Should Condoms Be Distributed in High Schools

Some high schools in large cities do distribute condoms to their students, just as many colleges all over the United States. Yet this should not be limited solely to college students and inner city high school students.

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

More than half of all high school students, both male and female, use condoms as their way of preventing pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases during their first time having sex. Since condoms are the primary source of contraceptive amongst teens and can easily be misused, schools need to enable sexual education courses to teach students the proper application in order to prevent later repercussions. Another popular form of contraception, the oral birth control pill, is more effective than condom; however, birth control pills come with the responsibility of taking them properly along with no protection against STDs. With the strict schedule that birth control pills should be taken, teens are likely to forget which can cause hormonal harm within a young female, and some are not even completely aware of how to take birth control pills. Many adolescents are mainly focused on how to not get pregnant when it comes to sex, which birth control pills are proven to most likely prevent, but they are as familiar with

Sexuality is a quagmire of ambiguity and frustration, especially during adolescence. The unpredictable hormonal ups and downs of puberty are difficult enough, without the societal pressures of abstinence versus promiscuity. The double standard of boys sowing their wild oats and slut shaming are still as prevalent today as they were in the 1950’s.

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.

Sexuality is an intrinsic part of being a human being. Hence, it follows that as we grow sexual development is normal and for most a point of curiosity. In an age where even a curious five year old could ask the internet where babies come from instead of asking their parents, it is becoming increasingly evident sexual education is a necessity for the sexual health of America’s youth. Sexual education is an important class that should be integrated into the public school system in order to prevent the problems of teen pregnancy and STDs such as HIV. The CDC reports that in 2015 about 230,000 babies were born to teen girls aged 15-19 and that nearly half of the 20 million new STD cases reported in 2015 were among young adults between the ages

Sexually transmitted disease (STD) is one of the listed topics for Healthy people 2020 area for improvement. The importance for prevention of STD is marked by a number of different factors like high yearly increase in infected individuals, rise in healthcare cost, and long-term health care complications associated with untreated STDs. Another significant reason for the importance of STD prevention is nearly half of the new cases of infected individuals are young adults between the ages of 15-24 (U. S. Department of Health & Human Services [HHS], 2015). Adolescents between the age of 15-19 and young adults between the age of 20-24 are at a disproportionate rate in the number of new STD cases yearly, in comparison to adults and older adults (HHS, 2015). Furthermore, not all STD cases are reported or accounted for annually, and case numbers are possibly much higher than the reported incidents that only include Clamydia, Gonorrhea, and syphilis. This target population is at an increase need for safe sex practices to reduce the prevalence of new cases annually. The increase need for education is pivotal for the reduction of new STD cases among adolescents.

Condom distributions in high schools are being effective in some areas in the United States (U.S.). Currently, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2015) made a community and individual base intervention called Condom Distribution Programs (CDPs). This program is available for all ages and genders to have access to condoms. This program’s purpose is to promote, increase awareness, provide cost effective sexual health care (contraceptives, HIV/STI testing, and treatment), and decrease social stigma. Their success of the program is determined by seeing who is most at risk. Their goals are creating partnership with other

The youths aged 15-25 years are vulnerable to infections as studies indicate they have the highest rate of STDs in the U.S (Kiene, Tennen, & Armeli, 2008). In fact, they account for nearly fifty percent of all the new STDs infections. The college women have incessantly become the primary STD clinic attendees as they are vulnerable to the human papillomavirus (HPV) as explained by Albarracin et al. (2000). Unfortunately, many college students in the United States seldom report their consistent use of condoms. The inconsistency has put this target group at risk for HIV, STDs, and unplanned pregnancies. In designing the best interventions that would

When a teenage girl sees that small pink plus sign on a pregnancy test, many things begin to run through her mind. “What am I going to tell my parents and boyfriend? How is this going to affect me? How will my friends and family react? What about my education and future? How did this happen to me? What could I have done to prevent this?” Most teenagers have sex without being protected. Whether they’re embarrassed or afraid of being seen, it results in a lot of teenage pregnancies. However, there is a way teenage girls can get the needed protection without being seen or embarrassed. High schools should provide condoms, birth control, sex education classes, and individual counseling to students who ask for them, thus giving private access to the students who need it.

Students that are sexually active need to have access to condoms to protect themselves against sexually transmitted diseases. Teens have problems with birth control for several reasons, and because of this lack of birth control teens are more susceptible to pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases.