Missouri

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Missouri received $847,657 in federal funding for abstinence-only-until-marriage programs in Fiscal Year 2003.¹

Missouri Sexuality Education Law

Missouri law does not mandate sexuality education, however, in order to be accredited schools must teach HIV/AIDS-prevention education in elementary and middle school.

All instruction in human sexuality must be medically and factually accurate. It must also "present abstinence from sexual activity as the preferred choice of behavior in relation to all sexual activity for unmarried pupils because it is the only method that is one hundred percent effective in preventing pregnancy, sexually transmitted diseases and the emotional trauma associated with adolescent sexual activity, and advise students that teenage sexual activity places them at a higher risk of dropping out of school because of the consequences of sexually transmitted diseases and unplanned pregnancy."

Instruction must also include the success and failure rates of all methods of contraception, emphasize adoption, and teach students to not make "unwanted physical and verbal sexual advances or otherwise exploit another person."

School boards must determine the specific content of sexuality education classes and make sure that it is age-appropriate.

The school district must notify parents and guardians must about:

1. The basic content of the district's human sexuality instruction to be provided to the student; and
2. The parent's right to remove the student from any part of the district's human sexuality instruction. (This is referred to as an "opt-out" policy.)

See Missouri Revised Statute 170.015, and Missouri's HIV Prevention Education Program.²

Recent Legislation

The Missouri legislature does not carry bills over from one legislative session to the next. Related 2003 and 2004 bills are listed. Missouri's legislative session ended on May 30, 2004.

Bill Establishing Abstinence Program for Low-Income Pregnant Women, Mothers, and Children Dies, 2004 Session

House Bill 1526, introduced in February 2004, would have established a program to provide preventative and primary health care services to low-income pregnant women, mothers, and children that "promotes responsible sexual behavior" by "teaching abstinence from sexual activity outside marriage" and promoting "childbirth over abortion." The bill contained the federal government's eight-point definition of abstinence education. Groups that "promote abstinence" were given specific preference for receiving grants from the program.

The bill died at the end of the legislative session.

Bill Establishing Abstinence-First Pregnancy Prevention Program Dies, 2004 Session

House Bill 1768, introduced on April 29, 2004, would have established an "Abstinence First Pregnancy Prevention Program" to "teach responsible behavior to students in the public schools." The program would have had to emphasize the "100 percent effectiveness of abstinence."

The bill died at the end of the legislative session.

Events of Note

Transgender Chaperone on School Field Trip Causes Concern
January 2003; St. Louis, MO

In October 2002, a parent complained to the school board as a result of a fourth-grade field trip to the state capital in which one of the school's chaperones was a transgender parent of a student. While none of the students or teachers commented on this, this parent, also a chaperone, was upset. Word spread about the incident, and several parents spoke at a November school board meeting demanding that the school board look into the issue. The parents asked that the board create guidelines for conduct and dress for chaperones on field trips and at school parties as well as for volunteers at the schools. One board member agreed and said, "I don't think it's fair to the kids or to the parents. Parents have a right to make the decision about how their children are to be exposed to these issues."³

Despite criticism from some community members, the school board voted in mid-January 2003 not to change its policies. One parent who was unhappy with the decision exclaimed, "It really is amazing what some of you have come to consider normal."⁴ However, another community member said that those who objected to the chaperone's dress were only a small minority in the community. He said that "the reality is that there was no problem on the field trip. The children were never in any danger and did not even question this parent's gender. To them, she was simply another parent."⁵

Missouri's Youth: Statistical Information of Note⁶

• In 2003, 53% of female high school students and 52% of male high school students in Missouri reported ever having had sexual intercourse compared to 45% of female high school students and 48% of male high school students nationwide.
• In 2003, 4% of female high school students and 10% of male high school students in Missouri reported having had sexual intercourse before age 13 compared to 4% of female high school students and 10% of male high school students nationwide.
• In 2003, 15% of female high school students and 18% of male high school students in Missouri reported having had four or more lifetime sexual partners compared to 11% of female high school students and 18% of male high school students nationwide.
• In 2003, 42% of female high school students and 35% of male high school students in Missouri reported being currently sexually active (defined as having had sexual intercourse in the three months prior to the survey) compared to 35% of females and 34% of males nationwide.
• In 2003, among those high school students who reported being currently sexually active, 22% of females and 33% of males in Missouri reported having used alcohol or drugs the last time they had sexual intercourse compared to 21% of females and 30% of males nationwide.
• In 2003, among those high school students who reported being currently sexually active, 57% of females and 79% of males in Missouri reported having used condoms the last time they had sexual intercourse compared to 57% of females and 69% of males nationwide.
• In 2003, among those high school students who reported being currently sexually active, 31% of females and 17% of males in Missouri reported having used birth control pills the last time they had sexual intercourse compared to 21% of females and 13% of males nationwide.
• In 2003, 3% of female high school students and 2% of male high school students in Missouri reported ever having been pregnant or gotten someone pregnant compared to 5% of female high school students and 4% of male high school students nationwide.
• In 2003, 92% of high school students in Missouri reported having been taught about AIDS/HIV in school compared to 88% of high school students nationwide.
• In 2000, Missouri's abortion rate was 14 per 1,000 women ages 15-19 compared to a teen abortion rate of 24 per 1,000 nationwide.⁷
• In 2001, Missouri's birth rate was 46 per 1,000 women ages 15-19 compared to a teen birth rate of 45 per 1,000 nationwide.⁸

Title V Abstinence-Only-Until-Marriage Funding

Missouri received $713,665 in federal Title V funding in Fiscal Year 2003. The Title V abstinence-only-until-marriage grant requires states to provide three state-raised dollars or the equivalent in services for every four federal dollars received. The state match can be provided in part or in full by local groups. Missouri sub-grantees make up the state's required match through funding and in-kind services. The Missouri Department of Health oversees this funding.

There are 20 sub-grantees, many of whom are county health departments or school districts. All sub-grantees conducted classroom-based instruction. These sub-grantees target youth ages 10 to 17 using a variety of curricula, including Choosing the Best, Sex Can Wait, Removing the Risk, Managing Pressures Before Marriage, Sex Respect, and Responsible Social Values Program (RSVP).

There is no evaluation of this project.

Special Projects of Regional and National Significance-Community Based Abstinence Education (SPRANS-CBAE) and Adolescent Family Life Act (AFLA) Grantees

There is one SPRANS-CBAE grantee in Missouri: Catholic Charities of Kansas City/St. Joseph's Children and Family Services. There are no AFLA grantees in Missouri.

Catholic Charities of Kansas City/St. Joseph's Children and Family Services use the Choosing the Best LIFE curriculum for high school students and the Choosing the Best PATH curriculum for middle school students.

SIECUS' review of these curricula found that they, along with their accompanying video segments, rely on fear and shame to influence young people's behavior, suggest that premarital sexual activity is inevitably harmful, and discourage the use of condoms and other contraceptives by providing misleading information about their failure rates. The curricula are written exclusively for heterosexual students, rely on gender stereotypes, and include biased information about abortion.

Federal and State Funding for Abstinence-Only-Until-Marriage Programs in FY 2003

Abstinence-Only-Until-Marriage Grantee Length of Grant	Amount of Grant	Type of Grant (includes SPRANS-CBAE, Title V, and AFLA)
Missouri Department of Health http://www.health.state.mo.us	$713,665 federal	Title V
Catholic Charities of Kansas City/St. Joseph 2002-2005 http://www.catholiccharities-kcsj.org	$133,992	SPRANS-CBAE (Implementation Grant)

Title V Abstinence-Only-Until-Marriage Coordinator

Patti Van Tuinen
Missouri Department of Health
Division of Maternal, Child and Family Health
P.O. Box 570
Jefferson City, MO 65102
Phone: (573) 751-6213

Missouri Organizations that Support Comprehensive Sexuality Education

American Civil Liberties Union of Eastern Missouri
4557 Laclede Ave.
St. Louis, MO 63108
Phone: (314) 361-2111
http://www.aclu-em.org

American Civil Liberties Union of Kansas and Western Missouri
3601 Main St.
Kansas City, MO 64111
Phone: (816) 756-3113
http://www.aclukswmo.org

American Civil Liberties Union of the Ozarks
4319 S National Ave., #139
Springfield, MO 65810-2607
Phone: (417) 881-7977
http://www.acluozarks.org

Lesbian and Gay Community Center
207 Westport Rd, Ste 212
Phone: (816) 931-4420
http://www.lgcc-kc.org

Missouri Alliance for Choice
1010 Vine St.
Fulton, MO 65251
Phone: (573) 445-8075

Missouri National Abortion Rights Action League (NARAL)
4144 Lindell, Suite 505
St. Louis, MO 63108
Phone: (314) 531-8616
http://www.monaral.org

Missouri Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice
5000 Washington Place
St. Louis, MO 63108
Phone: (314) 361-9600
http://www.morcrc.org

Planned Parenthood Advocates Kansas and Mid-Missouri
1001 East 47th St.
Kansas City, MO 64110
Phone: (816) 756-2277
http://www.ppkm.org

Planned Parenthood of the St. Louis Region Advocates
4251 Forest Park Ave.
St. Louis, MO 63108
Phone: (314) 531-7526
http://www.ppslr.org

PROMO: for the Personal Rights of Missourians
438 N. Skinker Blvd.
St. Louis, MO 63130-8340
Phone: (314) 862-4900
http://www.promoonline.org

Missouri Organizations that Oppose Comprehensive Sexuality Education

Eagle Forum Education Center
7800 Bonhomme Ave.
St. Louis, MO 63105
Phone: (314) 721-1213
http://www.eagleforum.org

Life's Silver Lining
P.O. Box 971
Florissant, MO 63032
Phone and Fax: (314) 921-7762
http://www.lifessilverlinings.com

Missouri Right to Life
621 East McCarty, Suite A
P.O. Box 651
Jefferson City, Missouri 65102
Phone: (573) 635-5110
http://www.missourilife.org

The Women's Clinic of Kansas City
P.O. Box 7026
Lee's Summit MO 64064
Phone: (816) 554-8615

Newspapers in Missouri

The Branson Tri-Lakes Daily News
Chris Wolf
Community News Reporter
200 Industrial Park Dr.
Hollister, MO 65672
Phone: (417) 334-3161

Columbia Daily Tribune
Andy Waters
Medical/Health Editor
101 N. 4th St.
Columbia, MO 65201
Phone: (573) 815-1706

Daily American Republic
Stan Berry
Medical/Health Editor
208 Poplar St.
Poplar Bluff, MO 63901
Phone: (573) 785-1414

Jefferson City Post-Tribune
Stephen Foutes
Community News Reporter
210 Monroe St.
Jefferson City, MO 65101
Phone: (573) 761-0254

The Joplin Globe
Wally Kennedy
Medical/Health Staff Writer
117 E. 4th St.
Joplin, MO 64801
Phone: (417) 627-7250

The Kansas City Star
Mark Anderson
Community News Editor
1729 Grand Blvd.
Kansas City, MO 64108
Phone: (816) 234-7736

The News-Leader
Elizabeth Klay
Medical/Health Editor
651 N. Boonville Ave.
Springfield, MO 65806
Phone: (417) 837-1194

Southeast Missourian
Christine Pagano
Community News Editor
301 Broadway St.
Cape Girardeau, MO 63701
Phone: (573) 335-6611

St. Joseph News-Press
Danielle Zielinski
Medical/Health Editor
825 Edmond St.
Saint Joseph, MO 64501
Phone: (816) 271-8592

St. Louis Post-Dispatch
Irv Harrell
Community News Editor
900 N. Tucker Blvd.
Saint Louis, MO 63101
Phone: (314) 340-8220

References

1. This refers to the fiscal year for the Federal Government which begins on October 1 and ends on September 30. The fiscal year is designated by the calendar year in which it ends; for example, fiscal year 2003 begins on October 1, 2002 and ends on September 30, 2003.
2. HIV Prevention Education Program, (Jefferson City, MO: Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education). Available online at http://www.dese.state.mo.us/divimprove/curriculum/hiveducation/msipeducation.html.
3. S. Simon, "Cross-dressed Dad Sparks a Tumult after School Trip," The Record, January 6, 2003.
4. Associated Press, "Despite Cross-dressing Flap School Won't Change Rules for Parents," (MO), January 17, 2003.
5. Ibid.
6. Unless otherwise cited, all statistical information comes from: J. Grunbaum, et. al., "Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance - United States, 2003," Surveillance Summaries, Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, vol. 53, no.SS-2, May 21, 2004, pp. 1-95. Available online at: http://www.cdc.gov/nccdphp/dash/yrbs/.
7. U.S. Teenage Pregnancy Statistics: Overall Trends, Trends by Race and Ethnicity and State-by-State Information, (New York: Alan Guttmacher Institute, February, 2004). Available online at http://www.guttmacher.org.
8. A. Papillo, et.al., Facts at a Glance, (Washington, DC: Child Trends, February, 2004).