Meet the Officials

As Texas is third highest in the country for teen pregnancy, it's important to keep the youth accurately informed. There are a few officials in the state of Texas that are supporting the idea of a new curriculum taught in schools about sex education; a curriculum that is more comprehensive rather than that of abstinence-only.

While there is always plenty of information and influence that each official has, below are little blurbs to give you an idea of their position and efforts.

Mike Villarreal has taken many measures to invest in the education of the youth of Texas. He was involved in a Bill, that you can find info on here, at his website.

House Bill 1567 by Rep. Michael Villarreal, D-San Antonio, requires that all information taught in public schools about contraceptives, including condoms, be "scientifically accurate."

He also has said,

"In 2009, I helped maintain fine arts and physical education required in high school courses, and filed legislation to prohibit medically inaccurate information in sex education classes."

It is important to him to provide accurate and meaningful information for students as they embark upon their own personal relationships.

Senator Rodney Ellis is very passionate and has also become very involved in supporting the education of teens in sexual education in Texas.

He said the following:

"Study after study has proven that abstinence-only education doesn't prevent teen pregnancies. It is time for Texas to do what works. Sex education curriculum that focuses solely on abstinence and failure rates of birth control isn’t helping Texas teens. We need to teach young people how to protect themselves and let them know that we want them to stay in school, graduate and leave parenting to later in life when they’re emotionally and financially prepared. Education Works.

"We also know what does not work, and that is abstinence-only education. Despite stressing abstinence-only, a recent CDC report shows that teen birth rates increased for the first time in 14 years and our state now ranks 3rd from the bottom in teen pregnancy rate, behind only Mississippi and New Mexico. We can't continue failing teens by keeping important and lifesaving information about contraception from them. They need to learn about healthy relationships, how to delay sexual activity, and how to protect themselves from a teen pregnancy or STD when they become sexually active."

Representative Joaquin Castro's involvement has changed. He was once an advocate of abstinence-only education. He has since changed his stance:

"We tried the abstinence-only policy for quite a while, and the numbers speak for themselves. It hasn’t quite worked in Texas"

He was also involved in a bill: House Bill 741, by Rep. Joaquin Castro, D-San Antonio, would require comprehensive or "abstinence-plus" sexuality education in Texas public schools.

Representative Jessica Farrar has been involved in the efforts of passing a bill to provide accurate information for students--something that hasn't been happening in the schools in Texas:

"Currently, there are numerous inaccuracies in the information given to students about sex education. For example, a US Congressional report found that students were being taught that pregnancy occurs one out of every seven times that couples use condoms, which is an innacurate representation of the effectiveness of condoms. In addition, textbooks that are supposed to be teaching students proven facts have instead taught factual inaccuracies stating that "studies show that 5 to 10 percent of women will never again be pregnant after having a legal abortion". Misinformation in sex education is counterproductive to the goal of reducing sexual activity amongst the youth, as programs containing these inaccuracies have been proven to increase sexual activity amongst students. This bill seeks to require any entity that receives funding from the State of Texas to provide medically accurate information about human development and human sexuality."

In spite of the support of these officials, the policy in Texas remains to be abstinence-only. The need for providing more information to teens is growing, and hopefully, this blog can provide some information on where to go to find information on your own.

Stay Teen

Stay Teen is a great website for anyone to visit seeking information on Teen Pregnancy, Relationships, Birth Control, Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs), Dating Abuse, and more.

It's not all about business and statistics, there is fun to be had, too. You can play games, participate in polls, and watch videos.

I particularly like this game. It is fun and it teaches you about sex and the common myths that are out there.

On top of that, you can find a health center near you for some face-to-face time for any questions you want answered.

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Under the Stay Tuned tab, there is news on the media and different TV series that target teens and sex and pregnancy (16 & Pregnant, The Secret Life of the American Teenager).

Under the Features tab, you can read real-life stories told by teens all around the country. You can find information on facts vs. myths and you can also share your own stories. This sense of unity and camaraderie can really help you make informed decisions about your own personal sex life.

On top of that, you can follow the twitter feed, staying updated on any news, games, or info that comes up! Twitter is a great way to stay informed and to start conversations with other people your age. You can ask questions and get answers really quickly. It is a great way to get involved.

Go check it out here now!

Bedsider

This website, Bedsider is a really great source for information! While abstinence is of course the only sure way to avoid teen pregnancy, STIs and STDs, we realize most teens will make their own individual decisions. It's better to be informed and make good decisions than to jump into things blindly. So, Bedsider is a good source for information to help you decide what you'd like to do, and it gives you your options once you make your decision.

As you can see above, there are links for information on birth control methods, where to get it, reminders (which is an awesome source for getting reminders for your daily jobs, like taking out the trash. It also reminds you to take your birth control), features, and questions. Each tab is pretty self-explanatory in terms of what they are all about.

One of my favorite things about this site is the birth control methods tab. It tells you what the differences are between them; there are pictures so you know what they look like, and there is even information on which ones are easier to hide in case you get a little shy about it. You have the option to compare different methods with each other, and you can ask any questions that you may have. The most important thing they mention is that you have a choice, and that you can have the willpower to abstain if you fell you're not ready.

It's called the Method Explorer and it looks like this:

Couldn't get much easier, right?

But it does...

The Where To Get It tab is really great, too. There are three options as to where you can get birth control: from a health center, over the counter, and emergency contraception. All you have to do is type in your zip code and it will search places where you can get birth control. We recognize that birth control is not always affordable. Don't worry, it's really easy to find free birth control, and at Bedsider.org, they can help you find out if you're eligible to receive free birth control.

The National Campaign

The mission statement of The National Campaign is to seek to improve the well-being of children, youth, families, and the nation by preventing unplanned and teen pregnancy. Teen pregnancy and unplanned pregnancy among teens is a growing concern and is at the base of a number of social challenges and public health. The National Campaign goal is to create a culture where personal responsibility is practiced regarding sex, getting pregnant, and bringing children into the world. This site is dedicated to provide educational information to teens, parents, and young adults.

The National Campaign is making a lot of efforts to spread the word and have YOU, teenagers, get involved. The main thing going on at the National Campaign right now is The National Day to Prevent Teen Pregnancy, on May 2, 2012.

This day is all about spreading the word about the importance of practicing safe sex and being informed so you can make smart decisions. Click here to find more information, and remember to go to The National Campaign.org on May 2, 2012 to get involved!

Family Outreach in Dallas

"Family Outreach is a network of community-based volunteers working to prevent child abuse and neglect through one-on-one support to families. Since 1973, Family Outreach has been committed to preventing child abuse with a variety of programs and support services."

Family Outreach is a resource for families, including teen parents. There are opportunities to seek help from professionals, namely a program called MOM (Mentoring Our Mothers). Professionals can help teen moms learn how to parent and juggle the responsibilities of motherhood and adult life. They even make house calls, and can help you in your own home. There are downloads for parenting tools and tips available, too! All of this is done by professionals and volunteers--meaning it's all free for you! It's a great resource to take advantage of that can really improve your daily life and relationships with others.

The main goal for Family Outreach is to teach the communities how to have more stable home environments. They truly do make big strides towards making a difference.