Come pack the house! Hearing Thursday on HB 879
We need as many people as possible to come and help support this important bill that will require schools to provide responsible, accurate sex education in North Carolina schools. This will change our current state law to require school districts to cover not only abstinence, but also contraception, HIV/STD prevention and education, and sexual assault risk reduction. A new study by Mathematica proves that abstinence-only just doesn't work! When you go to the hearing, print and bring the following information so that you are fully prepared to talk about the need for sex-ed. Honest, Realistic Sex Education - Abstinence is an important part of the message we should send young people—but it can't be the only part.
- Young people also need to know how to protect themselves.
- Research proves that censoring health information simply doesn't work.
- Politicians who are serious about doing something about our teen-pregnancy epidemic should support honest, realistic sex education—not programs that censor important facts and teach misinformation.
The Facts - Sixty three percent of North Carolina high school seniors reported having had sexual intercourse at least once. North Carolina has the ninth highest teen pregnancy rate for 15-19-year-olds in the U.S. and the nation's highest birth rate among Hispanic teens.
- The cost of teen pregnancy in North Carolina, according to the National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy, is $312 million each year.
- A study conducted by the N.C. Dept. of Public Instruction in October 2003 found that the vast majority of N.C. parents (90.5%) thought sexuality education should be taught in public schools.
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