Alabama state law requires that sex ed classes must emphasize abstinence until marriage, even though over 82,000 teenagers in Alabama are already sexually active. Alabama has among the highest rates of chlamydia, gonorrhea, and syphilis of any state in the union. Alabama is one of 7 states prohibiting any positive depiction of homosexuality in schools, and in fact, schools must emphasize that homosexual conduct is a criminal offense under state law (even though state laws criminalizing homosexuality were declared unconstitutional by the United States Supreme Court in 2003). See the legal statutes governing sex education in Alabama.

Health Outcomes

Alabama has a higher teen pregnancy rate than the national average; a slightly lower AIDS rate; and has among the worst STI rates in the nation.

Sexual Health Stats at a Glance

*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

• AIDS Action of North Alabama
• AIDS Alabama
• Alabama A&M University Alabama Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy