Safe Sex
Teenagers who engage in un-protected sex are no longer just practicing ‘unsafe’ sex; they are setting their minds to cruise control through a gateway into hundreds of different diseases and unplanned pregnancies. According to research conducted by Dr. Raymond Bohlin, the executive director at Probe Ministries and author of Safe Sex and the Facts, “1 in 5 Americans between the ages of 15 to 55 are currently infected with one or more viral STDs, and 12 million Americans are newly infected each year.” (1). In that same body of research Bohlin reported that, “…almost 750,000 teenage women aged 15 to19 become pregnant.”(1). Both of these devastating statistics are due in large part to young adults having unprotected sex. In order to protect America’s youth from un-wanted situations that can be the result of having unsafe sex, sexual education classes should be implemented in all high school curriculums so that teenage Americans who are sexually active would know to use at least one, if not two methods of birth control or to remain completely abstinent. The problem isn’t that all of people infected with an STD or pregnant are teenagers; it’s that we don’t want America’s youth to go through either of those life changing events simply because they weren’t educated. Some teens choose to go about their sex lives without communicating with their parents and relying heavily on health services like Planned Parenthood, while others work to communicate with their parents about what is going on in their sex lives.
With the number of teenagers having sex at a younger age increasing each year, the need for early education about protection is becoming a necessity across the nation. Information provided by the Avert website, an non-profit organization concerned about educating youth about sex, concludes that the average age of consent for sex is age 16. This means that you are legally able to give your consent to participate in sexual activities once you have reached that age. Some argue that this is too young of an age, 16 year olds aren’t even allowed to see full nudity on the movie screens at this age; while some agree with this age and say this is more of a realistic age and that teenagers are ready to make this kind of decision by themselves at this point. Teenagers have been known to take a stand on both sides of this argument; some feel they are mature enough to take on a sexual relationship with another person, while others may not feel they are fully emotionally developed and there for not able to deal with the stress that comes with sex or to feel confident enough to say 'no'. While some have an open enough relationship to talk to their parents about having sex, some teenagers simply do not, therefore they either bestow their trust on their partner to know what they are doing, or they look to other places for guidance. Some teenagers rely heavily on organizations like Planned Parenthood provide teenagers with the knowledge and supplies they need to in order to be protected. Health services like Planned Parenthood are many times Government funded, and a confidential service. Teens can receive methods of birth control, pregnancy tests, and consultations without having to communicate that with their parents. Some teens choose to inform their parents while others do not. In fact, according to surveys conducted by the Guttmacher institute, “Sixty percent of teens younger than 18 who use a clinic for sexual health services say their parents know they are there.” (Page). This is an impressive percentage but on the other hand; information gathered from that same survey concludes that, “Among those whose parents do not know, 70% would not use the clinic for prescription contraception if the law required that their parents be notified.” (Guttmacher). This means that the teens that are uncomfortable talking about sex with their parents would be put in danger because apparently, “Only 1% of all minor adolescents who use sexual health services indicate that their only reaction to a law requiring their parents' involvement for prescription contraception would be to stop having sex.” (Guttmacher). This statistic is startling, but the Guttmacher Institute explores this further reporting that, “One in five teens whose parents do not know they obtain contraceptive services would continue to have sex but would either rely on withdrawal or not use any contraceptives if the law required that their parents be notified of their visit.” (PAGE). Unfortunately there isn’t much to be done about relationships with parents and their teenagers, but if teenagers and parents were able to communicate freely about sex there is almost no doubt that teens would be more educated, prepared, and protected from the undesirable outcomes of having sex, like STDs. Because of the dire consequences that can be a result of young adults having unsafe sex such as an unwanted pregnancy and STDs at least one form of protection should be used by all sexually active teenagers and young adults.
Although abstinence is the only way to protect someone completely from an STD or an unplanned pregnancy, there are other ways to have relatively safe sex. Condoms are the most commonly used method of contraception, the Guttmacher institute states that, “…it was used by 66% of sexually experienced females and 71% of males.” (). According to the research conducted by the Advocates for Youth program, “In one year with perfect use (meaning couples use condoms consistently and correctly at every act of sex), 98 percent of women relying on male condoms will remain pregnancy free” (Alford 2). This research encourages couples to always use condoms because not only studies done by Avert research group reporting, “rates of breakage, caused by fault in the condom itself, are less than 2 condoms out of every 100 condoms.” (Condoms History). However encouraging these statistics may be, there is still room for that two percent chance of breakage. The website acknowledges that,
… knowledge and familiarity with the use of condoms reduce the likelihood of condom breakage and slippage during sex. A major factor that can lead to a condom breaking or slipping off during sex is it's size, as this can affect how easy it is to put on and how likely it is to stay on. Different sizes of condoms are available, and it is important to make sure that the condom being used is the correct fit. (Condoms History#).
Couples can never be too careful when it comes to taking care of themselves and looking out for their future. That is why it is best for couples who decide to have sex, to use another type of protection as well as using a condom every time.
The second most used form of contraception is ‘The Pill.’ Birth control pills are an oral form of contraception that is to be taken by females daily in order to prevent pregnancy. Unlike the male condom, birth control pills do not protect from STDs or Sexually Transmitted Infections. On top of that using the pill is slightly less effective, according to current research; Although the typical stated effectiveness of a hormonal birth control pill is recorded around ninety-eight percent, it is actually, on average less potent than a full ninety-eight percent The reason for this is because it is very likely, especially for teenagers, that a female would miss a day of taking the contraceptive which then discontinues the safety cycle it originally created. The pill, however, has many common side effects including anxiety attacks as well as frequent weight gain. There are other methods of taking a hormonal contraceptive other than orally. In today’s market there are shots, inserts, and patches that all have the same effect as a pill. The benefit to these is they don’t need to be done every day, which increases their effectiveness. For those who chose to use only a hormonal birth control they are much better off than not at all, but if all teenagers were to use both a hormonal contraceptive as well as a male condom there is little doubt that STD and teen pregnancy rates would decrease dramatically.
The research described in the article, Condom Effectiveness composed by Sue Alford stated that, “…by comparison, only 15 percent of women using no method of contraception in a year will remain pregnancy free.” (2). The statistics show a colossal difference in pregnancy rates for those using contraception versus those who do not. Although the pill is an effective method of birth control; it does not, however, protect the body from STDs. At the same time, using a condom is not a complete guarantee that you won’t get any STD either, but they are currently the best way to avoid getting infected while still having sex. Even though condoms do not entirely prevent STDs, they have undoubtedly made an impact in reducing transmission rates when condoms are used. Luckily, the rate of contraception and protection use is growing. In one study conducted by the Guttmacher Institute in 2006 they report that, “83% of teen females and 91% of teen males used contraceptives. These proportions represent a marked improvement since 1995, when only 71% of teen females and 82% of teen males had used a contraceptive.”(Last PAGE). In addition to those statistics, “Nearly one-quarter of teens who used contraceptives the last time they had sex combined two methods, primarily the condom and a hormonal method.” (Guttmacher samepg). These stats provide some comfort and hope to parents of teens as well as health care professionals. Other than abstinence, consistent condom use, which means using a condom every time you have sex with every partner you have, as well as a hormonal contraceptive is the best way to prevent STDs.
Sexually transmitted diseases are running rampant throughout the youth in America. This is due to engaging in sexual activities at an early age normally resulting in multiple partners. According to Bohlin’s research, “…nearly 5% of the entire population of the U.S. [are infected with an STD yearly]! Of these new infections, 63% involve people less than 25 years old.”(Bohiln 1). The Family First Aid website exclaims that the American Social Health Association (ASHA) reports that half of all new HIV infections occur in teenagers. HIV is a potentially deadly virus that slowly attacks the body’s immune system; once HIV becomes active it evolves into the Auto Immune Deficiency Syndrome, otherwise known as AIDS (Teen STD1). Diseases like HIV and AIDS are plaguing not only teens in America, but people of all ages across the world. Although these two STDs are potentially deadly and have no cure yet, there are other STDs spreading that are not quite fatal. According to data collected from the Center of Disease Control (CDC) , “From 2005 to 2006 reported cases of Chlamydia climbed from 976,445 to 1,030,911” (Teen STD 1). Unfortunately, not only are teenagers more susceptible to contracting diseases like HIV and Chlamydia, but teenage girls in particular have a Chlamydia rate three times higher than teenage boys, reports the CDC. On top of that, “a 15-year-old girl has a 1-in-8 chance of developing pelvic inflammatory disease simply by having sex, whereas a 24-year-old woman has only a 1- in-80 chance in the same situation” (Bohlin 4). According to information gathered from the Medical Institute for Sexual Health in Austin, Texas; Raymond Bohlin’s same reports, “a single episode of Chlamydia PID can result in a 25% chance of infertility. With a second infection, the chance of infertility rises to 50%,” (2). Both male and female teenagers are also more susceptible to human papilloma virus, HPV. “Rates of HPV infection in teenagers can be as high as 40%, whereas in the adult population, the rate is less than 15%,” (Bohlin 4). The best defense against STDs is knowledge. Studies have shown that teenagers who are equipped with the education they need to protect themselves are more likely to engage in protective behaviors during sex.
For many people, the biggest worry about having sex isn't STDs; it is pregnancy. Many couples choose birth control pills as their primary form of contraception. However; once protected from pregnancy, some people are reluctant to use condoms as part of their sexual routine. The Family First Aid website reports that, “Thirty-four percent of young women become pregnant at least once before they reach the age of 20 -- about 820,000 a year. Eight in ten of these teen pregnancies are unintended” (Teen Pregnancy 1). It’s been acknowledged that the teen birth rate has “declined slowly but steadily from 1991 to 2002 with an overall decline of 30 percent for those aged 15 to 19. These recent declines reverse the 23-percent rise in the teenage birth rate from 1986 to 1991” (Teen Pregnancy 1). A growing body of research suggests that both increased abstinence and changes in contraceptive practice are responsible for recent declines in teenage pregnancy. But for the young women who do become pregnant, many turn to the drastic measure of having an abortion. The Guttmacher Institute reports that only, “fifty-seven percent of pregnancies among 15-19-year-olds ended in birth in 2002, compared with 64% among all women. Furthermore the Institute reports that of the forty-three percent of pregnancies that do not end in birth, almost thirty percent of those pregnancies ended in abortion. Abortions are very dangerous procedures and can affect the fertility of the female for the rest of her life. Not only are abortions a health risk, they are also very controversial, and something that no one should have to go through. Teen mothers often times have to resort to abortion because there are several life altering consequences of having a child at a young age for not only the mother, but the child being born as well. Some of the consequences included on the Family First Aid website concerning Teen Pregnancy Facts are, “only one-third of teenage mothers receive a high school diploma and only 1.5% have a college degree by age thirty,”(1). The same website states that, “Teen mothers are also more likely to end up on welfare. It has been reported that nearly 80 percent of unmarried teen mothers end up on welfare,” (1). The teenage mother isn’t the only one with consequences; the children of teenage mothers have lower birth weights, are less likely to perform well in school, and are also more likely to be victims of abuse (Teen Pregnancy 1). Overall, having a child at a young age is not normally a healthy situation for the mother, nor the child being born.
In recent years the American Government has worked to begin funding sex education classes for public schools across the nation. The problem is the huge discrepancy as to what to teach about sex, either abstinence is the only way, or a comprehensive approach. Even though there are many consequences of having pre-marital sex, is implementing abstinence based educational programs really the answer? Some argue that abstinence based education is what high school teenagers need to receive in order to make moral, responsible decisions; on the other hand, people argue that a comprehensive method of teaching is more realistic and help teens know how to protect themselves if they do make the decision to have sex. Simon Forest, author of Abstinence and Sex Education describes abstinence based education as, “teaching young people that abstaining from sex until marriage is the best means,” (Avert 1), and he also points out that “supporters of abstinence- based approaches to sex education also believe that it is morally wrong for people to have sex before they are married.”(Avert 2). Some find this method to be the only correct way in keeping teens safe from pregnancy and STDs, but according to research conducted by Forest, “those who do receive abstinence- only programmes may be less knowledgeable about STDs and less likely to believe that condoms provided effective protection against them.” (Avert 4). It hasn’t been statistically proven that a comprehensive approach is completely more successful than an abstinence based method, but it seems to be a more realistic idea and more beneficial for the youth. The teenagers who do not fully heed the warnings that come with the message of abstinence is the one and only way, would not be fully educated on how to protect themselves and their sexual partner. Forest further explores the differences between the two methods of educations and concludes that a comprehension method may be the most beneficial, “although they do explain to young people the potential benefits of delaying sex until they are emotionally and physically ready, they also make sure that they are taught how to protect themselves from infections and pregnancy when they do decide to have sex.”(Avert 2). Overall this seems to be the most beneficial program type because it does not necessarily promote premarital sex, but it does acknowledge the overwhelming number of teens that do engage in sexual activities, and works to educate and protect them.
Even though the rates of both teenage STDs and pregnancy are declining across the United States, the numbers are still at a baffling high. Programs all across the states have been erected in order to help educate teens about the risks; and advise teenagers who are or plan to become sexually active to use some form of contraception. Whether teenagers receive information and counseling from parents, or health services such as Planned Parenthood; all that matters is that they are educated and prepared for all of the undesirable outcomes that can be brought on by having sex prematurely. With fatal consequences such as AIDS and life changing effects such as unwanted pregnancy, young adults who partake in sexual activity should use some form of protection. Birth control pills may lower the risk of pregnancy, but they do not protect you from STDs, so it recommended to use both the pills as well as a male condom. Even though abstinence may be the only way to protect teenagers from the monumental consequences of sex, even it isn’t the most realistic approach. That is why our youth should be educated using both condoms as well as some type of birth control pill in order to keep themselves and their partner’s safe from both STDs as well as an unplanned, unwanted pregnancy.
