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After reading about the crisis Manatee County is facing in regards to teen pregnancy one thing was evident; the county's approach to abstinence only sexual education is failing miserably. Here are the sobering facts:

Manatee County has one of the highest teen pregnancy rates in the state.

Out of 67 counties, Manatee is the 17th highest; and, in births to teens 10 to 14 years of age, Manatee has the 13th highest rate.

In 2006, one-third of 2,196 ninth-graders surveyed admitted that they had sexual intercourse. This was a 3 percent increase over the 2004 results.

Of the ninth-graders surveyed, one out of 10 acknowledged having had sex with four or more partners.

Manatee County has the 12th highest rate of newly-diagnosed HIV cases and the 12th highest rate of pediatric AIDS cases.

After reading these startling statistics I am sure you will ask yourself how much longer we can tolerate a sexual education program that does not educate our teens on how to protect themselves. The current sexual education program in Manatee County does not teach our teens how to avoid pregnancy, or how to protect themselves from sexually transmitted diseases such as HPV, chlamydia and HIV/AIDS.

Manatee County is facing devastating problems. Many Manatee residents and Planned Parenthood of Southwest Florida have supported the concept of a Planned Parenthood in Manatee County that would be focused solely on education and prevention. Planned Parenthood's first message to teens is abstinence and, indeed, tells teens that abstinence is the only foolproof method of prevention. However, the fact is that many teens will continue to be sexually active, Planned Parenthood includes important, life-saving lessons for young people and their families on how to prevent unwanted pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases.

Besides providing this comprehensive, age-appropriate educational curriculum, Planned Parenthood will also be offering all women in Manatee County the opportunity for gynecological exams, cancer screenings, pregnancy testing and counseling (including adoption referral); and testing and treatment for sexually-transmitted infections, including testing for HIV/AIDS.

Planned Parenthood of Southwest and Central Florida announced plans in March to start a limited clinic in Manatee County by the summer of 2008. The location has not yet been decided. The mission of the Bradenton clinic, will be to offer birth control, pregnancy testing, counseling, and STD and HIV testing.

As the saying goes, it's a man's world — except, perhaps, when it comes to reproductive and sexual health. There, by and large, women's reproductive health issues reign — just think of the TV ads for the new cervical cancer vaccine, or the pink ribbons for breast cancer research.

According to a recent study from the Guttmacher Institute, up to 52 percent of men have gone without any reproductive or sexual health services in the past year — and those that didn't often met with care that was either inadequate or not comprehensive. That's a lot of unmet need — HIV and other tests for sexually transmitted infections not taken, prostate and/or testicular exams not performed, and open, honest dialogue about serious reproductive and sexual health matters, such as birth control, left unspoken.

Men’s reproductive and sexual health needs may change over the course of their lives. With adequate, accurate information and skills, men can protect their health and well-being. CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THIS IMPORTANT TOPIC!