File this under good news that you can still feel ashamed about.
We often cite two stats to highlight how dismal the problem of teen pregnancy is in Texas — and the poor commentary it offers on state policy-makers’ addiction to abstinence-only programs. One of those stats is the overall teen pregnancy rate and the other is the rate of repeat births to teen mothers.
On the overall rate, Texas is holding steady at third-worst among the 50 states. But on repeat births to teens, we’re happy(?) to report that we no longer have the worst rate and are now tied with Arizona for the second worst.
Yipee!
This according to the publication Child Trends, which ranked Mississippi as the state with the highest rate of teens who have given birth more than once.
Keep this news in your pocket for the next time your Mississippi friends try tell you about how much better their state is. And remind your Arizona friends they better not abandon us at No. 2 by doing something silly like teaching comprehensive sex education. The shame stings a little less when it’s divided by two.
Texas, of course, doesn’t teach comprehensive sex education. At least most of Texas doesn’t. Our 2009 report found that 94 percent of the state’s school districts relied on abstinence-only instruction when it came to sex ed. Texas has also gobbled up the most federal dollars to teach abstinence-only. Money well spent, eh?
This also calls into question Gov. Rick Perry’s claim in this now infamous interview:
“I’m going to tell you from my own personal life, abstinence works!”
Yeah, for you, maybe. For Texas teens, not so much.
Now let’s see how the far right tries to spin this one ahead of next year’s adoption of new health curriculum standards by the State Board of Education. Will they choose honest, evidence-based sex education? Or will they continue on the same path and pretty much make it a certainty that Mississippians will be able to say, in a southern twang, “Well, at least we’re not Texas.”
You can become one of the many Texans working to improve sex ed in our state’s public schools. Consider becoming a member of your school district’s School Health Advisory Council. We can show you how.
He means abstinence applied to the opposite sex.
Perry is like one of my old computers, garbage in, garbage out.
There you go, Gov. Goodhair, fixed it for ya.
“I’m going to tell you from my own personal life, abstinence works!”
This is known as anecdotal evidence. What a pinhead.
This also calls into question Gov. Rick Perry’s claim in this now infamous interview:
“I’m going to tell you from my own personal life, abstinence works!”
Uh-h-h-h-h-h-h-h-h-h-h. Wait a minute. How exactly is it that abstinence-only worked for Perry? The last time I looked, men do not get pregnant. Therefore, one would have to assume that Perry was female at one time and practices abstinence. Has the Governor had a sex change surgery? Perhaps he was once Rickita Perry? Just sayin’.
Amazing that this man is considered a serious presidential candidate.
I think a better term than “abstinence only” is “ignorance only”.
After all, the one thing abstinence only sex education doesn’t do is educate.
Gordon’s Law of Inverse Attribution asserts that one brags of one’s weakest virtue, and blames others of one’s greatest vice. Abstinence claimed as a virtue hereinabove is therefore the weakest “virtue” as in not applicable, and serious unequivicated fornication is t therefore thier own worst vice.
The Governor is the biggest Queen in Austin. according to confidential sources.
Righteous Ricky? A queen? Well…..er….umm….ra ra sis boom ba.
It is amazing that in Europe, they have a co-ed sex education class that is very straight forward,very informative and very detailed. And their teen pregnancy rate is what our country used to have back in the 1960’s. It is amazing that this has not gotten through to this man – information can lead to actually a reduction in teen pregnancy; all this puritanical crap leads to having kids – just ask Sarah Palin.
No point trying to educate Perry on reality. He isn’t equipped to deal with it.
Perry is equipped to handle reality, he is hiding it.
Rick Perry does abstain from sex…with women. No one gets pregnant from the kind of sex from which he hasn’t been abstaining.
I have no information on abstention of any kind,