Debateful

CHICAGO (AP) - At least one in four teenage girls nationwide has a sexually transmitted disease, or more than 3 million teens, according to the first study of its kind in this age group.
A virus that causes cervical cancer is by far the most common sexually transmitted infection in teen girls aged 14 to 19, while the highest overall prevalence is among black girls—nearly half the blacks studied had at least one STD. That rate compared with 20 percent among both whites and Mexican-American teens, the study from the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found.

About half of the girls acknowledged ever having sex; among them, the rate was 40 percent. While some teens define sex as only intercourse, other types of intimate behavior including oral sex can spread some infections.

For many, the numbers likely seem "overwhelming because you're talking about nearly half of the sexually experienced teens at any one time having evidence of an STD," said Dr. Margaret Blythe, an adolescent medicine specialist at Indiana University School of Medicine and head of the American Academy of Pediatrics' committee on adolescence.

But the study highlights what many doctors who treat teens see every day, Blythe said.

Dr. John Douglas, director of the CDC's division of STD prevention, said the results are the first to examine the combined national prevalence of common sexually transmitted diseases among adolescent girls. He said the data, from 2003-04, likely reflect current rates of infection.

"High STD rates among young women, particularly African-American young women, are clear signs that we must continue developing ways to reach those most at risk," Douglas said.

The CDC's Dr. Kevin Fenton said given that STDs can cause infertility and cervical cancer in women, "screening, vaccination and other prevention strategies for sexually active women are among our highest public health priorities."

The study by CDC researcher Dr. Sara Forhan is an analysis of nationally representative data on 838 girls who participated in a government health survey. Teens were tested for four infections: human papillomavirus, or HPV, which can cause cervical cancer and affected 18 percent of girls studied; chlamydia, which affected 4 percent; trichomoniasis, 2.5 percent; and herpes simplex virus, 2 percent.

[sarcasm]
Naahhhh. That can't be it. That would be silly. I mean, after all, abstinice only education obviously works all the time. It's not like it could ever fail. I mean, why would kids want to have sex. You only want to have sex if you know what it is, and that is proven![/sarcasm]

Sarcasm aside, I can testify to that personally.

All during High School, I was a virgin, until I met my wife. Three years later, we were married. We're celebrating our 18th year married, and just delivered our second son a few months ago. I've never cheated on her, dispite having to go to Vegas for ten days every year. I'm convinced, that it was due to my lack of sexula experience, that has allowed me to maintain my fidelity. How can you miss something, you've never tried?

And as another side, I have a friend who has had sex with several other women, and is currently in a very committed relationship with his girlfriend. Ok, I lied. He does cheat on her. With his hand.

So, analogies aside, is there any hard proof that abstinence only works over all?

Abstinence works "all over" everytime it's tried, and therein lies the problem. You have to impliment it and stick to it, or it ain't abstaining.

However, your story above does prove my point about the power of "missing" variety.

Well, I have to say this: They have to USE the condoms for them to work properly. My daughter told me that her female friends in high school didn't like the "feel" of them, or that their boyfriends couldn't "experience the feeling," blah blah blah, every excuse in the book. I preached abstinence, put my daughter on the pill, and bought her condoms. I found the box of condoms after she moved away to college, unopened. I asked her about it, and she said, "Well, the Pill is nice because I don't have so many cramps, but I just figured I'd hold onto the rubbers til I found someone I wanted to sleep with."
Geez, knock this tree-hugging liberal over with a feather, LOL! I was very proud of her. Still am!
Purrs,
Pookie