Video: Panel Talks Sex Education At Greenville Tech

A four-person panel agreed Tuesday that a more devoted focus must be centered on early sex education in the state of South Carolina. 

Dr. Melisa Holmes, an Ob-Gyn and the current chair of the South Carolina Campaign To Prevent Teen Pregnancy, Traci Fant, whose non-profit Think2XTwice addresses teen issues like as dating violence and bullying, David Mitchell, a former educator and current businessman and Mandy Black, founder of Little Steps, a non-profit designed to assist teen mothers, were all panelists at the event, which was held at Greenville Technical College. 

Striking statistics were presented during the forum including the prevalence of sexual activity in younger adolescents. 

According to one study, moderator Jacquelyn Clement said, up to 20 percent of middle schoolers are now engaging in sexual activity, and South Carolina has the 12th highest teen pregnancy rate in the nation. 

The problem, the panelists acknowledged, is that education in the home is often lacking. Mitchell acknowledged that discussions about sex with his daughters were plenty awkward, and that he might have had an even harder time had he addressed the issue earlier, as it appears may be necessary, according to some studies.

Holmes said "8 is great," regarding the proper age to have an in-depth conversation about what sex is. But more basic, formative talks about human sexuality can and should begin sooner, she said, even at kindergarten and before.

"We are sexual beings from the time we are born," Holmes said.  

Another key statistic posited by several in the panel was that of the $200 million-a-year burden incurred on South Carolina taxpayers to deal with the various consequences of teen pregnancy. It makes more sense, Black said, to invest money up front in a comprehensive, focused sex education program, than to deal with the consequences later. 

"We as taxpayers are going to pay either on the front end or the back end," Black said. 

Meanwhile, Holmes said, engaging your children in conversation about sex and about when they ought to begin having sex has on average delayed sex in those children by 18 months. 

"That's enough to get some kids out of high school," she said. 

And while abstinence-only sex education may be considered the norm for some parts of South Carolina, Holmes said research clearly shows that for generations now, the vast majority of the population in the U.S. - more than 90 percent - do not wait until marriage to have sex.

Check out some of the comments during the forum in Patch.com's video coverage. Tuesday's event was the first of four such forums. A youth forum is scheduled on Feb. 12 at Tillman Hall at Clemson University, while an educator forum is scheduled at the Tapps Art Center in Columbia on Feb. 21. The series concludes on March 14 at the College of Charleston's Education Alumni Center.