Last month, regional media was bursting with the story of the 14-year-old Federal Way girl who’s accused of smothering her newborn baby.

This is another situation where sexuality education could have saved a life — or three.

The issues in this case are numerous. The girl had been apparently dating and having sex with a 19-year-old man for some time. Aside from the issue of an adult having sex with a minor, it is actually illegal to have sex in Washington if the difference in age between partners is greater than two years for anyone under 12, three years for anyone under 14 and four years for anyone under 16 (www.4parents.gov).

I can tell you this is not common knowledge, yet it is important for our young people and their parents to know. Red flags that may seem obvious to many of us are not necessarily red flags in some cultures and family situations. Comprehensive sexuality education helps educate about healthy relationships and laws regarding sexual behavior.

The girl’s family, the father of the baby and school personnel have all denied knowing the girl was pregnant. Unfortunately, this is too common. Young women are often in denial that they are pregnant, especially when not educated as to what the symptoms are. Even if they do realize they are pregnant, many try to cover it up and, as in this case, do so successfully. This scenario often results in little or no prenatal care for the infant. Comprehensive sexuality education helps educate not only about how pregnancy occurs and how to get help if a girl suspects she is pregnant, but also about contraception effectiveness, unintended pregnancy options and the importance of prenatal care.

There has been too little publicity about the Newborn Safety Act (though there has been more recently thanks to The Mirror running an article on April 18 by Michelle Walsh). There is a state law that makes it legal to leave an unharmed newborn at a designated facility — hospital or fully-staffed fire department — without the police being called. Had this information been more readily available, might this situation have had a different outcome? Though not an ideal outcome, it most likely would have saved a baby’s life.

Comprehensive sexuality education helps educate about the options mothers have for unintended pregnancy, including this one.

One common misconception about comprehensive sexuality education is that it promotes sexual behavior among teens.

In fact, comprehensive sexuality education also helps educate youth about abstinence, in addition to giving information that helps teens stay safe and helps them know where to go for help if they find themselves in the situation of being unintentionally pregnant.

If we continue to live in fear of teens having sex, and act as though these consequences are appropriate punishment for their behavior, we will continue to see heart-wrenching stories like this. Isn’t it time we came together and passed legislation to do all we can to equip our young people to deal responsibly and effectively with their sexuality?

Just saying no isn’t enough. Comprehensive sexuality education could have helped save this baby’s life, as well as the quality of life for her now-incarcerated mother and father. Join me in a new motto, coined by Stephen Sroka years ago: Just say KNOW.