Texas is making a noticeable transition toward its ‘abstinence-plus’ curriculum as several US states attempt to reform their sex education policies in the wake of the Roe v. Wade decision. This is the first time in more than 20 years that the state has updated its requirements for sexual health education.
The Texas sex education curriculum has changed as a result of the abortion prohibition; middle school students are now taught about contraception and receive more information about preventing sexually transmitted illnesses, including as the human papillomavirus (HPV), which has been related to various malignancies.
For the first time, Texas schools are going above and beyond the state’s basic health requirements, which previously primarily focused on abstinence to prevent pregnancy. Additionally, these sessions are being made mandatory, obliging parents to enrol their children in these health classes.
According to a 2017 study, only 17% of Texas school districts provided curricula that went beyond ‘abstinence-only’ sexual health education. As opposed to this, only 25% of schools provided any sex education. This occurs at a time when Texas, according to NBC News, continues to have one of the highest rates of teenage pregnancies, with 22.4 births per 1,000 girls and women between the ages of 15 and 19. The birth rate for girls and women is 6.1 per 1,000 in Massachusetts, which is the lowest rate.
The greatest prevalence of recurring teen pregnancies in the US is also found in Texas, along with Alabama. Abstinence still has to be emphasised in Texas sex education as ‘the preferred choice’. Schools are expected to present ‘human use reality rates’ (also known as ‘typical use’ in the medical literature) that explain the efficacy of such procedures outside of laboratory settings while teaching about various forms of contraception.
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