Comprehensive Sex Education Program could lower teen pregnancy and STDs in Texas

Texas could lower the percentage of teen pregnancies and sexually transmitted disease if it provided comprehensive sex education program in all its public schools, according to Krueger Teen Pregnancy and Parenting.  The Texas government should make every public school in Texas incorporate a comprehensive sex education program.

A recent study revealed that there are parents who are afraid to talk to their children about sex and their changing bodies.  Many parents are hesitant to discuss sexual issues with their children because they thing that an expert could do a better job.  Some parents are scared of making mistakes or using the wrong words.  Others feel incompetent about discussing the topic since they themselves received very little or no sex education as a child.  Some of these parents would prefer to let their children’s teachers do the job.  As a result, some teens are left ignorant to the consequences of sex.  A comprehensive sex education program would not only benefit the kids but also those parents who cannot do the job themselves.

The big question that most ask is where do our children get information about sex?  Some parents rightly believe that sex education should be taught at home.  Teaching children about sex education is always a parent’s job, but there is no guarantee that children will be taught by their parents.  A recent survey conducted by Swisher revealed that of 8,000 students of 12 years of age, about eighty percent said that they did not receive any sort of sex education from their parents.  When these children were questioned on the issue, many felt that their parents are the least informative source for information concerning topics like birth control and sexually transmitted diseases.

In a survey conducted by Rosenthal adolescents confessed to having sex prematurely because they were curious.  It is important to note that sex education cannot prevent teenage sex, but it can ensure students have the knowledge of exactly risky unprotected sex is and all the possible consequences.

Teen pregnancy has been a problem for a long time in Texas and this could be attributed to a lack of sex education.  Everyone wants fewer teen pregnancies and fewer cases of sexually transmitted diseases.  The question is how we get there. It is evident that the problem of teen pregnancies can be controlled a little better if sex education were in place. 

In 2008, 52% of all pregnancies (301,000) in Texas were unplanned.  In Texas, the money used to fund unplanned pregnancies is closed to $200 million.  Instead of putting that entire fund into one program, the state should apply some of those funds to a comprehensive sex education program.

In 2012, there were 305,420 babies born to females ages 15-19.  Statistics have revealed that 25% of all girls and 16% of all boys will be victims of some type of sexual abuse or assault by the time they turn 18.

Since parents fail to educate their kinds about sex, the responsibility falls on the government to fund schools in order they can offer these programs.  Another question needing clarification is which type of methods (abstinence only or comprehensive sex education) will the government approve?  According to Krueger, abstinence programs were ineffective in reducing teen pregnancy and STDs.  A congressionally mandated study of four popular abstnince programs by the Mathematica found that they were entirely ineffective.  Students who participated in the programs were no more likely to abstain from sex than other students were.

In 2010, the Obama administration removed the streams of funding for abstinence only programs and created funding for a comprehensive sex education program.  Comprehensive sex education programs give young people the tools they need to protect themselves from negative health outcomes.  A study performed in 2006 on youth ages 13 through 24 revealed that nearly 15 percent of the 56,000 new cases of HIV infections occurred in these youth.

A study conducted on teens in Sweden and the Netherlands revealed that teens in those countries were just as sexually active as teens in the United States but their teen pregnancy and sexually transmitted disease rate was much lower.  Researchers attribute this success to the fact that those countries implement sex educaton in all their public schools at an early age.  Texas has so many resources at its disposal to be able to effectively teach classes on comprehensive sex education that would help teens.

The risk of young people getting STDs and being pregnant is at an all-time high.  The key is to prevent it by providing adequate knowledge on the issue.  As the saying goes, “knowledge is power”.  Thus, we must empower the young people of this country with knowledge.  As demonstrated above, some parents are uncomfortable about discussing sex with their children.  Some would even prefer that their children figure it out on their own from other sources.

To better deal with the high rate of STDs. In addition, unplanned pregnancies the schools have to be empowered by the state of Texas to equip our kids.

 

 

Texas Lags on Child Well-Being

Eli Okun a senior at Brown University where he works as the editor-in-chief of their newspaper has written an article on how Texas lags on child well-being.  The annual Kids Count report released the Annie Casey foundation revealed that more than a quarter of  Texas Children are below the federal poverty line and there is a good majority who don’t even attend preschool.  Thus, the big debate going on right now is how to deal with this issue.

Researchers advise a number of changes in order to better deal with the issues. Remarkably, some of these suggestions are items on Democratic wish lists (higher minimum wage, expanded access to health care for the working poor and greater funding for prekindergarten programs).  Laura Speer, associate director for policy reform and advocacy at the foundation is convinced by the research that more money should be spent in high quality early education.  In fact, she implies that investing in the early years of a child’s life can help pave the way for him/her to have a better future.

Conservative researchers on the other hand disagree about the proposed solution of funding current programs.  They argue that in order to have real success there must be a disruption of the status quo with more school choices and the availability of online learning.  Chuck Devore, vice president of policy at the Texas Public Policy Foundation argues that long-term studies have proven that material learned in prekindergarten are wiped out of the child’s memory by third or fourth grade.  For Devore, it would be a waste of money to invest in early programs.

As Texas continue to struggle in the education arena among the other states some call for action.  Research revealed that while there was a drop in the number of eighth graders not proficient in math, fourth grade reading proficiency have worsen by 1 percent.  This small percentage worries Speer since the nation as whole improved in that area.

As Texas grows, it becomes more diversified.  The widening socioeconomic gap has caused colored children to make up the majority in Texas.  While non-whites make up the majority, research has revealed that they lag behind whites and Asians on most measures of well-being.  Frances Deviney, the Texas Kids Count director and senior research associate at the CPPP argues that racial inequalities in education have shrunk as socioeconomic gaps expand.

Consequently, Deviney argues that if Texans focused on the wellness of their kids as much as they focus on job growth and making Texas a friendly business state, we could do the impossible.

This article is relevant for everyone in Texas.  It is a source of information for everyone especially minorities.

Feeling Invisible Black Residents leave Austin

Corrie MacLaggan who is the Tribune’s demographic reporter wrote this article on the decline of African- Americans in Austin.   She covered Texas government and politics in Austin.  She writes about everything from gubernatorial races to food stamp application backlogs.

This article describes how despite Austin being among the country’s fastest growing cities it is the only one shrinking within the African-American population.  The article based this claim from a May report from the University of Texas at Austin that used Census Bureau data.

 The author states that black residents of Austin are leaving Austin mainly because of racism and prejudice.  There is the belief that minorities are discriminated against by Austin Police.  Furthermore, some argue that African Americans experience a sense of not belonging.  In other words, African-Americans found Austin to be unwelcoming.  Natalie Cofield  president and CEO of the Capital City African American Chamber of Commerce says, that even among the professionals there is “the sense of doing your time in Austin and then moving on because they feel invisible”. 

Tang said, that the reason for the decline include gaps in public education, a distrust of police and obstacles to accessing jobs in the city’s booming technology and construction industries.  While I have heard of Austin police using excessive force against minorities it is hard to believe that the reasons provided are the reasons African-Americans are leaving Austin.

African-Americans explain that all Austin has to offer is good music but they consider Austin to be a bubble city.   Most are seeking a city that can expose their children to the African-American culture and arts.

It seems to me that African-Americans are leaving Austin for the suburbs because of cheaper housing, better schools, and the chance to integrate into the broader community.  Thus, African-Americans are making themselves invisible.    As blacks run to the suburbs then there will be less and less African-Americans in Austin.  In fact, African-Americans seem to ostracize themselves by removing themselves from the city.  It would be good for them to participate in civic activities as well as community wide events such as South by Southwest or Austin Film Festival.

It seems obvious that African-Americans like to live in community.  As already seen in East Austin, they had a community there but more and more are moving to the suburbs.   While, it is okay if African-Americans need to run away and go and hang out with family and friends but they should come back because Austin has a booming economy and Austin is the city of the future.

In an effort to help African-Americans feel welcomed Terry Pierre, an event promoter and Cofield are determined to change things around by helping African-Americans become visible.  African-Americans have to take initiatives to make themselves seen. 

While, I agree with the statistics about African-Americans leaving Austin I disagree with the reason why they are leaving.  I do not think that they are leaving because of police brutality or economic inequality.  I do think that they are living Austin because they are looking for cheaper housing and better schools in the suburbs. Professionals are leaving Austin because of a lack of African-American culture and African-American arts in Austin.

It is obvious that the author of this article is trying to inform the people of Austin about the truth that surrounds them.  Thus, this article is a wake up call first to everyone including African-Americans about the issue at hand.

Texas Democrats divided over border crisis bill

Texas Democrats divided over border crisis bill

In recent months, Texas has been flooded with thousands of illegal immigrants of all ages, including unaccompanied children crossing the border in search of a better life.  Some have referred to the border problem as the “human tragedy”.  Some cross the border believing that once they get into the U.S. they will be granted asylum according to the Dream Act and a 2008 law that grants asylum hearing to any child not from a border nation.  Thus, Texas legislators want to pass a bill that would amend the 2008 provision in the William Wilberforce Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization act, which requires unaccompanied minors coming to the U.S. from Central America receive greater legal protection than immigrants from bordering countries do.  This legislation would force thousands of minors to return to their country thus returning to their harmful and deadly lifestyles.

In the old bill, it took about three to five years for those immigrants who had a claim to go to court.  However, with the new bill it would take less than a week for a judge to decide whether an immigrant had a case to move forward of not.  In other words, Texas legislators want to speed the process of sending these illegal immigrants back home.  In the process of rushing things, there will be casualties.  Minors who were victims of human trafficking will fall through the crack and will be sent back to their old state.  While the situation may seem out of control at the border.  It does not seem right for Texas legislators to enact a bill just to rush the process since it could involve life or death.

The border problem concerns every American and thus everyone should read this article on The Texas Tribune so they could have an awareness of what is going on.  Furthermore, since the legislators are divided in their decisions it is of outmost importance that we (the people) contact our state representatives and express our concerns in the matter.  We should all try to understand what is going on with these immigrants coming to the U.S. and how we could help them.    It does not matter whether you are for or against illegal immigrants crossing the border.  The problem is real and the problem is now thus we should get involved by contacting our state representatives and expressing our concerns.