The Centers for Disease Control released new statistics last week that once again indicated the state of Mississippi is failing its youth by not providing comprehensive sex education. But, don’t just take my word for it.
The findings are a sign that the state’s abstinence-only approach to sex education is not working, said Dr. Mary Currier, Mississippi epidemiologist.
“Certainly that is a good thing, to have abstinence education, but it also is a good thing to provide information for those who choose not to remain abstinent, which, as you can see, is a good portion of them,” she said. “It’s my job to tell the truth, and the truth is we need to provide all that information to our kids because what we are doing now is not working.”
In the CDC report, Mississippi has the highest birth rate in the nation for mothers ages 10-14, 15-17 and 20-24. The state ranks a close second to Arkansas in the rate for mothers ages 18-19.
In addition, Mississippi had the eighth-highest HIV/AIDS rate in the nation among young people ages 20-24 with 33.9 cases per 100,000 people. The southern states of Louisiana, Georgia, Florida and South Carolina joined Mississippi at the top of the list.
At the bottom of the list are states like Iowa, New Hampshire and Vermont — states that take a comprehensive approach to sex education.
Reporter Chris Joyner interviewed Mississippi Rep. Rita Martison, a Madison Republican who has opposed moving the state toward a more comprehensive sex education program. Martinson said fault does not lie with the abstinence program, but with the state’s lousy parents.
As for the healthier statistics from Iowa and Vermont? Martison brushes off comprehensive sex education and instead credits “strong family values.”
