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ninelilypetals t1_j2dkuec wrote

A few years ago I did a Masters paper on American sex education. Data out of Texas was shocking. Texas' 'preferred' lesson plan is abstinence-only. Texas holds the record for the most MULTIPLE teen pregnancies. Think of the short time window that a person is a teen and now cram two or more kids in that window while STILL not knowing where babies come from. https://www.texastribune.org/2022/02/21/texas-teenage-pregnancy-abortion/

Texas textbooks have to be approved by a school board (think conservative parents) and have historically downplayed the effectiveness of contraceptives in an attempt to discourage teens from having sex, but actually end up encouraging teens to not use them at all since they're 'not effective'. A change was passed in 2020 that went into effect this past August, so the ripple effects are yet to be seen. the article even quotes the influence of these boards - "Textbook companies look to Texas to set their standards for the rest of the country because we are such a large textbook purchaser,” Dr. Rayne said. “So it’s not just a Texas issue. We have to consider the way the Texas State Board of Education policy is impacting education on a national level.” https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/20/us/texas-sex-education.html

This ignorance also affects the STD rates among teens. For my paper found a study that stated 2/3 of students not only engaged in sex, but also regularly engaged in oral & anal. That paper worked off the premise that the teens were looking to avoid pregnancy but ended up not only contracting STDs at a high frequency but also contracting them multiple times (lesson never learned).

https://tfn.org/sex-ed/Factsheet_ByTheNumbers_LH_2019.pdf

https://www.keranews.org/2022-04-30/texas-got-a-sex-ed-update-but-students-and-educators-say-theres-still-a-lot-missing

An then the lovely cherry on top is that Texas ranks among the lowest per capita for insured citizens. So, not only have they been aggressively shutting down affordable locations such as Planned Parenthood, they also don't offer many affordable options leaving new mothers or infected individuals with hospital and treatment bills.

https://www.governing.com/now/texas-falls-behind-national-health-insurance-coverage-rate

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Texas is not a safe place to raise a child.

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BewBewsBoutique t1_j2dpmvh wrote

Texas also won’t publish their maternal mortality data… and teenagers are more likely to experience complications compared to fully developed adults.

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crazyjkass t1_j2dwyc8 wrote

They published it a few days ago. It's 20% higher than last year.

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FuckThisPostTruthEra t1_j2fct8u wrote

DAMN that’s a high increase. Is it because so many are antivaxxers?

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dangelem t1_j2egi4e wrote

Omg I cannot imagine being a teenager and not knowing where babies come from. Withholding that knowledge from someone should be considered abuse

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R3alTim3 t1_j2eldld wrote

Sex education classes in public school is not where students learn “where babies come from.”

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mdielmann t1_j2erh14 wrote

It shouldn't be, but do you think extremely conservative parents are giving them accurate, detailed, unbiased information at home?

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kinenbi t1_j2exck1 wrote

It is, actually.

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TypingGetUBanned t1_j2eyjdn wrote

I think his point was that students learn where babies come from earlier.

Or maybe he's just spewing nonsense.

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TheGreat_War_Machine t1_j2fo8gn wrote

Students learn it as early as middle school in biology. The study of meiosis will inherently lead to at least a passing mention of "oh yeah, the whole sperm and egg thing, that applies to us humans too."

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Brokenspokes68 t1_j2fc0ns wrote

None of this is surprising. It's important that we have data so thank you.

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TheGreat_War_Machine t1_j2foql5 wrote

Do the vast majority of teens/children under the age of consent that contract STDs get them from adults?

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heresyforfunnprofit t1_j2fglhy wrote

>Think of the short time window that a person is a teen and now cram two or more kids in that window while STILL not knowing where babies come from.

...do people really believe that modern teens don't know how babies are made?

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EmilyU1F984 t1_j2fra5g wrote

Nah. They know porn. But peer to peer education is massively lacking in getting across facts.

They really do not know how pregnancy happens. They believe all the old wives tales about preventing pregnancy.

These are the people doing coke douches cause some other idiot told them, instead of getting plan b

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Sanatori2050 t1_j2frgtb wrote

They may know where they come from, but a lot are told outright lies about how to make them or what actually will lead to their having them.

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texasmuppet t1_j2encsq wrote

My sample size is working at a movie theater as a teenager in Texas circa 2010 and being the only one who’d had good sex education. Years later I am deeply saddened by the friends I had there who didn’t even understand at the time that they were being sexually assaulted in their interaction with dudes because horrible behavior by grown ass men as well as their peers was so normalized.

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440then420 t1_j2dczi9 wrote

Dating violence and non- contraception use sounds like the two main bullet points of date rape.

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Grey___Goo_MH t1_j2dkk1h wrote

But without the sex education i guess they’re calling it dating violence

Texas education after all just change the wordage for effect

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BewBewsBoutique t1_j2dpqha wrote

No, dating violence and date rape are different, even though they often hold hands.

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Rhesus_TOR t1_j2dy08b wrote

Isn't date rape a subset of date violence? That is, date violence is more than just date rape, but all date rape is considered a type of date violence.

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OrangeJuiceOW t1_j2f1uh8 wrote

This can't be the case because governor Abbott has delivered on his public promise of eliminating all rape, so I don't understand how this could happen.

(/S)

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[deleted] t1_j2d2as5 wrote

[removed]

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snowstorm556 t1_j2dt0y3 wrote

Republicans don’t like birth control age of consent is like 16 most places. there needs to be things in place for teenagers that want birth control whose parent’s wont let them when they turn 16. If they can consent to a life altering decision they should be able to get contraceptive.

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mdielmann t1_j2erozk wrote

Anyone who can get pregnant should be able to get contraceptives without another person's consent.

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snowstorm556 t1_j2et1kr wrote

I only said 16 because if anyone below that gets pregnant it becomes crime territory.

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mdielmann t1_j2eu6qz wrote

Well, age of consent in Texas is 17, I'm pretty sure people under 17 are still having sex, and I'd prefer those who could get pregnant from rape have unfettered access to contraceptives, as well.

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RonPMexico t1_j2evhku wrote

Condoms are available for anyone at any age in Texas.

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[deleted] t1_j2ew2df wrote

[removed]

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LethKink t1_j2f5e07 wrote

They break if you don't know how to put them on properly. And %1 ineffective is better than not.

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snowstorm556 t1_j2f5gos wrote

I mean we are talking about teens who DONT know how.

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hockeyd13 t1_j2fk48x wrote

Condoms have a efficacy rate of 98%

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snowstorm556 t1_j2fojof wrote

Condoms dont work when you’re raped because they’re probably not wearing one. Thats why alternatives need to be available

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Sculptasquad t1_j2dhcc6 wrote

>higher noncontraception use

Do you mean lower contraception use?

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R3alTim3 t1_j2elnz9 wrote

I suppose lower contraception use could be due to lower sex. But higher non-contraception use suggest they are having sex bit without contraception.

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SaintGalentine t1_j2et627 wrote

The staye of sexual wellness in the South is truly depressing. I grew up in MA, one of the best states for education and children, and our public school covered anatomy and abusive relationships in both middle and high school. (There wasn't really any talk on contraceptives, though) I now teach in the South, and there are laws on the books that specifically state that public school teachers must emphasize "abstinence until marriage" and materials explaining the mechanics of same-sex activity are essentially banned. Our district, the largest in the state, makes it an optional unit that can only be taught in the 7th grade science curriculum.

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jtaustin64 t1_j2filwt wrote

I grew up in the South and our school let parents pull their kids out of sex ed if they felt it was inappropriate. Needless to say, most of my sex ed was self taught.

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RonPMexico t1_j2ew2c8 wrote

Yeah it's a real shame the schools aren't teaching kids how to give blow jobs and have anal sex. It's like some people don't get that's what schools are for.

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SaintGalentine t1_j2exwlp wrote

Is explaining a penis entering a vagina also telling students how to? Teachers don't want minor students involved in sexual activity, but we're trying to prepare them for what they might see outside of school, especially since some are unfortunately already at that point.

Schools are for building foundational life skills and (hopefully) correcting misinformation students encounter. I'd rather students get a factual explanation from a teacher than learn from tiktok or porn, which most middle school-age students have already been exposed to. There's more lgbt youth than ever, and way too many think that since they can't get pregnant, there's no need for precautions or can't be abused.

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RonPMexico t1_j2eyml6 wrote

I agree with you. I was talking about those ignorant bigots who think a school should teach math, reading, and science. Clearly, schools are already doing so well with those subjects they have time for extra stuff. There are some backward mouth breathers out there who believe sex should be taught by parents even though it's uncomfortable and yucky.

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LethKink t1_j2f6btc wrote

What are you talking about? Sex education is science based. It doesn't matter who teaches it, so long as it is accurate and informative.

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LethKink t1_j2f5yav wrote

Because when adults talk about sex education in school we mean sex skills. Not information.

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RonPMexico t1_j2f6an2 wrote

What exactly is the point you are trying to make?

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LethKink t1_j2f93um wrote

That sex education isn't about how to have (better) sex.

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RonPMexico t1_j2f9v05 wrote

Yeah, just the "mechanics" I get it. My point was in agreement with the other commenter. We both think the "mechanics" of blowjobs and anal sex should be included in public schools. I think you agree with me. It's the public schools job to teach kids about a very intimate personal thing like sex and not parents.

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leenpaws t1_j2fupk1 wrote

so, is texas just one big trailer park?

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Ph0T0n_Catcher t1_j2e5r0w wrote

Wait, they're allowed to beat women still? Thought it was just the Bibles.

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Commercial-Life-9998 t1_j2f1hjm wrote

Women on contraceptives have some rational forethought about sex and they are reminded every day when they take their pill: watch out don’t let sex destroy your life.

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infiniteanomaly t1_j2f69h5 wrote

It's a bit older (2005) but there's an interesting documentary centered around a teen in Lubbock, TX who advocated for comprehensive sex ed. It's called "The Education of Shelby Knox".

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SquidDrive t1_j2da0cv wrote

Hmmm I wonder with all that dating violence, Texan might need some medical care.

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TekkDub t1_j2fmkpy wrote

Not true. Governor Abbott deleted all of the rapists in Texas a few years ago.

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Dirttinator t1_j2ftswh wrote

God BLESS America the greatest country on this planet

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Aggressive_Ad_2140 t1_j2cya7a wrote

Yes, but don't mistake correlation to cause. Would make more sense it is related to social status or upbringing.

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Sculptasquad t1_j2dhjqt wrote

"Low social status and poor upbringing" are you describing conservatism?

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LethKink t1_j2f6fwq wrote

From a political science perspective. Bingo

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