hiv

As the saying goes, it's a man's world — except, perhaps, when it comes to reproductive and sexual health. There, by and large, women's reproductive health issues reign — just think of the TV ads for the new cervical cancer vaccine, or the pink ribbons for breast cancer research.

After reading about the crisis Manatee County is facing in regards to teen pregnancy one thing was evident; the county's approach to abstinence only sexual education is failing miserably. Here are the sobering facts:

Manatee County has one of the highest teen pregnancy rates in the state.

Out of 67 counties, Manatee is the 17th highest; and, in births to teens 10 to 14 years of age, Manatee has the 13th highest rate.

In 2006, one-third of 2,196 ninth-graders surveyed admitted that they had sexual intercourse. This was a 3 percent increase over the 2004 results.