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Planned Parenthood Statement on CDC Study: At Least 1 in 4 Teenage Girls Has Sexually Transmitted Disease

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Statement of Florida Association of Planned Parenthood Affiliates Executive Director, Adrienne Kimmell:
March 11, 2008
Sarasota, FL – “Today’s news that more than three million teenage girls have a sexually transmitted infection (STI) emphasizes the need for real comprehensive sex education and statewide standards for sex education.

“This study underscores what Planned Parenthood has known for years: teenagers need to know how to protect themselves against sexually transmitted infections and unintended pregnancy. They need the right information to make responsible decisions.

“We all want our teens to be safe. Providing truthful and accurate information is an important step.

“We have a preventable public health problem in this state — Florida has the 2nd highest rate of HIV transmission and the 6th highest teen pregnancy rate in the country.

“Sometimes parents need help talking with their teens about sex. We need education programs in our schools that will keep teens healthy — by including information about abstinence as well as contraception, healthy communication, responsible decision making, and prevention of sexually transmitted infections. The Healthy Teens Act is a commonsense measure that will do just that.

“As a health care provider, Planned Parenthood knows firsthand the power of education to help teens make responsible decisions about their health. Every year we provide over 110,000 women, men and teens in Florida with the health information and services they need to prevent unintended pregnancy and protect their health.”

The Florida Association of Planned Parenthood Affiliates (FAPPA) is the state public policy office representing Florida’s seven Planned Parenthood affiliates with 27 health care centers across the state. FAPPA works to advance public policy in areas of reproductive health care, family planning and medically-accurate sex education in order to make comprehensive reproductive health care available to all.