On February 5, 2009, the governor’s Interagency Coordinating Council for the Prevention of Adolescent Pregnancy and Sexually Transmitted Diseases (ICC) adopted the following definition of medically accurate information.
“Medically accurate information used in sexuality education and HIV/STD prevention programs is information relevant to informed decision-making based on the weight of scientific evidence, consistent with generally recognized scientific theory, conducted under accepted scientific methods, published in peer-reviewed journals, and recognized as accurate, objective, and complete by mainstream professional organizations such as the American Medical Association, American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, American Public Health Association, and American Academy of Pediatrics; government agencies such as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Food and Drug Administration, and National Institutes of Health; and scientific advisory groups such as the Institute of Medicine and the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices. The deliberate withholding of information that is needed to protect life and health (and therefore relevant to informed decision-making) should be considered medically inaccurate.”
Although the group does not have the authority to make state policy or law, the ICC represents a variety of highly respected constituencies in Oklahoma, including professionals in health care, education, and youth development. A statement from ICC on its accepted definition of medically accurate information in sexuality education is an exciting step toward ensuring that the young people of our state receive the highest quality sexuality education.
Monday, May 18, 2009
Wednesday, May 6, 2009
National Day to Prevent Teen Pregnancy
In recognition of the eighth annual National Day to Prevent Teen Pregnancy, Planned Parenthood Federation of America (PPFA) today called for public funding of comprehensive, medically accurate sex education programs to reduce the alarming rate of unintended teen pregnancies in this country.
“Teens deserve honest, accurate, age-appropriate information about how to protect themselves,” said Terry Dennison, Director of Education for Planned Parenthood of Central Oklahoma. “They need sex education that provides information about healthy communication, responsible decision making, as well as abstinence and contraception as ways to prevent unintended pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections.”
The U.S. teen birthrate increased for the second year in a row, according to data released in March by the National Center for Health Statistics. The National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy reports the U.S. has the highest rates of teen pregnancy among comparable countries. An estimated 750,000 American teens become pregnant each year.
Planned Parenthood affiliate educators nationwide reach more than 1.2 million young people and adults with medically accurate sex education each year. As a trusted health care provider, Planned Parenthood knows firsthand the power of education to help teens make responsible decisions about their health. Every year we provide three million women, men, and teens nationwide with health information and services to prevent unintended pregnancy and protect their health.
Providing teens and young people with the information they need to make responsible decisions is the commonsense solution to reducing unintended teen pregnancy. Numerous studies have analyzed abstinence-only programs and found them to be ineffective.
A study conducted by the University of Washington found that teens who had comprehensive sex education were 50 percent less likely to become pregnant than teens who had no sex education or who were in abstinence-only programs. A study by The National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy reports that two-thirds of the examined sex education programs that focus on both abstinence and contraception had a positive effect on teen sexual behavior. And a 2008 Guttmacher Institute report found that most abstinence programs did not delay initiation of sexual activity.
President Barack Obama has consistently supported comprehensive and age-appropriate sex education. As a senator, President Obama was an original co-sponsor of the Prevention First Act, which would ensure that all taxpayer-funded federal programs are medically accurate and include information about contraception.
Planned Parenthood is a 2009 national partner of the National Day to Prevent Teen Pregnancy, an effort to help teens understand the importance of avoiding unintended pregnancy. For more information, please visit The National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy.
“Teens deserve honest, accurate, age-appropriate information about how to protect themselves,” said Terry Dennison, Director of Education for Planned Parenthood of Central Oklahoma. “They need sex education that provides information about healthy communication, responsible decision making, as well as abstinence and contraception as ways to prevent unintended pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections.”
The U.S. teen birthrate increased for the second year in a row, according to data released in March by the National Center for Health Statistics. The National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy reports the U.S. has the highest rates of teen pregnancy among comparable countries. An estimated 750,000 American teens become pregnant each year.
Planned Parenthood affiliate educators nationwide reach more than 1.2 million young people and adults with medically accurate sex education each year. As a trusted health care provider, Planned Parenthood knows firsthand the power of education to help teens make responsible decisions about their health. Every year we provide three million women, men, and teens nationwide with health information and services to prevent unintended pregnancy and protect their health.
Providing teens and young people with the information they need to make responsible decisions is the commonsense solution to reducing unintended teen pregnancy. Numerous studies have analyzed abstinence-only programs and found them to be ineffective.
A study conducted by the University of Washington found that teens who had comprehensive sex education were 50 percent less likely to become pregnant than teens who had no sex education or who were in abstinence-only programs. A study by The National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy reports that two-thirds of the examined sex education programs that focus on both abstinence and contraception had a positive effect on teen sexual behavior. And a 2008 Guttmacher Institute report found that most abstinence programs did not delay initiation of sexual activity.
President Barack Obama has consistently supported comprehensive and age-appropriate sex education. As a senator, President Obama was an original co-sponsor of the Prevention First Act, which would ensure that all taxpayer-funded federal programs are medically accurate and include information about contraception.
Planned Parenthood is a 2009 national partner of the National Day to Prevent Teen Pregnancy, an effort to help teens understand the importance of avoiding unintended pregnancy. For more information, please visit The National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy.
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