Should Middle-Schoolers Be Asked About Their Sexual History?

The state of Georgia had 1.8 million reasons to administer a survey to students, but one reason not to.

The Associated Press reports that officials in the Peach State are refusing to participate in a survey from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The survey asks students about their sexual histories, condom use and the number of sexual partners they have had.

For not taking part in the survey, which would have been given to students in seventh grade up through high school, the state will miss out on $1.8 million in funding for initiatives focused on preventing sexually transmitted diseases.

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“Georgia has the right to not ask 12-year-olds if they've had more than six sexual partners,” Brian Robinson, a spokesman for Gov. Nathan Deal, told WSB TV. “We don’t think a 12-year-old should be asked ‘When did you start your sexual activity? I think Georgians are going to stand with Gov. Deal in this decision.”

Do you stand with Gov. Deal and the decision of other state leaders—was the state right to opt out of this survey? Or should the state administer the survey so Georgia can receive the funding?

Share what’s on your mind with us, and then return here to see what your neighbors in Cobb, Douglas and Paulding have said.