Inexcusable ignorance

Sofie Tucker, Special To The Sentinel
April 12, 2008

A highly disturbing study conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that one in four teenage girls in the United States has a sexually transmitted disease, which equates to almost 3 million young women. This is an alarmingly high statistic when you take into account the numerous outlets for sex education. It is disheartening and baffling that sex-education programs and millions of dollars of funding can't prevent such a surge.

Teenagers can no longer claim ignorance. Sexual responsibility is promoted in many ways through school, TV and the Internet. Although our society is still shy on the topic of teen sex, many young people hear about the risk of STDs in sex education at an early age, so this ignorance is inexcusable and absolutely unjustified.

Many, if not all, high-school students take health classes that go over the concepts of sexual responsibility and abstinence, which are then reinforced by parents, peers and even teachers. These resources provide a plethora of information about the various risks of contracting STDs and possibly HIV/AIDS. With numerous awareness advertisements in popular magazines and on the radio, there is no way the information hasn't reached teens. We are no longer misinformed or uninformed; rather, teens are stupidly ignoring the wealth of advice available.

What disturbs me even more is the amount of funding that the government pours into contraceptive and pregnancy-prevention programs: $653 million alone is designated specifically for teens. The CDC estimates that $6.5 billion is spent to treat just eight select STDs among people between the ages of 15 to 24.

Because females are more susceptible to STDs, they are at a higher risk for dangerous viruses such as the human papillomavirus, which can cause cervical cancer. This fact has become widespread with the increase in television ads promoting the Gardasil shots, yet HPV is still one of the most common STDs. Women, especially teens, still don't either use or get protection.

Despite our sense of invulnerability, the risks are still very real.