Sex Is Best Described As A Dangerous Liaison

Studies show that the national average for an adolescent’s first sexual intercourse encounter is seventeen years old. Despite this number being very close to the average age in other industrialized countries, the United States holds a higher percentage of teenage pregnancy and sexually transmitted disease (STD) contraction than those countries (Harper et al, 2010, p. 125). It’s becoming evident that while a majority of the nation’s youth is sexually active, they are not doing so with the appropriate knowledge to keep themselves and others healthy.

Teens end up getting sexually transmitted diseases because they are unaware of the consequences of unprotected sex. No abstinence-only program affected the incidence of unprotected vaginal sex (The Australian). Annually 3 million teenagers contract STDs from their partner (Robert Rector). Teens who have early sex not only suffer from STDs, they also have emotional and physical damage. Research shows that young people who become sexually

"Approximately four million teens get a sexually transmitted disease every year" (Scripps 1). Today’s numbers of sexually active teens differ greatly from that of just a few years ago. Which in return, projects that not only the risk of being infected with a sexually transmitted disease (STD) has risen, but the actual numbers of those infected rise each year as well. These changes have not gone unnoticed. In fact have produced adaptations as to how society educates its young adults about sex, using special programs, various advertising, and regulating sexual education courses in public schools. One major adaptation is the advancement and availability of

“Every year near 750,000 teenagers get pregnant and more than two-thirds of those teenagers who decide to have their baby will not graduate from High School" (Lu, 391). Our youth is the generation that possesses the power to dictate what the future entails, therefore it is crucial they do not succumb to the negative effects of sexual activity. No matter how arduous educators and parents may try to instill the act of abstinence amongst teens it’s simply not realistic. Most adolescents are likely to engage in sexual relations but instead of trying to prevent these actions, it is extremely vital to be proactive by allowing them access to contraceptives such as Plan B One- Step in the event of an emergency. However, many individuals believe that 15 year olds having access to Plan B is highly unsafe and will corrupt their parental relationships, but it is actually essential teens receive access to emergency contraception in order to prevent unwanted pregnancies and exercise their right as women to make unrestricted decisions regarding health.

In the last decade or so, however, the growing awareness of the dangers of AIDS does appear to have contributed to a decline in the rates of sexual intercourse among teens. The Youth Risk Behavior Survey found that between 1991 and 2005 the percentage of teenagers who are sexually active dropped from 57.4 percent to 46.3 percent among males and from 50.8 percent to 44.9 percent among females. The rates of pregnancy, abortion, and sexually transmitted disease among teens have actually dropped even faster than the rate of sexual activity. So it appears that, in addition to postponing sex, teens are also becoming more responsible in their sexual activities. For example, the Youth Risk Behavior Survey found that 87.5 percent of teens were either abstinent or used condoms. Of course, that means that 12.5 percent of teens were still having unprotected sex, but that is a significant improvement over past decades. Similarly, although the rate of teen pregnancy has declined, more than 11 percent of the babies born in the United States

Master of Professional Health Debra Hauser states that sexual education is an essential part of the development and growth of teenagers. In her article “Youth Health and Rights in Sex Education”, MPH Hauser provides a report of teenage pregnancies and STDs incidences, which points out that each year in the United States, about 750,000 teens become pregnant, with up to 82 percent of those pregnancies being unintended. Young people ages 15-24 account for 25 percent of all new HIV infections in the U.S (Hauser). According to Hauser, “sex education teaches young people the skills they need to protect themselves”, such as the ability to recognize patterns of a toxic relationships, learning to value and have control over their bodies, understanding

We have all heard the stories about the rise in teenage pregnancies, girls dropping out of school to care for their newborns, and even those who get pregnant on purpose. This new trend is everywhere. Most parents fail to have the “talk” with their children and are left without the proper education regarding sex until its too late. With the current rates of teenage pregnancy correlated with the current rates of spreading epidemics of STD’s and HIV/AIDS, steps should be taken in an effort to aid the situation. Schools are a main source of information and education for teens, and are in a unique position that can provide adolescents with knowledgeable skills and understanding that promote sexual health. With consistent speculation surrounding

Numerous sexual partners enables the chances of contracting an STI, such as Chlamydia, Gonorrhea, or Syphilis, to increase; that being said, statistics indicate that one in every five teens has had four or more sexual partners. Teens of the ages 15 through 19 are among the highest rates of the population infected with the previously mentioned sexually transmitted diseases. Teens engaging in sexual activity are often exposed to diseases without full understanding of the ease that these infections can be transmitted; students need to be exposed to the severe consequences in order to promote more cautious future decisions, like the amount of sexual encounters. Many young males and females never acquire information on the numerous sexually transmitted infections that they could catch and distribute nor how to prevent or treat such diseases. The statistics of high school students that document receiving counseling on STDs and STD testing at a routine checkup with their doctor meets low expectations, recording at 42.8 percent for females and only 26.4 percent for males. The high rates of infected teens could be directly related to the lack of knowledge they receive on the possible diseases that can be distributed through sex. Without proper knowledge on sexually transmitted diseases, the

Therefore, Australian adolescents are at serious risk as there are approximately 25% of young people reported sexually active by 15 years-old, with numbers increasing to 50% by Year 12; only 40% practice safe sex and use a condom (ACYS, 2014).Therefore, they are at greater risk of contracting STIs as a consequence of inexperience and lack of knowledge concerning risks with unprotected sex and access to contraception, social pressure, frequency of partner change, substance use and unwillingness to talk with parents or their general practitioner (DoHA, 2005). Hence, the success of lowering the prevalence of STIs among adolescents relies heavily on the knowledge about reproductive matters and access to and use of effective

Asking about someone’s sexual history or insisting on using condoms both require much confidence. This article suggests that many adolescents are not unknowledgeable about the risks of STDs and ways to avoid them. Many adolescent feel that partners may not be cooperate with prevention strategies. Also, many adolescents do not take the proper precautions to prevent STDs because of social status and preconceived notions that someone may or may not have an STD. Having multiple sexual partners was perceived as cool for males, and this made males more desirable for females. While many females felt they would not fit in if they were not being sexually active. This information alone provides a need for teaching.

Sexually transmitted diseases are a major public health concern in America today. The Centers for Disease control estimate that sexually transmitted diseases cost the U.S. heath care system as much as $15.3 billion each year. (Dougherty, 2010) Each year 19 million people become infected with a sexually transmitted disease. Half of the people that become infected every year are between the ages of fifteen and twenty-four, and may not even know they are infected. (Dougherty, 2010) One in four of the as many as 12 million new sexually transmitted disease infections that occur each year will occur in someone between the ages of 16 and 19. (Haggerty, 2009) Where by some estimates about half of all people will contract a sexually transmitted disease at some point in their life, almost no one will speak of having one. During the transition between childhood and adulthood biological development drives young people for social status. It is during these times that many teens decide that having sex is a good idea but under education about the consequences of their actions can cause unwanted results. (Haggerty, 2009) Sexually transmitted diseases can be a significant problem as young adults enter childbearing years, causing infertility and pregnancy complications (Kaestle and Waller, 2011)

Teen sexual health standpoints must be lifted to lodge the up-to-date compressions, myths, and the realities of the pressures and dangerous outcomes that the new generation is facing or if misinformed will soon face, in the relations of beginning to be sexually active and living a healthy and cautious sexual life in order to protect the teens from continuing to see high rates of STD reduction and transmission.

Teenage sexual activity has sparked an outcry within the nation. With such activity comes a high price. Studies have shown that there has been a significant rise in the number of children with sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), emotional and psychological problems, and out-of-wedlock childbearing. Sex has always been discussed publically by the media, television shows, music and occasionally by parents and teachers in educational context. Teens hear them, and as the saying goes, “monkey see, monkey do”, they are tempted to experiment with it. Therefore, it is important for every teenager to be aware of the outcome associated with premature-sex. If students are educated about the impact of

According to the U.S Department of Health and Human Services, “65 percent of teens have had sex by the time they were seniors in high school”. Under-aged sex is a prevalent activity in today’s society; henceforth, starting this act from a younger age results in an increase in sexual partners over one’s lifespan, which, because of the nature of the activity, gives a greater risk of sexually transmitted diseases. As a result, it is important to understand: adolescent STD rates, the factors that may contribute to them and the possible preventable variables that could aid in alleviating the rate of sexually transmitted diseases transmitted amongst adolescents. To further understand the effects of religiosity and culture, this review of literature will discover the negative and positive correlations, and the associations certain variables obtained to influence the adolescent STD rates. The possible major factors that contribute to high adolescent STD rates are: adolescent relationships, sexual violence, lack of sexual knowledge, and lack of parental guidance. However, religiosity and culture plays both a positive and a negative preventive strategy in slowing down adolescent STD rates. To further reduce rates of adolescent sexually transmitted diseases, more research is needed to measure the effectiveness of the different types of religions and cultures.

Teens have difficulty grasping the consequences of unprotected sex for themselves, their parents, family members and possibly their unborn child. Unprotected sex among teenagers in El Paso has become an issue seeing as they are not receiving the right information they need to know about sex and how to prevent it, sexually transmitted diseases can be passed on through sexual contact in which can be harmful and be passed on from one person to another, and teen pregnancy and STD’s bring substantial social and economic costs through immediate and long-term impacts on teen parents and their children. Nowadays social media and technology seem to really take a toll on teenagers, the both has impacted teens in a way that it is all they are on. My proposal of fixing this solution is getting the message across through social media and doing presentations at different schools, this will impact teenagers mostly because this is the generation where social media has become a part of their lives. To those with low education about unprotected sex, will pay attention to what is being said, which will be no problem since Google and the internet are there to provide answers to their questions. Lastly, teens do not pay attention to adults in general, but if they listen to what a teen has to say then they will most likely understand, thus a presentation at their school will help them learn more.