ABCs, 123s, and STDs

Below the Belt: A Biweekly Column by NOW President Kim Gandy

March 21, 2008

During the discussion at a Chicago teen forum called Let's Talk About Sex, a young man offered a novel suggestion: if you don't have a condom, you can always use aluminum foil. I can't quite make my mind go there. This sparked a debate among the 14-19 year old audience about the efficacy of homemade plastic bag condoms, having sex while standing up (to prevent pregnancy, of course), and bathing after sex to rid oneself of potentially harmful sexually transmitted infections (STIs).

While our president and his allies in their wisdom believe that talking to teenagers about sex is equivalent to putting them in a room together -- naked -- with instructions to try out their parts -- we are learning firsthand the dangers of abstinence-only education. While having teen sex talks can be awkward for both parents and educators alike, the alternative, our silence, leads only to teens having more sex without knowing the facts or the consequences behind the act.

Yet and still, "Just say NO" and "condom's don't work" funding continues to increase. We are reminded of its ineffectiveness in epidemic proportions: a Centers for Disease Control (CDC) report released last week estimates one out of every four teenage girls –- 3.2 million young women -- "is infected with one of the most common sexually transmitted diseases." For African-American adolescents alone, the infection rate was double -- one out of every two female teenagers between the ages of 14-19 was infected. Common STIs reported in the study included: human papillomavirus (HPV), chlamydia, herpes simplex virus, and trichomoniasis. Higher susceptibility to HIV/ AIDS, sterilization, and potentially terminal cervical cancer are just a few of the potential consequences if these infections are left untreated. It's appalling -- before our children are informed and equipped to make decisions about sex, the existence of their entire sexual futures are in some cases irreversibly compromised.

From the year 2000 to 2007, funding for abstinence only education rose by $116 million dollars. In the last year, $176 million was allocated for programs that preach abstention from sex until marriage as the only viable option for adolescents. Rather than confronting national statistics of rising teenage pregnancy and STI rates and strategically targeting the affected populations, the government has made its grant restrictions more rigid -- now requiring that there be no promotion of contraception and/or condom use in funded programs and expanding the adolescent-only focal population to include 12-year-olds through (get this) 29-year-olds! While pre-adolescents have been cut entirely from funding, now university and college students, attendees of technical schools as well as single parents in their 20's have been absorbed into abstinence-only curricula.

Some states have gotten adamant, refusing millions of dollars worth of "Just Say No" grants. California, Connecticut, Maine, New Jersey, Montana, Ohio, Rhode Island and Wisconsin are leading the reality-driven revolt to keep our kids safe. While parents are their children's first line of defense, government oversight is required to halt what has become a nationwide epidemic.

And this misguided approach is hardly localized. In fact, there are international consequences to our refusal to face the facts. From Botswana to Ethiopia, Haiti to Vietnam, our country's generous international AIDS/HIV budget is tied to each recipient country's willingness to teach AB or what is commonly referred to abroad as "Abstinence, Be Faithful" non-sex education. Perhaps U.S. contributions toward anti-retroviral therapy worldwide could decrease if we talked of smarter ways to have sex instead of just saying to adults "don't do it."

Of course we want our kids to wait. Comprehensive sexual education actively encourages teens to abstain from sex until they are more mature and ready. Yet it acknowledges that many are not, and with or without adult approval, sex is happening and sexual consequences are the result. The provision of education, contraception, and condoms can cut down on unplanned adolescent pregnancies, abortions, STIs, sexual abuse, date rape and potentially negative side effects that can arise as a result of premature sexual activity.

Research, not religion, should guide our program development, research, and evaluation when it comes to our children's' sexual health. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to conclude what assistance is needed – a 25 percent infection rate should be enough to lead us in the right direction. Education on human development, relationships, personal skills, sexual behavior, sexual health, and sexuality can only contribute to kids making the right decisions about their bodies or at the very least informed decisions without lifelong physical and psychological consequences.

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