Tennessee

Teen pregnancy and STI rates show Tennessee has a sex ed health crisis

Published

2 years ago

January 22, 2024

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Teen pregnancy and STI rates show Tennessee has a sex ed health crisis

If more schools participated in teaching medically accurate information about these topics, Tennessee would reduce teen pregnancies and sexually-trasmitted infections.

Nikita Bastin, Avery Bogart, Zoe Finer, Jeewoo Kim and Jessie Sims
| Guest Columnists

Nikita Bastin, Avery Bogart, Zoe Finer, Jeewoo Kim and Jessie Sims are medical students in Nashville.

Sex education is not mandated in Tennessee public schools, and if schools decide to provide education, the curriculum is not required to be comprehensive.

The only exception is for schools located in counties where the pregnancy rate exceeds 19.5/1,000 for females aged 15-17, which by 2018 data, includes at least 20 counties in our state.

These schools are only required to teach a family life education program, which must promote topics like abstinence and reserving the expression of sexual activity for marriage. Despite being a harm reduction method, contraceptive options such as condoms and oral contraceptive pills are not required to be taught. Instead, schools are required to inform students about the process and benefits of adoption.

Additionally, in these counties, parents and guardians have the option to remove their children from any type of sexual education curriculum, and as of 2021 this includes LGBTQ-related instruction.

Tennessee ranks near the bottom of state on key indicators

Teen sexual health in Tennessee lags behind other states. In Tennessee, only 32.2% of high schools taught students all 20 critical sexual health education topics outlined by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), as compared to 33% of schools in Georgia and 65.9% of schools in California.

Tennessee is ranked 44th out of the 50 states in rates of teen pregnancy at 21.5 per thousand, with the national average being 13.5 per thousand. Georgia is not far behind at 36th and California is ranked 12th.

Increased rates of teen pregnancy are strongly correlated with higher rates of unemployment, leaving school before completion of a high school degree, and poverty. Teen pregnancies are also associated with worse maternal health outcomes including increased risk for maternal depression and intimate partner violence in the pregnancy periods.

The harms of inadequate sexual education for teens are not limited to unplanned pregnancies. One in six high school-aged females reported intimate partner violence in 2019, which is the highest across the U.S. and is nearly double the national average.

As of 2021, the average number of teens ages 15-17 who were diagnosed with chlamydia, gonorrhea, or syphilis, all sexually-transmitted infections (STIs), was 16.6 per 1,000. These adverse events associated with poor teen sexual health education demonstrate the need for a more robust education approach in Tennessee.

Why holistic sex education benefits young people

Comprehensive sex education is associated with numerous health benefits for teenagers. According to a study conducted at New York University, increased federal funding for more comprehensive sex education led to a 3% reduction in teen pregnancies at the county level.

Furthermore, a landmark CDC study investigated the relationship between comprehensive risk reduction programs, abstinence education programs, and risk of adolescent pregnancy, HIV, and STI’s.

The study found that comprehensive risk reduction programs were effective in reducing both teen pregnancy rates and the acquisition of STIs.

A number of other studies have also shown that abstinence-only programs are ineffective at reducing both teen pregnancy and STI risk.

Thus, even if sexual education curricula are not required by state law, more schools that participate in teaching medically accurate information about these topics will reduce teen pregnancies and STIs.

Nikita Bastin, Avery Bogart, Zoe Finer, Jeewoo Kim and Jessie Sims are medical students in Nashville. The views expressed by the authors are personal in nature and are not intended to represent the views of their institution.

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Tennessee

TN special election: Voters to decide between Republican Van Epps, Democrat Behn to fill vacant congressional seat

Published

5 hours ago

December 1, 2025

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TN special election: Voters to decide between Republican Van Epps, Democrat Behn to fill vacant congressional seat

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WSMV) – It all comes down to Tuesday, December 2, as voters will decide between Republican Matt Van Epps and Democrat Aftyn Behn to fill Tennessee’s 7th Congressional District seat left vacant by former Rep. Mark Green.

The 7th congressional seat was formerly filled by Green, a combat veteran, emergency room doctor and former state senator, who announced his retirement from politics twice to pursue a career in the private sector.

Results – Special Election: U.S. House of Representatives 7th Congressional District

District 7: The 7th Congressional District spans 14 Tennessee counties, including Benton, Cheatham, Davidson, Decatur, Dickson, Hickman, Houston, Humphreys, Montgomery, Perry, Robertson, Stewart, Wayne and Williamson.

Latest: Poll shows Republican Van Epps holding slight lead over Democrat Behn in Tennessee’s special congressional race

A new survey from Emerson College Polling/The Hill survey shows that 48% of voters support Van Epps and 46% support Behn. It also found that 2% plan to vote for one of three third-party candidates on the ballot, and 5% are undecided.

Here is the official list of candidates:

Matt Van Epps – Republican
Aftyn Behn – Democratic
Teresa “Terri” Christie – Independent
Bobby Dodge – Independent
Robert James Sutherby – Independent
Jon Thorp – Independent

Representative Aftyn Behn (D-Nashville): State representative elected in a 2023 special election who says she has “fought to keep our families safe, standing up to those who siphon wealth from our neighborhoods while stripping away our freedoms.”

Matt Van Epps: A combat veteran who worked in the Tennessee Department of General Services under Gov. Bill Lee, who says he “understands the values of hard work, personal responsibility, and service to community that define this great state.”

Previous: Trump-backed Van Epps and Democrat Behn win Tennessee primaries for US House special election

Here are when Special Election Day polls will open in each District 7 county:

Benton County – 8 a.m.
Cheatham County – 7 a.m.
Davidson County – 7 a.m.
Decatur County – 8 a.m.
Dickson County – 7 a.m.
Hickman County – 8 a.m.
Houston County – 9 a.m.
Humphreys County – 9 a.m.
Montgomery County – 7 a.m.
Perry County – 9 a.m.
Robertson County – 7 a.m.
Stewart County – 8 a.m.
Wayne County – 8 a.m.
Williamson County – 7 a.m.

All polls will close at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, December 2.

Only registered voters who live in the U.S. House District 7 are eligible to vote in this election. Voters can check which congressional district they live in and also find their polling locations here.

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Tennessee

Titans report card: How we graded Tennessee in Week 13 loss to Jaguars

Published

17 hours ago

December 1, 2025

Press Room

Titans report card: How we graded Tennessee in Week 13 loss to Jaguars

The Tennessee Titans (1-11) took a massive step backward in their Week 13 matchup against the Jacksonville Jaguars, looking more like the undisciplined, unprepared team from earlier in the season than the unit that put up a fight against the Seattle Seahawks a week ago.

Tennessee struggled to get anything going, and between penalties, poor offensive line play, and allowing too many explosive plays, they had no chance against a Jaguars team that came to play and left with a share of the AFC South division lead.

The Titans will regroup and prepare for a trip to Cleveland to face Shedeur Sanders and the Cleveland Browns.

Before we move on, here’s a quick report card from Sunday’s action.

Offense

Cam Ward was not sharp, and he got little help from his perimeter receiving corps, who could not gain separation throughout the afternoon and had too many drops. Couple that with a dismal performance on third downs, and the unit got nothing going after the initial drive of the game.

The offense started with one of its best drives of the season, mixing run and pass, but after that, the issues that had plagued them early in the season came rushing back, and the unit looked completely overmatched by the Jaguars’ defense. It was a rough outing and a definite step back.

Grade: D

Defense

The defense was better than it was against the Seahawks, but the lack of cornerback depth without Jalyn Armour-Davis was noticeable. The unit is already thin and struggles to match up with the Jaguars’ receiving corps. When you couple the secondary struggles with an invisible pass rush, it makes for a long afternoon.

While they were better this week, the defense still gave up too many big plays, got almost zero help from the offense (or special teams), and wore down.

Grade: C

Special teams

The special teams were anything but special. Between turnovers and crushing penalties, they were unable to capitalize on some opportunities and, for the most part, had a rough day.

Chimere Dike did rip off another big return and made some other plays that made an impact, but his first-quarter fumble on a kickoff return changed the momentum of the game, and the Titans never recovered. Joey Slye made his only attempt for the Titans’ only points, but that was nowhere near enough.

Grade: C

Coaching

Yes, Tennessee entered the game with some injuries and roster questions, but after the first series, it appeared completely unprepared to take the field on Sunday. In a game that turned into a flagfest with 23 combined penalties, the Titans’ lack of discipline again came to light, and they got the worst end of the penalty stick with 13, including multiple that gave the Jaguars new life.

Tennessee has shown some improvement in recent weeks, but that was far from the case this week, with the team looking more like the Brian Callahan-led unit than those that took the field against the Houston Texans and Seattle Seahawks.

Grade: D

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Tennessee player says Jaguars punter threatened to ‘kill me’ during Titans loss – WTOP News

Published

1 day ago

November 30, 2025

Press Room

Tennessee player says Jaguars punter threatened to ‘kill me’ during Titans loss – WTOP News

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Tennessee Titans running back Julius Chestnut said Jacksonville Jaguars punter Logan Cooke said he was going…

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Tennessee Titans running back Julius Chestnut said Jacksonville Jaguars punter Logan Cooke said he was going to kill him during Sunday’s game.

Chestnut blocked Cooke as the punter got a leg up to trip Titans returner Chimere Dike at the end of a 47-yard return with 14:06 left. Cooke was hurt and evaluated for a concussion before returning to punt at the end of the Jaguars’ next series.

The Jaguars and Titans then had another scuffle at the end of Dike’s 13-yard return with 11:49 remaining, with Chestnut and Cooke squaring off.

Officials huddled and handed out a pair of unnecessary roughness penalties to each team, and Cooke and long snapper Ross Matiscik were flagged for the Jags. Titans safety Mike Brown was ejected.

The Jaguars went on to a 25-3 win. The AFC South teams combined for 23 accepted penalties for a total of 184 yards.

“I was just trying to play hard, and he came up to me and said he was going to kill me,” Chestnut said. “So I don’t know what made him do that.”

Chestnut said he never got an explanation for why Cooke was so mad that he “came at me.”

“That was surprising to me. I ain’t never seen nothing like that before,” Chestnut said.

Cooke was not asked specifically after the game about what Chestnut said the punter told him. A message was left Sunday night seeking comment from the Jaguars.

The 6-foot-5, 230-pound Cooke said right after the loss that he likes hitting people. He said Chestnut got the best of him in an “eventful” game.

Cooke talked with the referee at halftime after punting from his own end zone late in the second quarter with a backup long snapper.

“I might have said some things that sounded rude, so I wanted to go clear the air,” Cooke said of his talk with the referee. “I don’t like people having grudges against me. So kind of telling him the situation and also find out his take on what happened on that play in the end zone.”

Jaguars coach Liam Coen said he’d like Cooke to be smarter when it comes to his flag for unnecessary roughness, but he was proud of his players for competing.

“There were some frustrations that were being built up with them rushing us the way they were with the long snapper issue, and we thought we maybe were roughed or potentially roughed at one point,” Coen said. “I don’t know if it got called or not.”

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AP Sports Writer Mark Long in Jacksonville contributed to this report.

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AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl

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