Sex Education Resource Center
Ohio Print

Ohio law requires that students be taught “venereal disease education.” This education must stress abstinence and meet other requirements similar to the federal requirements for abstinence-only programs – even though 45 percent of high school students in Ohio report already having had sex. Get the facts about the reproductive and sexual health of Ohio's young people.

Sex Education Policy

Ohio requires its students receive abstinence-only programs which closely track with the 8-point federal definition of abstinence-only education. See the Ohio statute governing sex education.

Health Outcomes

Ohio's AIDS and teen pregnancy rates are lower than rates nationwide. STI rates are higher than average.

Sexual Health Stats at a Glance

Teen Pregnancy Rate* Teen Birth Rate* Annual rate of AIDS Diagnoses (per 100,000 people) STI Rate+ % of high school students who did not use a condom at last sex
Ohio 62 38.9 7.8 142.9 Not reported
National 70 39.1 11.2 100.8 39

* Per 1000 young women ages 15-19
+ Because of concern over recent changes in Chlamydia reporting and relative low incidence of syphilis, we used the state's gonorrhea rate as a stand-in for sexually transmitted infection rates.

 

Advocates' Partner Organizations

 
AMPLIFYYOUR VOICE.ORG
a youth-driven community working for change
AMBIENTEJOVEN.ORG
Apoyo para Jóvenes GLBTQ
for Spanish-speaking GLBTQ youth
MYSISTAHS.ORG
by and for young women of color
MORNINGAFTERINFO.ORG
information on emergency birth control for South Carolina residents
YOUTHRESOURCE.ORG
by and for gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, and questioning youth
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