Currently in Texas schools, and in many schools across the country, our children are taught that when it comes to sex, all they need to do is wait. But this particular line of thinking and approach to sexual education isn't working.

Nationwide teenage birth rates have increased, with Texas ranking third in teen birth rates – 50 percent higher than the national average – and first in repeat teen births.

This increase affects all races and ethnicities across the board, demonstrating that the current lack of sexual health curriculum in our schools is seriously harming all of our children.

According to an analysis by the National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy in 2004, Texas taxpayers spent $1 billion on teen childbearing. Over a 13-year period, teen births in Texas were estimated to cost taxpayers $15.1 billion.

Despite these costs, 94 percent of students in Texas receive abstinence-only sexual education and, to date, more than $1 billion in federal funding has been spent on abstinence-only education. Texas receives the most abstinence only education dollars in the country – more than $18 million.

I think we all agree that we need to take care of our children and teach them how to protect themselves. Our youths need to know that we want them to stay in school and graduate, foster healthy communication with their peers and their parents, cultivate healthy living skills such as goal-setting and responsible decision-making about sexual health, and to leave parenting to later in life when they are emotionally and financially prepared.

The Education Works Act (House Bill 741) will ensure that teens learn about abstinence, healthy relationships and appropriate birth control methods so that they can protect themselves from an unintended pregnancy or sexually transmitted diseases when they do become sexually active – whether that is at age 16, 18 or 25.

Texas students need a complete, medically-accurate and age-appropriate sex education curriculum. And, if parents desire, they can opt-out their children from receiving any type sexual education curriculum.

Our children need a comprehensive sexual education curriculum that will give them medically-accurate information. We can't continue failing teens by keeping important and lifesaving information about contraception from them.

Texas students need a sexual education curriculum that helps them, not hurts them. Focusing on a curriculum based solely on abstinence and birth control failure rates isn't keeping Texas teens from becoming sexually active nor does it help avoid pregnancies or contraction of STDs. This gap in their education only makes it more difficult for teens to make healthy and informed life choices.

Teenage pregnancy contributes to high drop-out rates. Sixty percent of mothers who have a child before they turn 18 fail to graduate from high school.

State Rep. Joaquin Castro (D-San Antonio) serves District 125, which covers parts of northwest and west San Antonio. He is the vice chairman of the Texas House Committee on Higher Education.