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California’s teen birth rate has dropped nearly 60 percent as a result of expanded sex education programs, according to a report released by the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) on Wednesday.
The report –- which was based on data collected until 2011 --
revealed that the California teen birth rate reached a 20-year low that
year. While in 1991, there were 70.9 births for every 1,000 teens aged
15-19, in 2011 this number decreased to 28 births per 1,000 teens.
Teen birth rates fell across all ethnic groups, according to the
report. The Hispanic teen birth rate dropped from 73.6 in 2001 to 42.7
in 2011 –- although Hispanics continue to be the group with the highest
teen birth rate. Teen birth rates for African-Americans, Whites and
Asian-Americans also decreased significantly.
Several factors contributed to the falling birth rates, the
department said in a press release. One factor was the state’s school
sex education program, which law requires to be comprehensive and
medically accurate. The report also credits community-based education
programs that provide sexual health information to teens and their
parents.
“We do believe that our programs are behind these numbers,” Karen
Ramstrom, the chief of the program standards branch at the California
Department of Public Health’s maternal child and adolescent health
division, told the Los Angeles Times.
“California’s innovative strategies and community partnerships aimed
at lowering teen pregnancy are helping young women and men make
responsible choices,” Dr. Ron Chapman, director of the CDPH, said in a
press release. “We must not be complacent; we must continue to promote
teen pregnancy prevention programs and strategies in all communities.”
As Think Progress noted, California’s teen birth rate decreases are part of a national trend. The national teen birth rate dropped nearly 50 percent between 1991 and 2011, NBC's Today Health reported.
The nation's southern states continue to have some of the highest teen birth rates, Think Progress pointed out -- partially due to a lack of comprehensive sex education programs in many of those states.
CORRECTION: A previous version of this article
said that the state's teen pregnancy rates had dropped. It is the teen
birth rates that have dropped.
via Huffingtonpost.com
A bill that would allow condoms to be distributed in California prisons has passed the state Assembly and now moves to the Senate, officials said Thursday. Assemblyman Rob Bonta, D-Oakland, argues that his Prisoner Protections for Family and Community Health Act or AB 999 will help reduce the risk of sexually transmitted diseases such as HIV/AIDS.
While sexual activity among prisoners is deemed illegal, it does occur, Bonta has said. Prisoners who have had unprotected sex may be putting partners and others in the community at risk when they are released from incarceration.
"Sexually transmitted disease is a tragic reality of life in prisons," Bonta said in a statement. "The HIV/AIDS infection rate in prison is 8 to 10 times higher than among the general population. Our state must address this unsettling and sometimes disturbing topic head-on and realize that the long-term benefits to vulnerable communities, and to the budget, are well worth the modest state investment,"
AB 999 included results of a pilot program conducted inside Solano State Prison in 2008 that showed that when condoms are distributed, they are used.
Bonta said the California Department of Health Services estimates the average cost per patient with HIV in the Medi-Cal system is $23,964 per year. The cost to distribute condoms is $1.39 per prisoner to implement.
Condoms already have been available in jails in Los Angeles County.
Support for the bill includes the AIDS Project Los Angeles, Women Organized to Respond to Life-threatening Diseases, AIDS Healthcare Foundation, the California Academy of Preventive Medicine, California Prevention and Education Project, L.A. Gay & Lesbian Center, Taxpayers for Improving Public Safety, Allen Temple Health & Social Services Ministries, and Legal Services for Prisoners with Children.
Meanwhile, a bill requiring the use of condoms on adult film production sets across California has stalled in the state Assembly after it was shelved in the Appropriations Committee.
via San Jose Mercury News http://www.mercurynews.com/california/ci_23357225/bill-distribute-condoms-california-prisons-advances
