How many years have we been teaching condoms in the school systems?
Parents need to be parents.
Children should not be having sex.
Young People Having More Unprotected Sex, Know Less About Contraception: Who Is to Blame?
SodaHead Living
2011/09/26 17:03:29
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In alarming news for parents everywhere, young people around the world are having more unprotected sex, according to a new survey.
The "Clueless or Clued Up: Your Right to be informed about contraception" study reports that the number of young people having unsafe sex with a new partner increased by 39 percent in the USA, 19 percent in Britain and 111 percent in France in the last three years, according to Reuters.
The survey questioned more than 6,000 young people from 26 countries.
"No matter where you are in the world, barriers exist which prevent teenagers from receiving trustworthy information about sex and contraception, which is probably why myths and misconceptions remain so widespread even today," Denise Keller, a member of the World Contraception Day task force, said in a statement with the results of the study.
World Contraception Day, by the way, is today.
The survey also found that young people today know less rather than more about contraception (which seems bizarre in the age of the Internet, etc.).
"When young people have access to contraceptive information and services, they can make choices that affect every aspect of their lives which is why it's so important that accurate and unbiased information is easily available for young people to obtain," Keller said.
Many of the young people who took the poll also said that they felt too embarrassed to ask a healthcare professional for contraception.
Who do you think is to blame for the rise in unprotected sex among young people?
The "Clueless or Clued Up: Your Right to be informed about contraception" study reports that the number of young people having unsafe sex with a new partner increased by 39 percent in the USA, 19 percent in Britain and 111 percent in France in the last three years, according to Reuters.
The survey questioned more than 6,000 young people from 26 countries.
"No matter where you are in the world, barriers exist which prevent teenagers from receiving trustworthy information about sex and contraception, which is probably why myths and misconceptions remain so widespread even today," Denise Keller, a member of the World Contraception Day task force, said in a statement with the results of the study.
World Contraception Day, by the way, is today.
The survey also found that young people today know less rather than more about contraception (which seems bizarre in the age of the Internet, etc.).
"When young people have access to contraceptive information and services, they can make choices that affect every aspect of their lives which is why it's so important that accurate and unbiased information is easily available for young people to obtain," Keller said.
Many of the young people who took the poll also said that they felt too embarrassed to ask a healthcare professional for contraception.
Who do you think is to blame for the rise in unprotected sex among young people?
Top Opinion
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Heisenberg 2011/09/26 21:45:19
Now rave me!
That being said, a lot of the times, parents don't step up. Please, to those of you who are parents and don't want your kids learning about safe sex: My parents never taught me about safe sex, instead they taught me abstinence. That being said, as gradually I've drifted away from their beliefs, it's now up to me to find out steps I can take to avoid pregnancy and STDs. If your child wants to have sex, they're going to have sex, and no amount of talk about abstinence is going to change that.
Then there's the embarrassment, etc. that goes along with that intimate moment & some kids just do not know how to handle the intensity of the embarrassment.
Unfortunately, there are loads of young people today who think that AIDS is not such a big deal because there are drugs we can take now that allow people with it to live quite a long time. However, what they don't seem to understand is that those drugs are not only incredibly expensive, but taking in the neighborhood of 100 pills per day & the affects of the illness, are in no way shape or form "a good time," neither is the stigma that is still accompanied by HIV & AIDS. As is the stigma that goes along with any STD & the treatment(s) associated with them.
I would think that in today's age of social media/networking, young people would be far more aware of how quickly rumors & gossip spread &...
&&
Then there's the embarrassment, etc. that goes along with that intimate moment & some kids just do not know how to handle the intensity of the embarrassment.
Unfortunately, there are loads of young people today who think that AIDS is not such a big deal because there are drugs we can take now that allow people with it to live quite a long time. However, what they don't seem to understand is that those drugs are not only incredibly expensive, but taking in the neighborhood of 100 pills per day & the affects of the illness, are in no way shape or form "a good time," neither is the stigma that is still accompanied by HIV & AIDS. As is the stigma that goes along with any STD & the treatment(s) associated with them.
I would think that in today's age of social media/networking, young people would be far more aware of how quickly rumors & gossip spread & how it can/will affect one's daily life at school, work, etc.
But when your kid is 16, 17, etc., you've had "the talk," you're open about reality, etc. & yet he/she does what he/she wants... what the hell can you do about it? How do you further punish a kid who's contracted genital warts or HIV or gotten him/herself "in the family way?" The situation itself is likely punishment enough... what he/she needs at that time is guidance, love & support.
Reality is, sex happens. Who is to "blame" for sex is a silly question. Who is to "blame" for unprotected sex is, perhaps, just as silly.
Source: I go to high school. Most teenagers are having sex, so we might as well teach them how to be safe while doing it, than to try to pretend they're not having sex.
I understand where you're going though. Some kids will just keep on doing it, regardless of what we tell them. That is all the more why we should inform them of the consequences
However, a lot of us, regardless of knowing the consequences, will choose to engage in sex. Would you hope for that we don't have sex, and attempt to scare us into abstinence? Sure, it might work for a few people. But I think that ultimately, the more efficient way would be to do both. Discuss the benefits of abstinence, but also say that if we're going to have sex, this is how we can protect ourselves.