Sex education should include contraception
As a professional who works with young people in Fayette County, I applaud the Herald-Standard for the editorial “Prevention is the only cure to reduce abortion rate” (Jan. 12) that calls for schools to include education about birth control in their efforts to help combat rising rates of teenage pregnancies and abortions. Numerous studies show that providing young people with information about reproductive health, including contraception, does not promote sexual activity.
Teens who receive comprehensive sexuality education are not more likely to be sexually active and do not have sex earlier or more often. But, they are more likely to use birth control whenever they do become sexually active. Further, it has been clearly shown that keeping young people uninformed about sexuality doesn’t prevent them from having sex. Responsible groups including the American Medical Association and the American Academy of Pediatrics support comprehensive sexuality education that includes information about both abstinence and contraception.
Family Health Council’s Center for Adolescent Pregnancy Prevention (CAPP) in Fayette County works to reduce pregnancy and sexually transmitted disease among adolescents.
We provide comprehensive sexuality education that stresses abstinence, builds interpersonal skills, provides medically accurate information on contraception and STDs, and helps teens access reproductive health care services.
Through our medical office and our programs in schools and the community, Fayette County teens have resources for comprehensive sexuality education and quality reproductive health care.
Last year, our peer educators, reached nearly 15,000 Fayette County youth. Their presentations range from abstinence to contraception methods, the truth about HIV/AIDS, dating violence, assertiveness and many others. In 2002, we held the first annual Fayette County Peer Power conference for 200 area students, teachers and administrators with a series of interactive workshops addressing many of these topics. On March 31, we will hold Peer Power 2003.
Family Health Council also recognizes that parents are the primary sexuality educators of their children. To support them we have created our free Family Connections guidebooks, which help parents talk to their children about sexuality. We also publish Fayette County Teen Connections, a free pocket-sized teen resources and reference directory. This directory is especially helpful in connecting teens to health and human services, including contraceptive care.
Since 1971 Family Health Council has provided reproductive health care, including contraception, annual exams, prenatal care, breast and cervical cancer screening and related health services to women in western Pennsylvania regardless of their income or insurance status. We encourage anyone interested in our CAPP services, including school programs, Peer Power, Teen Connections and Family Connections to call (724) 437-8328. For information on our medical services, call (724) 437-1582 or 800-215-7494.
Cheryl Reidman is supervisor of the Teen Peer Education Program for Family Health Council Inc.