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April 10, 2008

YOUNG VOICES

Sex Talk
by Sean Nixon


 

Even today, America seems too afraid to talk openly about sex.

In the world of internet dating, coupled with a sex-dominated culture of A Shot at Love on TV, and former call girls getting phone calls for new reality shows, you'd think that now might be a good time to start talking openly about sex.

A recent CNN quiz on the subject of STDs stated that even though people between the ages of 15 and 24 represent 25% of the sexually active population, they actually acquire nearly half of all new sexually transmitted diseases in the U.S.

The research goes on to state that roughly 20 million Americans in the U.S. alone have HPV.

These numbers aren't sexy.

In the MySpace and Facebook culture of young people mingling interactively and immediately hooking up, it's important to be educated on the issue of sex in America.

In an article from the Associated Press, Cecile Richards, president of Planned Parenthood was quoted saying, “The national policy of promoting abstinence-only programs is a $1.5 billion failure, and teenage girls are paying the real price.”

Sexuality and sex still seem to be a very touchy subject in the country. But when looking at the risks, costs, and the lives at stakes, it only makes sense that something else has to be done.

Are we afraid to talk about sex in America?

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