Dive Brief:

• Mississippi, a state with one of the highest teen pregnancy rates in the country, is struggling to implement a law requiring schools to provide sex education.

• Of the 151 Mississippi school districts and four special schools, 81 implemented an abstinence-only curriculum. According to a study published in February, 12% of districts are ignoring the law completely. 

• The law expires in 2016 and sex education advocates are hoping they can renew and expand the law. 

Dive Insight:

The state’s high teen pregnancy rates would most likely decrease if more schools taught “abstinence-plus” sex education; however, the strong religious sentiments in the state still keep many from accepting this rhetoric in schools. 

According to Ashley McKay, the head of Tunica Teens in Action — a non-profit that words with teenage girls in the Delta — there is also a culture that promotes teen pregnancy in Mississippi. This is specifically evidenced through teenagers having photo shoots of their pregnant bodies or hosting competing baby showers. McKay believes this culture needs to change before any of the schooling — abstinence-only or abstinence-plus — will make a difference.