The Youth Access Of Sexual Health Services Act ( Yashsa ) Of 2016 Essay

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.

An increasing number of young people are receiving health insurance coverage through their parents’ plans. The Affordable Care Act (ACA) expands dependent coverage to young adults 25 years old or younger. As a result, over 3 million young adults have gained coverage since 2010 (Benjamin D. Sommers, 2014) Covered individuals can now obtain important preventive reproductive and sexual health care services – such as STI screenings and birth control – with no additional copayment (Sommers, 2014). Together, these changes have the potential to improve young people’s access to critical sexual and reproductive health care.

"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

The Illinois Caucus for Adolescent Health (ICAH) is an organization that aims to empower youth and allies to transform public consciousness and capacity building within various systems (family, school, and healthcare) to support the sexual health, identities, and rights of youth through education, organization, and advocacy. ICAH offers sexuality education courses in varied facets. Through peer education, performance based education, adult sexuality education and adult ally training, ICAH utilizes its platform to reach people of all genders, races, ages, and more to administer comprehensive and supportive sexuality education workshops. Through advocacy and organizing, ICAH challenges systems and policies in place that violates young

Create a brief report to explain the issues affecting young people in relation to sexual health and risk of pregnancy, including peer pressure, consensual relationships, and readiness for sexual activity, contraception, sexually transmitted infections and pregnancy options, including how age, maturity, ethnicity,

Census back in 2000 stated that about thirty-four percent of Latinos did not have any health insurance. There was an analysis of Latino students in seventh, ninth, and eleventh grades, twenty percent did not know where to go for medical help. The younger adolescents were not informed about healthcare needs, which may show their lack to regular check ups and or their lack of knowledge to seek for help. In 1988 through 2000, Latina teens had increasing numbers of STDs than did non-Hispanic adolescence women. About fifty-nine percent of Latina adolescence that do not use any kind of protection at first sexual intercourse, compared to close to eighty-one percent of non-Hispanic, about seventy-seven percent Asian Americans, Native Americans was also about seventy-seven percent and African Americans was at about sixty-eight percent. Latina adolescences receive little knowledge about protection and family planning. The school interventions and healthcare services only reach a portion of Latina adolescences, because of the high numbers of school dropout level in this population. The issues preventing Latina adolescences' accessing to healthcare are verbal barriers and not enough knowledge about healthcare

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

With adolescence being a time of both sexual maturation and increased risk-taking, it is unsurprising that adolescence is a period in which many young people become sexually active (Tillett, 2005). With 69% of year 10 to 12 students reporting having engaged in some kind of sexual activity and 34% having engaged in intercourse (Mitchell et al, 2014), the idea that adolescence is a period of sexual innocence is misinformed; young people do have sex, whether or not they have undertaken sex education or have access to contraception. The ethical issues around adolescent access to contraception are numerous. The idea that young people will engage in more sex if they are able to access contraception is persistent, and this holds the potential for unwanted pregnancy, sexually transmitted infections, and damage caused by having sex without giving informed consent. The second ethical issue of parental consent revolves around parents having the right to be aware of their children’s medical history, conflicting with the child’s right to confidentiality.

In her article “OP-ED: Warning: These States May Be Harmful To Your Health” (2014), Yamani Hernandez expresses her distress over the health laws in the states of Alabama, Missouri and Illinois that makes it tougher for teens to acquire medical assistants for abortion services. Hernandez supports her claim by providing examples of laws that are already in place and elaborating why it is making it harder for these teens. Her purpose is to warn readers about the growing issues that is creating lack of resources for teen sexual health in order to encourage better health care options that meets the need for teens rather than political. Hernandez’s tone is apprehensive for an educated audience that wants everyone to be able to have proper health

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)

The United States has an alarmingly high rate of sexually transmitted infections among ages fifteen through twenty-five especially among states that teach abstinence only opposed to comprehensive sexual education. It holds the highest rate in sexually transmitted infections in youth in all developed countries. This is a frightening and atrocious crisis that is preventable if given the right tools at the right age. Many youth are in harm’s way due to inaccurate information, . Many youth believe oral and anal sex is not a form of sex believing they cannot be infected by any sexually transmitted infections when engaging in these acts. This is not only wrong but can put themselves at higher risk for sexually transmitted disease. Sexually transmitted

Teens depend on birth control and other forms of protection to safeguard themselves from pregnancy and sexually transmitted disease. Confidential access to contraceptives increases the likelihood of a minors practicing safe sex. Safe sex can be practiced in a multiple ways such as birth control pills, birth control shots, intrauterine devices, and condoms. All of these types of contraceptives may be received from a doctors office. Condoms may also be found in a variety of stores. All sources containing contraceptives may eventually have to require a minors parental consent in order to sell. Regulations on contraceptives will leave many minors with a difficult decision on whether to tell their parents about their sexual activity in order receive contraceptives. Minors should be allowed to have limitless access to contraceptives due to risk of pregnancy and other health issues.

The more frequent occurrence of STDs in the younger generations are also based upon the multiple barriers in retrieving the benefits in STD prevention services which includes the lack of health insurance or inability to pay, no transportation, embarrassment of the services in the facilities, and worries of discretion. (STDs) According to the US Department of Health and Human Service, twenty five percent of sexually active adolescents have already obtained an STD. (Parillo) The severity of the issue is approached with the control strategies and educational strategies. In which these educational strategies are more effective when it involves a big health educational program that is provided to our minors. The young populations that are particularly affected by STDs are the young women with a low income for it is easier for a female to receive an STD compared to men. And with those women having a low income, they are not able to access the services that are being provided to them. Today, four in ten sexually active adolescent girls have obtained an STD that can cause infertility and death; also two thirds of adolescent boys have HIV diagnoses.

Many individuals seek healthcare from their local health department based on accessibility and financial payment flexibility. Local health departments provide services to individuals of all ages. Typically, children and young adults frequent health departments. Unfortunately many young adults arrive for care, and withhold little to no knowledge regarding the care and protection of their bodies. This scenario places the patient at a grave risk of contracting diseases that could ultimately result in a cancer diagnosis. The population that this author has chosen to primarily focus upon is promiscuous young adults aged 21-25 who are sexually active with multiple individuals. Women identifying with the above description often have a lower

With a growing world population of approximately 7.4 billion people, there’s no wonder why so many health crises have been exploited over the years (“Population Clock”). From influenza to the ebola virus, dozens of pressing medical issues have been covered by the media over the past years; however, almost all exclude one of the critical happenings for adolescent health worldwide: the rise of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) and pregnancies in teenagers. The dilapidated subject is often considered too taboo to discuss and evaluating, neglecting current youth and generations to come. The rise of STDs and adolescent pregnancies contributes to a multitude of issues including, but not excluded to, medical complications, social and mental