More Sex without Condoms for U.S. Teenagers

In the city I grew up in, it was not uncommon to walk down the hallways of many middle schools and see pregnant teenagers waddling down the hallway trying to rush to their next class. Yes, you heard me right. I said middle school. So, if my middle school was like that, you can imagine the high school I attended. Who knows? Maybe I was as nerdy and dorky as my older sister says, because sex was the furthest thing from my mind during those formative years. I actually worried about studying and getting into a good college and scholarships. Okay, yeah, she was right. I was a nerd.

According to a study recently performed by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), teenagers are actually having more unprotected sex than studies showed they were having seven years ago in 2001. What makes these findings even more amazing is that the United States government has actually upped its funding to stop this very thing from happening with its promotions of sexual abstinence. In 2001, approximately 45.6% of teenagers admitted to having sex. Within 7 years, that percentage steadily rose two points to 47.8%. Meanwhile, in surveys issued to teenagers in high schools, it was reported that in 2003, approximately 63% of teenagers reported using condoms. Only four years later in 2007, that number dropped to 61.5%. Obviously, these are not the numbers the American government and, especially, parents of teenagers want to hear.

Throughout his administration, President George Bush has issued grant after grant dedicated to abstinence only programs. In fact, the budget for these types of programs is close to $200 million for next year alone. However, there is growing controversy as to whether or not abstinence only programs, like these promoted by the government, work as well as they are designed to. Abstinence only programs focus on teaching teenagers to not have sex until marriage. There is also a limited dialogue in these programs on contraceptives, like condoms, for fear that promoting the use of contraceptives is akin to promoting sex. Further down the spectrum are those advocates of abstinence plus programs. In these types of programs, abstinence is strongly promoted; however, there is much discussion and education about the effective and consistent use of contraception to avoid pregnancy and the transmission of sexually transmitted diseases should a teenager choose not to practice abstinence. While the CDC did not issue any explanation with their report on why teenagers are having more unprotected sex, many advocates of abstinence plus programs will point to the government’s backing of abstinence only programs which disregard the use of contraceptives. Howell Wechsler, a CDC director of adolescent and school health, did state, “We are concerned about what appears to be a flatting-out of sexual risk behaviors.”

Further research in the CDC study points to the fact that Hispanic teenagers are more likely to practice risky sexual behavior than teenagers of other ethnicities. Even more alarming is the fact that Hispanic teenagers were also found to be at higher risk for intravenous drug use and suicide attempts. In fact, seven percent of Hispanic teenagers interviewed admitted suicide attempts within the last year. Glenn Flores, a professor of public health and pediatrics in Texas, states, “That is alarming and unacceptable and we need to do something now.” He goes on to say that Hispanics may have higher rates of depression due to their difficulties in fitting in with their American peers or because of financial strains felt at home.