Utah avoided disaster last week when Gov. Gary Herbert vetoed a bill allowing schools to opt out of sex education and mandating abstinence-only education if it is taught.
It also would have been a legal gag order on discussions about homosexuality and contraception in the classroom.
According to Guttmacher Institute’s March 2012 brief on sex education for teenagers, only 21 U.S. states mandate sex education.
Twenty-six states require teaching abstinence as the method of choice in sex ed. Only 18 states require information about contraception outside of abstinence in the curriculum.
Legislators are basically saying teachers can’t talk about sex during sex education. Seems like a sound strategy, right? Let’s not teach addition when we teach math, either.
While Utah’s governor prevented his state from playing ostrich on real issues, Students in many other states aren’t so lucky.
Louisiana legislation regarding sex education stresses abstinence only, doesn’t allow contraception discussion past abstinence and condoms and bans discussions on “practices of human sexuality.”
Young adults in Louisiana are finding themselves in scary and life-altering situations. These situations are preventable if someone took the time to educate with accurate information and without judgment.
Going off my own sex education in this state, it’s not a stretch to believe many students are receiving medically inaccurate, often religiously-biased sex education consisting of things like, “If you have sex before marriage, you’re going to contract something and die painfully.”
I understand that talking about sex is awkward and hard, especially with already-awkward teenagers. Thankfully, it gets easier the more you do it.
You’re reading an expert on talking about sex.
There’s no better place for talking about sex than in school, where we are supposed to be preparing students for the future.
Young adults are craving accurate information about how to protect themselves. They want to hear that they are not crazy or weird for the sexual awakening they are experiencing.
Yet Louisiana’s sex education legislation doesn’t require that schools teach sex ed. Parents can even opt their kids out of sex education if it is being taught.
Those who do teach sex education often resort to fear-mongering and scare tactics to try to frighten teenagers away from sexual experimentation.
Not talking about sex, or only talking about abstinence, often leads to teenagers having anal and oral sex to “save their virginity” without knowing the repercussions, like passing infections and diseases.
Utah tried to stick its head in the sand about sex, but Louisiana has been in the sand for years now. We’re ignoring a real problem in our state, and it’s killing us – literally.
Recently released statistics from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention place Baton Rouge first in the nation for number of AIDS cases.
Louisiana is in the top five in cases of gonorrhea, syphilis, HIV and other sexually transmitted infections and diseases.
Research repeatedly shows that comprehensive sex education delays first sexual experiences, yet legislation mandating more comprehensive sex education in 2010 didn’t pass.
We have practically no sex education in our state, and many people are suffering needlessly as a result.
Here’s an idea: Let’s talk about sex. If you want to opt your child out, they have to take a test and undergo an interview to prove they understand all of the subjects discussed in the course.
This class should cover the spectrum of sexuality – not saying that anything is right or wrong, simply that it exists. Tell them that there is no safe sex, but there are ways to reduce risks if you are going to have sex.
Talk about the diseases and infections spread by through contact with bodily fluids, how to prevent them and how to get help if you think you have one. Let’s talk about all of the ways available to prevent pregnancy, so our kids have better future than we have currently.
It’s time to wake up, Louisiana. Comprehensive sex education saves.
Kristi Carnahan is a 25-year-old anthropology senior from West Monroe. Follow her on Twitter @TDR_KCarnahan.
 
—- Contact Kristi Carnahan at [email protected]