1990, according to an analysis of the most recent data collected by the federal government and the nation's leading reproductive-health think tank.

Teen pregnancy has long been one of the most pressing social issues and has triggered intense political debate over sex education, particularly whether the federal government should fund programs that encourage abstinence until marriage or focus on birth control.

PLANNED PARENTHOOD PRESIDENT CECILE RICHARDS’ STATEMENT ON GUTTMACHER INSTITUTE REPORT ON TEENAGE PREGNANCY RATES

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“This new study makes it crystal clear that abstinence-only sex education for teenagers does not work, and it should serve as a wake-up call to anyone who still believes that teenagers aren’t sexually active or that abstinence-only programs curb the rate of teen pregnancy. Now more than ever, we must ensure that our teenagers receive medically accurate, age-appropriate sex education that gives them the tools to make responsible decisions about their health.

A rise in teenage pregnancy also raises concerns

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Manatee County officials reconsider abstinence-only approach to sex education

January 25, 2010, Sarasota Herald-Tribune

Almost 500 babies were born to Manatee County teenagers in 2008, one of the highest teenage pregnancy rates in Florida.

Staff at the school district's day care look after almost 90 babies while their teenage moms take classes. Another 43 students are pregnant.

Teachers report that some students no longer feel there is any stigma attached to pregnancy among students.

Gaps found in young people's sex knowledge

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December 15, 2009, CNN

Most sexually active unmarried young adults believe pregnancy should be planned, but about half do not use contraception regularly, according to a study published Tuesday.

The survey of 1,800 people age 18 to 29 was conducted by the National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy.

"What is surprising is just how wide the gap is between single young adults' intentions and behavior on this very important issue," said Bill Albert, chief program officer at the organization.

One in four teen girls have STDs

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December 8, 2009, WWSB ABC Sarasota County (FLTV)

As many as one in four U.S. teenage girls have had a sexually transmitted disease (STD), many infected soon after their first sexual encounter, a new government report shows.

"The high burden of STDs among teen girls reminds us that we can't ignore this," said study author Dr. Sami L. Gottlieb, from the division of sexually transmitted disease prevention at the U.S. Centers for Disease and Prevention.

Our Opinion: World AIDS Day is a chance to renew commitment

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December 1, 2009, Tallahassee Democrat

Of all the heartbreaking moments in the movie "Precious," one defines the inescapable circumstances of the victim-turned-heroine.

In 1987, Clareece "Precious" Jones is a teenager with two children sired by her own father. Because of him, she is also HIV-positive. Back then, the diagnosis signaled a hastening death; today medical care and precautionary measures reduce the terror of this affliction.

Yet this new movie is a reminder of the importance of World AIDS Day, when nations turn their attention to education and prevention of the auto-immune disease that has ravaged our world — moreso in some nations than in ours.

Contraception education now part of sex ed policy in Collier County schools

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November 19, 2009, Marco Eagle

Contraception education is now officially part of Collier County School District’s sex education policy.

The Collier County School Board approved changes to the district’s health education policy by a 3-2 vote Thursday night. Board members Pat Carroll and Steve Donovan dissented.

Editorial: Empower teens on sex

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November 20, 2009, Sun-Sentinel

The last-minute amendment preventing the proposed "public option" from covering abortions, which was shoved down the throats of Congress in order to pass the bill, should be looked at as an opportunity for Florida and all of America. The dissolution of Title V funding by the Obama administration, which provided school districts with funds to disseminate information on abstinence only, will free up monies to create a proactive rather than a reactive rationale toward the abortion issue.

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