- Mississippi state law mandates the teaching of abstinence instruction.
- All such curricula must stress abstinence through abstinence-only or abstinence-plus instruction.
- Under Section 37-13-171 of the Mississippi Code of 1972, abstinence instruction may include lessons on the benefits of abstinence and the negative effects of not abstaining; the harm that can come from an unplanned pregnancy; how to reject sexual advances; how alcohol and drug use increases vulnerability to sexual advances; and that a “mutually faithful, monogamous marriage is the only appropriate setting for sexual intercourse.” And while not every component needs to be addressed, no instruction provided under an abstinence-only program may contradict any of these components.
- Abstinence-plus programs may not include lessons on the application and use of condoms.
- No lessons shall teach that abortion can be used to prevent the birth of a baby.
- Students must be separated by gender during all sex ed lessons.
- Sex ed curricula are not required to include instruction on consent.
- All sex ed curricula must inform students of current state law related to homosexual activity. Mississippi Code Annotated 97-29-59 outlaws sodomy though, in 2003, the United States Supreme Court handed down a decision in Lawrence v. Texas that declared that state laws criminalizing homosexual behavior to be unconstitutional.
- Parents or guardians must receive notification at least one week prior to any human sexuality instruction and schools must receive written permission from them before the student can participate in a sex ed course. This is referred to as an “opt-in” policy.
- Mississippi’s Contemporary Health Curriculum provides standards for health education programs in the state. The standards include “essential questions,” such as, “how does abstinence from sexual activity show that you are responsible?” However, the standards also recommend discussing STDs and contraception alongside abstinence.
Some Sex Ed Advocates Within the State
For more detailed information on how various districts in the state have been implementing these standards — and for recent legislation — you can read SIECUS’s Mississippi profile.