Some Texas schools turn away from abstinence-only

Some schools in Texas have admitted that abstinence-only sex education doesn't work, as evidenced by Texas' third highest teen brith rate in the US, and more damningly, the highest rate of repeat teen briths.

More government money has been spent on the cause of sexual abstinence in Texas than any other state, but it still has the third-highest teen birth rate in the country and the highest percentage of teen mothers giving birth more than once.

"We mainly did it because of our pregnancy rate," said Whitney Self, lead teacher for health and physical education at the Hays Consolidated Independent School District. "We don't think abstinence-only is working."

The numbers speak for themselves, and any delay only brings more harm to the teens they are so desperate to protect. If they have the knowledge that schools in Texas and elsewhere have been reluctant to provide, for whatever reason, the story could have been different.

We must come to the realisation that ditching abstinence-only sex education is not the same as advocating promiscuity and "liberal sexual behaviour"; sure, abstinence is the surefire way to prevent unwanted pregnancies. But not arming them with knowledge of contraceptives is denying them critical knowledge that could keep them safe when they decide to experiment.

And we never know when that might happen.