In the United States, each state composes its own legislation for
sexual education
Sex education, also known as sexual education, sexuality education or sex ed, is the instruction of issues relating to human sexuality, including emotional relations and responsibilities, human sexual anatomy, sexual activity, sexual reproduc ...
in schools. The legislation regarding the availability of sex education is a widely debated topic which has important economic, social, and health consequences.
Current position
In
Louisiana
Louisiana , group=pronunciation (French: ''La Louisiane'') is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It is the 20th-smallest by area and the 25th most populous of the 50 U.S. states. Louisiana is borde ...
, public schools are allowed, but not required, at the discretion of the local
school board to teach sex education.
This education must emphasize
abstinence
Abstinence is a self-enforced restraint from indulging in bodily activities that are widely experienced as giving pleasure. Most frequently, the term refers to sexual abstinence, but it can also mean abstinence from alcohol, drugs, food, etc.
...
until marriage as the primary method to avoid unwanted pregnancy or sexually transmitted diseases, and is not allowed to advocate for abortion. The subject must be taught within another subject, such as biology, and cannot be its own class. No sex education is permitted from kindergarten to the sixth grade - except in
, where it is allowed in the third grade and higher - but the school board can determine at what grade level the subject is taught beyond the sixth grade. Schools are not able to give out
contraceptives
Birth control, also known as contraception, anticonception, and fertility control, is the use of methods or devices to prevent unwanted pregnancy. Birth control has been used since ancient times, but effective and safe methods of birth contr ...
or provide any resource materials that depict explicit homosexual sexual activity.
Louisiana law does not address the topics of instruction on HIV or STD prevention.
History
In Louisiana, sex education was not permitted until 1979, when the current sex education legislation was enacted. In 2015, the Louisiana Adolescent Reproductive Health Coalition (LARHC), a non-profit activist group, was created in order to advocate for
comprehensive sex education in schools. Advocates for comprehensive sex education aim to promote healthy sex behaviors and resources, while those opposed believe that the discussion of sex in schools will lead to increased sex behaviors in adolescents.
State Representative Pat Smith proposed a bill in 2018 to make sex education a requirement in public schools, but the bill failed to pass in the house committee.
Statistics
In 2016, Louisiana reported the 6th highest birth rate in the United States, with 4,545 births among females aged 15–19. Among this age range, Louisiana's birth rate was 30.6 births per 1,000 females; in comparison, the United States had a birth rate of 20.3 births per 1,000 females.
See also
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Sex education in the United States
Sex education in the United States is taught in two main forms: comprehensive sex education and abstinence-only as part of the Adolescent Family Life Act, or AFLA. Comprehensive sex education is also called abstinence-based, abstinence-plus, ...
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LGBT sex education
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LGBT sex education in the United States
References
{{Reflist
Sex education in the United States
Education in Louisiana