Mississippi Parents Favor Sex Education

Ninety-two percent of Mississippi parents responding to a recent survey said they support age-appropriate sex education in school. Mississippi State University’s Social Science Research Center conducted the study, which was presented Thursday at the Mississippi Teen Pregnancy Prevention Summit. In other results:

*61 percent of parents said written permission should be given for sex education classes, and that boys and girls should receive the instruction separately.

*A majority endorsed introducing sex education in middle school (grades five-seven).

*Nine out of 10 parents said the classes should cover STD prevention and what to do in cases of rape.

*87 percent of parents want sex education to include the importance of abstinence until marriage, how to avoid date rape, and how to deal with peer pressure.

*Most parents approved of discussing the basics of reproduction, birth control products and where to obtain them.

*22 percent of parents opposed classroom demonstrations of condom use.

*63 percent of mothers and 55 percent of fathers said they had talked to their children about sex.

The survey polled 400 parents in each of the state’s nine health districts, said Therese Hanna, executive director of the Center for Mississippi Health Policy, which funded the research.

Also on Thursday, the state Department of Health released a survey on sexual practices of high school students. Among its findings:

*The proportion who had had sex fell from 61 percent in 2009 to 58 percent in 2011.

*75 percent of seniors reported having sex. The national average is 61 percent, said State Health Officer Dr. Mary Currier.

*35 percent of high school students reported no condom use the most recent time they had sex; more than one-fifth of these reported sex with four or more partners; 85 percent said they did not use birth control pills.

Dr. Nicholas Mosca, director of the state’s STD/HIV program, called for testing in schools to prevent the spread of STDs.

The Friends of AIDS Foundation is dedicated to enhancing the quality of life for HIV positive individuals and empowering people to make healthy choices to prevent the spread of the HIV virus. To learn more about The Friends of AIDS Foundation, please visit: http://www.friendsofaids.org.

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