America's Youth and the Continuing Crisis of Unprotected Sex



Posted: Wednesday, June 04, 2008

by Janice Aldridge
Trojan Condoms

In America, the typical teenager is losing their virginity at 17 1/2 years old.  Boys are typically losing it one year before girls are.  Teenage and adolescent girls are not getting pregnant as often as they were in the nineteen nineties but American incidents of teenage pregnancy are at the top of the western world and this therefore remains a top health issue in America.  1,000,000 teenage girls in America become pregnant every year with 3/4 of those being unintended.

There has been an increase in abstinence, the use of condoms and birth control pills.  However, incidents of teenage sexually transmitted diseases remains shockingly high.  3,000,000-4,000,000 teenagers in America contract a STD every year.  50% of all new HIV contractions occur in people under twenty five.  Fourty percent of HIV/AIDS infections in a recent study occured through heterosexual sex and five percent through drug related syringe use.

However, there has been an increase in the use of condom among young people. One study shows that  nearly all of fifteen to nineteen year old people that said they are having sex were noted as reporting that they have used one type or more of birth control. Condoms were the most common method used (by ninety four percent) and birth controls pills were second (sixty one percent)  Condom use increased for high school aged kids from fifty three percent to 63 percent in one recent study.

Adolescents who are involved in unprotected sex are ignoring the necessities of a safe and health sex life. Guardians and parents should educate their children on how to be safe, happy and healthy.
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Top-level comments on this article: (2 total)
» left by straight talk
 3 years 329 days ago.
112 fans. Follow straight talk on twitter!
Yes as an ex youth minister we had programs to handle this but frankly the youth today live in a world that to be accepted they are exposed to it all, drugs, sex, materialism and the me crowd. Yes and it is like every youth, never me. The sad part it is now reaching out to the older generation in quite shocking numbers. Sort of lets catch up to what we missed evryone is doing it. Well this world is not what it was. However, how come and I do mean this the real statistics are not published concerning aides, HIV and otehr diseases and thats a fact Jack. Good article.
» left by Susan Thom
 3 years 328 days ago.
179 fans.
hi janice, this is a well written article on a serious matter. i also think that too many young girls are using abortion as their form of birth control, which is a little AFTER the fact, no? thanks for sharing, and keep writing, best regards, sue thom
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