To the editor:

Our teens receive little to no sex education in schools. As a result, Mississippi has the highest teen birth rate in the nation; almost 60 % of Mississippi’s ninth-graders have already had intercourse; and our state has one of the highest cervical cancer rates in the nation. It is high time for schools to implement common-sense sex education that teaches about contraception (including abstinence), and provides medically accurate and age-appropriate information that helps them lead safe, healthy lives.

I urge Mississippians to support comprehensive sex education programs that would fully educate young people about teenage pregnancy and how to prevent sexually transmitted diseases, including HIV, as well as related topics including healthy relationships and communication skills. Studies show that real sex education works, and that abstinence-only programs do not.

It is time for policymakers to get serious about empowering young people by giving them the reliable, accurate information they need to make responsible decisions and stay healthy.

— Jill R. Chancey, PhD

Laurel