Abstinence-Only Sex Ed Leading to High Teen Pregnancy in Texas

The best way to not get pregnant? Not have sex of course. But is that really feasible? No. And the proof is in the numbers. Texas is a state that continues to teach abstinence-only and yet, Texas has one of the highest ratios of teen pregnancy. In the state of Texas, there were more than 35,000 teen births recorded in 2014. It also leads the United States in repeat teen pregnancies.

In the 2015-16 school year, 25% of all school districts did not teach sex education and 58% of school districts offered abstinence-only education.

Gwen Daverth, CEO of the Texas Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy, told NPR the high numbers of teen births in Texas reflect policy, not promiscuity.

“What we see is there are not supports in place,” Daverth told NPR. “We’re not connecting high-risk youth with contraception services. And we’re not supporting youth in making decisions to be abstinent.”

What's the one way to ensure you don't die in a car accident? Don't get in a car. But let's be honest, driver's ed is better solution.