Sex ed Rights

• North Carolina state law requires schools to provide sex education. Local school boards decide which subjects this education must cover and the grade level in which topics are introduced.
• Abstinence (outside of marriage) must be covered as the “expected standard for all school-age children.”
• Teaching about all contraceptives and their effectiveness and safety in preventing pregnancy and the transmission of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) is required.
• Sex ed classes must be “age-appropriate, objective and based upon scientific research that is peer reviewed and accepted by professionals in the field of sexual health education.”
• In North Carolina, schools must teach that having an abortion can cause future miscarriages, even though there is no medical evidence to support the claim.
• In North Carolina schools must teach that a “mutually faithful monogamous heterosexual relationship in the context of marriage is the best lifelong means of avoiding sexually transmitted diseases, including HIV/AIDS.” Think this is discriminatory?  Check out the Gay, Lesbian, and Straight Education Network (GLSEN)website to see how you can help change this policy.
• Sex ed materials, including HIV/AIDS instruction, must be made available to parents or guardians at least 60 days before the class. Parents or guardians must also be given opportunity to allow their child or children to participate or to prevent them from participating in sex ed. These are referred to as “opt-in” and “opt-out” policies.
• To learn more about sex ed in schools in North Carolina, visit SIECUS. You can make a difference!

HIV/AIDS and STI Education

• North Carolina state law requires STI and HIV/AIDS education.

Age of Minority

17

• In North Carolina, as with most states, you are considered a minor (someone who is not an adult) if you are under 18 years old.
• 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 (with someone who is considered an adult) until they reach a specific age. This is called the “age of consent.”Consent laws are meant to protect minors from being manipulated or forced into sex with older people.
• The age of consent in North Carolina is 16.
• A “close in age” exception is in place for teens whose ages are within four years of age of one another (even when one is under 16).
• No employee of a school may engage in sexual activity with a student, regardless of the age of the student.

LGBTQ Rights

• There are no laws in North Carolina that protect students in school from discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity.
• There are statewide anti-bullying laws to protect students based on sexual orientation and gender identity.
• State hate crimes laws do not include sexual orientation or gender identity.
• If discrimination, harassment or a hate crime happens to you or someone you know, please call the Gay and Lesbian National Hotline at 1-888-THE-GLNH (843-4564) for help and support, or check out Lambda Legal. No one deserves discrimination or harassment!

HIV / AIDS Testing

• In North Carolina, a minor (someone under 18) doesn’t need permission from a parent or guardian to get tested for sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and HIV or to consent to treatment.
• If you’re under 18, it’s especially important for you to ask questions about confidentiality when you call to make your appointment. Specifically ask, “If I make an appointment and receive any kind of services at your clinic, will you tell my parents or anyone else?” This applies to all services, including testing for pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections, including HIV.
• 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 North Carolina, minors (those under 18) can get a prescription for birth control without a parent’s permission.
• Clinics called “Title X clinics”—pronounced “title ten”—provide confidential 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.
• 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.
• Call 1-800-230-PLAN (7526) for the nearest Planned Parenthood.
• Or use this tool to find a Title X clinic near you:
• When you make an appointment for health care, ask about confidentiality rules. When you call, ask:
  • 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?
• It is your right to get sexual and reproductive health care where you feel safe and comfortable, so don’t worry about asking these questions.

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.

• In North Carolina, if you’re under 18 and want an abortion, a parent or guardian (or a grandparent you’ve lived with for at least six months immediately before the abortion), must give you permission to have an abortion. This is called “parental consent.”
• If parental consent is not possible, you can ask a judge for permission or get special permission if the abortion is an emergency. This is called “judicial bypass.”
• North Carolina does not provide Medicaid (health care) coverage for medically necessary abortions, except in instances of life endangerment to the woman, or when the pregnancy is a result of rape or incest.
• If you need more information on abortion or help paying for an abortion, 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).

Adoption

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

Pregnancy

• You do not 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.
• Visits to clinics known as Title X (ten) clinics are confidential for teens and adults.
• Use this tool to find a Title X clinic near you:
• Or call 1-800-230-PLAN (7526) for the nearest Planned Parenthood.
• 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.
• 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 an EC provider, call the Emergency Contraception Hotline at 1-888-NOT-2-LATE (668-2528). They can help you find access to EC if you’re having any trouble at all.
• North Carolina does not require emergency rooms to provide EC or information on EC to rape survivors.
• If you have been raped and you want EC, 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 Website.

Sexting

• There are no laws in North Carolina specifically regarding sexting. However, sexting falls under child pornography regulations, which state that pictures of a person under 18 engaged in sexual behaviors is a crime.
• Having someone’s permission to take or share images of them is important, but even if you have permission, taking or sharing nude or sexual images of someone under 18, even yourself, could be considered illegal.