Massachusetts Print

Massachusetts was the first state to institute a law which prohibits discrimination in public schools on the basis of sexual orientation. Massachusetts was also the first state to legalize same-sex marriage.

Sex Education Policy

Massachusetts law does not require sex education, but its school board urges HIV prevention instruction within a “comprehensive health education” program. Communities which teach sex education must include information about HIV/AIDS prevention, pregnancy prevention, and “sound health practices” and must “define sexual orientation using the correct terminology (such as heterosexual and gay and lesbian).”  See the statutes governing sexuality education: Title XII, Chapter 69 Section 1L , Chapter 71, Section 1 , Section 32A , and Section 38O

Health Outcomes

Massachusetts has comparatively low teen pregnancy, AIDS, and STI rates.

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
Massachusetts 49 19.6 6.5 37.7 42
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.

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