Time for real talk.
As the debate on whether or not abstinence-only education works wears on (here’s a hint — it doesn’t), we allow too many of our teenagers, particularly teen girls, to be put at risk.
The Center for Disease Control has issued a report and the results are alarming — as many as 1 in 4 teenage girls in the U.S. have a sexually-transmitted disease.
Even more alarming is how this breaks down along racial lines — as many as 48% of African American teenage girls vs. as many as 20% of white teenage girls have an STD.
I think, sometimes, we don’t think about what having an STD can really mean so, I found this part of the article particularly illuminating:
HPV and chlamydia are the most common STDs found among teenage girls, (Dr. Sara) Forhan said. “Almost one in five overall had a strain of HPV associated with cervical cancer or genital warts,” she said.
“We need to be screening adolescent girls who are sexually active and providing them with HPV vaccine,” (Dr. Elizabeth) Alderman said. “The recommendations are to screen sexually active girls, but many girls don’t disclose to their health-care provider that they are sexually active, even when asked,” she said.
As for chlamydia, 4 percent of teenaged girls had this STD, Forhan said. “The majority of chlamydia infections do not have symptoms. If left untreated, it can lead to pelvic inflammatory disease, which leaves these young women at risk for atopic pregnancy, chronic pelvic pain or infertility,” she said.
In addition, the study found that 2.9 percent of young women had trichomoniasis, and 2 percent were infected with genital herpes, Forhan said.
So, this is no small matter. Let’s get real with our kids because so much of their futures depend on it.
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So, what about the boys? Did these girls get infected by aliens?
No argument here. This study just reported on teenage girls. But, we do need to address why so many of our young women are at risk.
The article does not insinuate promiscuity on the part of these girls. Some girls reported being infected after just one sexual encounter.
So, while I agree that there should be a report on the incidence rates among teen boys, I don’t think these findings here are without merit.
I don’t argue that point, but it’s the same answer I hear whenever girls are singled out, as though they are the only ones having sex, and you know, for a fact, that boys are *not* held accountable for their actions. As long as the “boys will be boys” attitude prevails, our girls will continue to be in trouble. They don’t need to have the entire world’s responsibility on their shoulders. Incidentally, the way I read the survey, it seemed to state that of the girls *who were polled,* 25 percent of them had std’s. No one asked any of the girls in my family, or any of the young girls I know, so where did they find these girls, and why are they representing the whole? That’s what bothers me about statistics like these - too much potential for error.
Okay, I got you and I agree. I often say the same thing when the children of single mothers get in trouble. I remind them that the mother is only getting blamed because she’s there and that there’s a “father” somewhere who contributed to this by not handling his business.
To put it plainly, you’re right.
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