The Healthy Teens Campaign is currently surveying all public and charter schools in Miami-Dade County to better understand the sex education curriculums taught within the county's schools. Click here [8] to access, complete and submit this simple one-page survey online.
On November 5, 2007, the University of Florida released a study [1] confirming what we already knew - that the state of sex education in Florida is failing our youth. The very next day, a national report, Emerging Answers 2007 [2], was released by Douglas Kirby, Ph.D., and the National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy. The report showed that abstinence-only programs are ineffective, and includes strong evidence that abstinence-only programs do not have any impact on teen sexual behavior.
Did you know?
- Florida has the 6th highest teen pregnancy rate with 48,440 teenage pregnancies annually.
- Florida has the 2nd highest AIDS rate in the country, with 4,960 new AIDS cases in 2005 and 100,809 cases overall.
- In 2005, 47% of female high school students and 54% of male high school students in Florida reported ever having had sexual intercourse.
- In 2005, 12% of female high school students and 21% of male high school students in Florida reported having had four or more lifetime sexual partners.
- And in 2006, Florida had 121,791 reported cases of sexually transmitted infections other than HIV/AIDS.
Without comprehensive sex education in the classrooms, Florida's teens are at a greater risk for unintended pregnancies and contracting sexually transmitted infections like HIV/AIDS.
Teens need and deserve responsible sex education that includes information about abstinence, AND about protection from diseases and pregnancy.
While we all hope that teens will wait to have sex, half of Florida teens have intercourse before they graduate high school. We need comprehensive sex education so even if a teen chooses not to wait they will still know how to be safe.
Latest News
Healthy Teens Campaign Urges Community to Educate Teens About HIV/AIDS Prevention on World AIDS Day [10]
As the global community marks World AIDS Day on December 1, 2008, The Healthy Teens Campaign urges community members to seize upon this opportunity to educate Floridians about HIV/AIDS prevention. The Healthy Teens Campaign is a broad based coalition of over 65 organizations that advocate for comprehensive sex education in Florida.
- Read more [11]
- send to friend [12]
Volusia Schools To Consider Expanding Sex Education [13]
DAYTONA BEACH -- Sex education could be expanded in Volusia County high
schools to include birth control information if Superintendent Margaret Smith
and the School Board go along with a recommendation from a diverse advisory
committee that studied the issue.
"They were really concerned (high school students) should have contraception
information. That was the focus of the group," said Emily Cortes-Torrado,
chairwoman of Volusia's School Health Advisory Committee.
- Read more [20]
- send to friend [21]
For Healthier Teens [22]
Florida law mandates that sex-education programs in public schools teach "abstinence from sexual activity as the expected standard for all school-age children while teaching the benefits of monogamous heterosexual marriage."
But many Volusia County students don't live in that Ward-and-June world.
- Read more [26]
- send to friend [27]
Formal Sex Education Linked to Greater Condom Use Among Teen Males [28]
Child Trends, October 30, 2008
A new Child Trends study finds that any type of formal sex education is linked with higher levels of condom use at teen males' first sexual experience. However, one in five teen males (ages 15-19) did not receive formal sex education about either abstinence or contraception before having sex for the first time.
- Read more [29]
- send to friend [30]
Increased HIV Prevention, Education Efforts Needed in South Florida, Officials Say [31]
- Read more [35]
- send to friend [36]
Teen Pregnancy, Glamorized by Celebrities, Costs Taxpayers Billions a Year [37]
10/24/2008 (c) WOGX FOX 51 Alachua County
NEW YORK - Teen motherhood has gained a bit of celebrity allure with the pregnancies of Jamie Lynn Spears and Bristol Palin, but front-line professionals see a starkly different reality involving poverty, lost opportunities and a cost to taxpayers in the billions of dollars annually.
- Read more [38]
- send to friend [39]
Opinions vary widely on sex-education review committee [40]
October 16, 2008 Daytona Beach News Journal
By LINDA TRIMBLE
DAYTONA BEACH -- Answering the question about
what Volusia public schools should include in their sex-education
program isn't likely to be an easy task for a committee whose members
found out Wednesday how widely their views differ on the issue.
- Read more [41]
- send to friend [42]
Marriage rarely a choice for pregnant teens, experts say [43]
By BONNIE MILLER RUBIN AND JOHN KEILMAN
Chicago Tribune
Posted on BradentonHerald.com on September 4, 2008
Of all the options facing teenagers grappling with an unplanned pregnancy, marriage is rarely a choice, say adolescent health experts.
"In my 16 years, I can't recall it coming up even once," said Julie Tye, president of the Cradle, an Evanston, Ill.-based adoption agency that has helped hundreds of young women in the same situation as 17-year-old Bristol Palin.
- Read more [44]
- send to friend [45]
Teenagers say pregnancy news no shocker [46]
BY Jaweed Kaleem
Miami Herald, September 4, 2008
- Read more [47]
- send to friend [48]
Source URL (retrieved on 11/20/2008 - 23:05): http://www.healthyteensflorida.org/for-faith-leaders/node/32
Links:
[1] http://www.healthyteensflorida.org/for-faith-leaders/sites/healthyteensflorida.org/files/DodgeEtAl+AJSE6-08.pdf
[2] http://www.thenationalcampaign.org/EA2007/EA2007_full.pdf
[3] http://www.healthyteensflorida.org/for-faith-leaders/node/380
[4] http://www.healthyteensflorida.org/for-faith-leaders/taxonomy/term/25
[5] http://www.healthyteensflorida.org/for-faith-leaders/taxonomy/term/24
[6] http://www.healthyteensflorida.org/for-faith-leaders/taxonomy/term/27
[7] http://www.healthyteensflorida.org/for-faith-leaders/taxonomy/term/30
[8] http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=HQFAhBq04SU76cjmislM_2fQ_3d_3d
[9] http://www.healthyteensflorida.org/for-faith-leaders/send/send/380
[10] http://www.healthyteensflorida.org/for-faith-leaders/node/378
[11] http://www.healthyteensflorida.org/for-faith-leaders/node/378
[12] http://www.healthyteensflorida.org/for-faith-leaders/send/send/378
[13] http://www.healthyteensflorida.org/for-faith-leaders/node/377
[14] http://www.healthyteensflorida.org/for-faith-leaders/taxonomy/term/25
[15] http://www.healthyteensflorida.org/for-faith-leaders/taxonomy/term/29
[16] http://www.healthyteensflorida.org/for-faith-leaders/taxonomy/term/24
[17] http://www.healthyteensflorida.org/for-faith-leaders/taxonomy/term/28
[18] http://www.healthyteensflorida.org/for-faith-leaders/taxonomy/term/27
[19] http://www.healthyteensflorida.org/for-faith-leaders/taxonomy/term/26
[20] http://www.healthyteensflorida.org/for-faith-leaders/node/377
[21] http://www.healthyteensflorida.org/for-faith-leaders/send/send/377
[22] http://www.healthyteensflorida.org/for-faith-leaders/node/376
[23] http://www.healthyteensflorida.org/for-faith-leaders/taxonomy/term/25
[24] http://www.healthyteensflorida.org/for-faith-leaders/taxonomy/term/24
[25] http://www.healthyteensflorida.org/for-faith-leaders/taxonomy/term/21
[26] http://www.healthyteensflorida.org/for-faith-leaders/node/376
[27] http://www.healthyteensflorida.org/for-faith-leaders/send/send/376
[28] http://www.healthyteensflorida.org/for-faith-leaders/node/374
[29] http://www.healthyteensflorida.org/for-faith-leaders/node/374
[30] http://www.healthyteensflorida.org/for-faith-leaders/send/send/374
[31] http://www.healthyteensflorida.org/for-faith-leaders/node/373
[32] http://www.healthyteensflorida.org/for-faith-leaders/taxonomy/term/22
[33] http://www.healthyteensflorida.org/for-faith-leaders/taxonomy/term/5
[34] http://www.healthyteensflorida.org/for-faith-leaders/taxonomy/term/23
[35] http://www.healthyteensflorida.org/for-faith-leaders/node/373
[36] http://www.healthyteensflorida.org/for-faith-leaders/send/send/373
[37] http://www.healthyteensflorida.org/for-faith-leaders/node/370
[38] http://www.healthyteensflorida.org/for-faith-leaders/node/370
[39] http://www.healthyteensflorida.org/for-faith-leaders/send/send/370
[40] http://www.healthyteensflorida.org/for-faith-leaders/node/369
[41] http://www.healthyteensflorida.org/for-faith-leaders/node/369
[42] http://www.healthyteensflorida.org/for-faith-leaders/send/send/369
[43] http://www.healthyteensflorida.org/for-faith-leaders/node/360
[44] http://www.healthyteensflorida.org/for-faith-leaders/node/360
[45] http://www.healthyteensflorida.org/for-faith-leaders/send/send/360
[46] http://www.healthyteensflorida.org/for-faith-leaders/node/359
[47] http://www.healthyteensflorida.org/for-faith-leaders/node/359
[48] http://www.healthyteensflorida.org/for-faith-leaders/send/send/359
[49] http://www.healthyteensflorida.org/for-faith-leaders/print/32%3Fpage%3D0%2C1
[50] http://www.healthyteensflorida.org/for-faith-leaders/print/32%3Fpage%3D0%2C2
[51] http://www.healthyteensflorida.org/for-faith-leaders/print/32%3Fpage%3D0%2C3
[52] http://www.healthyteensflorida.org/for-faith-leaders/print/32%3Fpage%3D0%2C4
[53] http://www.healthyteensflorida.org/for-faith-leaders/print/32%3Fpage%3D0%2C5
[54] http://www.healthyteensflorida.org/for-faith-leaders/print/32%3Fpage%3D0%2C6
[55] http://www.healthyteensflorida.org/for-faith-leaders/print/32%3Fpage%3D0%2C1
[56] http://www.healthyteensflorida.org/for-faith-leaders/print/32%3Fpage%3D0%2C6