teenagers

*cross posted on Amplify**
A time magazine article titled How to Bring An End to the War Over Sex Ed. argues that the debate over abstinince-only sex education and comprehensive sex ed is missing the point:

Later this spring, Congress will dive once more into the war over sex education when it decides whether to eliminate $176 million in federal funding for so-called abstinence-only programs, which instruct kids to delay sex until marriage. Advocates will debate at top volume the merits of abstinence-only efforts vs. more comprehensive programs that also teach about birth control and sexually transmitted infections (STIs).

**Cross posted on Amplify**
Last Tuesday, March 10th, was Adolescent Health Advocacy Day in NC. Over 200 youth activists and state officials gathered at the NC capitol to learn about effective advocacy and important issues like comprehensive sex education, teen pregnancy, mental health, and physical health. The morning featured youth speakers and state senators and representatives speaking about why we needed to make our voices heard.

Last Thursday, February 5th, the Healthy Youth Act (House Bill 88) was officially filed in the North Carolina House of Representatives. Today, feb. 9, it will be read in. The Healthy Youth Act would require schools to offer a two-track system for teaching sex education in North Carolina- one for abstinence-only education and another for comprehensive sex education. Parents decide which track their child will take.

I am a teenager on the North Carolina Youth Leadership Council (NCYLC) in Chapel hill, NC. This is an exciting few weeks for us, because we are introducing the Healthy Youth Act, a bill that would put comprehensive sex education into schools in grades 7 through 9. Teens are going to be lobbying, attending a press conference, writing letters, talking to their schools, and making phone calls for this cause. I met with a NC senator from Durham to discuss this issue today, and we are working on persuading more state representatives and senators to vote for the Healthy Youth Act.

As teenagers, we deserve to be educated about certain things so that we will be able to make responsible, informed decisions. And...comprehensive sex education does just that!

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