The Guttmacher Institute’s October 2007 “State Policies in Brief” report provides a helpful overview of which U.S. states mandate sex education and what type of content is required if it’s taught.

HIGHLIGHTS:

• 20 states and the District of Columbia mandate that public schools teach sex education; many states, including several that do not mandate sex education, place requirements on how abstinence and contraception are treated when taught.
• 23 states require that abstinence be stressed when taught as part of sex education; 10 states require simply that it be covered during instruction.
• 15 states and the District of Columbia require that sex education programs cover contraception; no state requires that it be stressed.

My state, Illinois, does not mandate that sex education be taught. But if it is taught, abstinence is supposed to be stressed. What does your state mandate?

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