We are all adults. Now that we have that out of the way, I think it’s time we all had a very serious discussion about the birds and the bees. Hopefully by now we all have a grasp on the biological logistics of reproduction, but for many Mississippians, and perhaps for some of you, these lessons did not come in the form of a book, class or lecture in grade school.
    Instead, these lessons may have come from rumors told at the junior high lunch table, innuendo from television shows and vaguely worded metaphors from our mothers or fathers. More often than not, these unofficial lessons do not accurately (accurately being the key word) cover the critical details and risks of making the choice to become sexually active, particularly on the topics of contraception, unplanned pregnancy and sexually transmitted infection.  
   Before subjecting you to my opinion on sex education in Mississippi, I would first like to present a few disheartening statistics. According to MississippiFirst.org, 76 percent of Mississippi high school students said they have had sex by the end of 12th grade. The website goes on to state that a staggering one-third of all babies born in Mississippi are born to teenage mothers and that only one-third of teen mothers receive a high school diploma. In addition to these stats on teen pregnancy, the website explains that Mississippi also ranks at the top of several country-wide lists of states affected by STIs, notching the highest rates in the nation for both chlamydia and gonorrhea.  
    In 2011, House Bill 999 passed through Mississippi legislation. At first glance, the bill seemed to be a significant step in a new direction for sex education in Mississippi public schools, requiring all school boards to adopt a policy for sex education (MississippiFirst.org). However, the bill affords school boards the option to choose between “abstinence-only education” and “abstinence-plus education,” abstinence-only being a program that “offers little information on contraception (except to cite often incorrect failure rates)” and abstinence-plus being a program that “encourages abstinence while providing information about contraception” (TheAtlantic.com).
     My (admittedly controversial) proposition to you is simply this: abstinence-only sex education is obsolete. We are all (even if only temporarily) citizens of Mississippi, and as such, it is our duty to combat the unsettling statistics listed previously in the most effective means possible, and abstinence-only education does not cut it. While encouraging high school students to practice abstinence is exceptionally important, our students both deserve and require a more comprehensive education.
    One of the most common arguments in opposition to abstinence-plus sex education is the claim that presenting young adults with a thorough understanding of sex will somehow make them more likely to engage in the act than if strictly abstinence were being taught. I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but children of the technology age have a sexually charged content thrust (pun intended) upon them on a daily, if not hourly, basis. With access to the Internet constantly growing, the commercial saturation experienced by our generation and those younger than ours is astonishing. There is no escaping the promiscuous materials put forth by the media, and the Mississippi public school system needs to embrace this fact by arming its students with information rather than ignorance.
      In conclusion, as members of the next generation of mothers, fathers, mentors and educated adults, I feel it is indispensable for us to have a developed and progressive outlook on the benefits of thorough sex education. By informing ourselves, we will inform subsequent generations, ultimately paving the way for a healthier state and nation.