A national study found that one in
four teenage girls has at least one of four common sexually transmitted
infections: the human papillomavirus (HPV), Chlamydia, genital herpes, and
trichomoniasis (a parasite). Although these diseases, if left untreated, can
lead to cervical cancer, infertility, and pelvic inflammatory disease, young
women could easily not know they have them unless they get regular gynecological
checkups. You know what this means, parents: you’re gonna have to get involved
in your kids’ sex lives. The chances that a
15-year-old is going to find a way to get to Planned Parenthood on her own are
pretty slim. And the good news is that all of these infections are treatable.
Planned Parenthood weighed in on the survey, saying, “The national
policy of promoting abstinence-only programs is a $1.5 billion failure.” Particularly
lacking in this country are sex education programs geared to young women of
color, who are disproportionately affected by STIs. The study revealed that the
rate of infection among African American girls was an alarming 50 percent,
compared to a 20 percent infection rate amongst whites.
The demographic that could be most instrumental in
protecting young girls are a group to whom no parent would want to entrust her
child’s welfare: teenage boys. As promiscuity becomes increasingly socially
accepted at younger ages (with, for instance, a marked increase in anal sex among straight teens),
it becomes more and more difficult for young girls to establish personal sexual
boundaries. So I would strongly urge parents of adolescent boys to communicate
appropriate, respectful sexual contact. Both boys and girls need to understand that the old teen boy rule of "Get as much as you can, as often as you can, from as many people as you can," could actually threaten lives.
Photo: msnb.com
