Sex ed Rights

• In the District of Columbia (D.C.), schools must provide comprehensive school health education, including sexuality and reproduction.
• The curriculum must be age-appropriate and taught from pre-kindergarten through grade 12.
• Teacher training and staff development activities for health and physical education instructors is required.
• Parents or guardians can request, in writing, to have their child or children removed from sex ed classes. This is called an “opt-out” policy.
• In D.C. schools, students are to learn that “people, regardless of biological sex, gender, ability, sexual orientation, gender identity, and culture, have sexual feelings and the need for love, affection, and physical intimacy.”

HIV/AIDS and Other STDs Education

• Sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), HIV, pregnancy, abstinence and contraception are all to be taught.
• If you want your school to offer comprehensive sex ed, be sure to learn more at SIECUS about your state. You can make a difference!

Age of Minority

17

• In D.C., the age when someone is no longer considered a minor is 18. Therefore, you are legally considered an adult at age 18. Being a minor (under 18) affects your right to information and services.
• This is a legal status that lawmakers created for your protection. We want you to be informed because being a “minor” affects your right to information and services. To learn more, read on!

Age of Consent

16

• Legally, people can’t consent (or agree) to sex until they reach a specific age. This is called the “age of consent.”These laws are meant to protect minors from being manipulated or forced into sex with older people.
• In D.C., the age of consent is 16.

LGBTQ Rights

• For students in D.C., non-discrimination and anti-bullying laws are in place that cover sexual orientation and gender identity, so students are protected against discrimination and/or bullying that’s based on sexual orientation and/or gender identity.
• If discrimination, harassment, bullying or a hate crime happens to you or someone you know, please call the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender National Hotline at 1-888-THE-GLNH (843-4564) for help and support, or check out Lambda Legal.

HIV / AIDS Testing

• You don’t need permission from a parent or guardian to get tested or treated for sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) and HIV in D.C.
  • If you’re concerned about privacy, you can ask about it when you call to make your appointment. It’s a good idea to ask, “If I make an appointment and receive any kind of services there, will you tell my parents or anyone else?”
  • Also, tell the clinic staff how to contact you privately if necessary.
• Find an HIV testing site in your area here or call the Centers for Disease Control’s 24-hour National AIDS Hotline at 1-800-CDC-INFO (232-4636).

Condoms

• People of any age, including teens, can buy condoms from a drugstore, pharmacy, grocery store or even online. A pack of twelve condoms costs about $12. Internal or female condoms are about $2 to $4 per condom.
• You can get condoms for free or at a reduced cost from health clinics (like Planned Parenthood), HIV testing centers and local health departments. Call 1-800-230-PLAN (7526) for the nearest Planned Parenthood.
• Always check the expiration date on condoms to make sure that the condoms haven’t expired yet. For information on how to use a condom correctly, check out this FAQ. Learn all about internal/female condoms on Sexetc.org.

Birth Control

• In D.C., all minors (those under 18) may access birth control.
• If you call to make an appointment to receive birth control, ask the health care provider about their confidentiality rules. Ask them when you call:
  • Can I get services at your office without my parents’ permission?
  • Can my parent/s have access to my records?
  • Will my parent/s see the bill?
• Clinics called “Title X clinics”—pronounced “title ten—provide sexual and reproductive health care to both teens and adults. Title X clinics offer many services, including prescriptions for the Pill, pregnancy option counseling, and testing for pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases and infections, including HIV.
• If you go to a Title X clinic, your appointment will be completely confidential.
• These clinics charge on what’s called a sliding-scale fee basis, which means they help you pay what you can afford, and you can pay in cash. If you pay for your visit by using your family’s health insurance, then your parents are likely to see the bill when it arrives in the mail.
• To make sure your visit is confidential, tell the clinic staff how to contact you about test results and future appointments without your parents knowing.
• Call 1-800-230-PLAN (7526) for the nearest Planned Parenthood.
• Or use this tool to find a Title X clinic near you:

Abortion Access

This section is currently being updated and may not have the most current information (as you know, these laws have been shifting quickly). We are working to refresh it ASAP! For now, you can see updated abortion policies here.

• If you are under 18 years old and want an abortion, you can get one without asking permission or informing a parent or guardian.
• There is no mandatory waiting period in your state before a teen can get an abortion.
• Your state provides Medicaid coverage for abortions in cases of life endangerment, rape, and incest.  If you need help paying for an abortion and for updated information, call the National Abortion Federation Hotline at 1-800-772-9100, Monday–Friday, 7 a.m. to 11 p.m.; Saturday–Sunday, 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. (Eastern Daylight Time). The hotline can tell you where and how to get financial help for an abortion in the U.S.
• To learn about the process of adoption and the services available, visit the National Council for Adoption and the Independent Adoption Center. You can also call the National Adoption Information Clearinghouse at 1-888-251-0075 for more information.

Adoption

• To learn about adoption, visit the National Council for Adoption.

Pregnancy

• You don’t need a prescription from a doctor or health care provider to get a pregnancy test.
• You can purchase a pregnancy test from a pharmacy, grocery store or online. They cost between $10 and $18. You can also take a pregnancy test at a doctor’s office or clinic, like Planned Parenthood. Many clinics offer free or reduced-cost pregnancy tests.
• All visits to clinics known as Title X (ten) clinics are confidential for teens and adults.
• Call 1-800-230-PLAN (7526) for the nearest Planned Parenthood.
• Or use this tool to find a Title X clinic near you:

• If you pay for your visit by using your family’s health insurance, your parents are likely to see the details of your visit when the bill arrives. Almost all clinics provide free or reduced-cost services to teens to make it easier to afford services.
• To make sure your visit is confidential, tell the clinic staff how to contact you privately about test results and future appointments.
• Beware of so-called crisis pregnancy centers (CPCs). These centers claim to give you complete and accurate information about your pregnancy options when they actually want to discourage you from getting an abortion. They offer misleading and medically inaccurate information about abortion. Common names of these centers are “Crisis Pregnancy Center,” “Pregnancy Aid,” “Birth Right,” “Open Door” or “Pregnancy Counseling Center.” They are often set up near clinics and Planned Parenthood locations in order to confuse patients to accidentally enter the CPC instead.

Emergency Contraception

• There are several types—or “brands”—of emergency contraception, sometimes called EC or the morning after pill.
• People of any age can buy the brand Plan B One Step and its generic versions at a local pharmacy over the counter, which means you can buy EC without a prescription.
• EC sells for between $35 and $60. Prices vary depending on the brand and the pharmacy.
• To find a provider or clinic near you, call the Emergency Contraception Hotline at 1-888-NOT-2-LATE (668-2528).
• C. requires emergency rooms to provide information on EC to rape survivors and to provide EC upon request.
• If you have been raped and you want EC, go to the emergency department of a hospital or call the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673). Open 24 hours, the hotline will connect you to EC providers near you. For other helpful information, check out the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network’s Web site.

Sexting

• There are no laws in D.C. specifically regarding sexting. But sending sexts of or with those under 18 could be considered child pornography. It’s important to be aware of how serious sexting can be, especially when photos of people under 18 are involved.