"Access to comprehensive sexual education is directly tied to lower rates of STDs and unwanted pregnancies, while increasing the use of contraception among young people," Sieck told POPSUGAR. State legislators determine state requirements for sexual education. Currently, just 17 states require sex ed programs to be medically accurate.
Sieck explained that school board members approve specific curriculums, which means they make decisions about whether abstinence-only education is prioritised and whether reproductive health care is covered at all. So, in addition to paying attention to your state legislators' policies, get in touch with school board candidates to find out where they stand when it comes to comprehensive sex education.