The Sexual Evolution

At least one in four teenage American girls has a sexually transmitted disease, suggests a first-of-its-kind federal study that startled some adolescent-health experts. Because some sexually transmitted infections can cause infertility and cancer, U.S. health officials called for better screening, vaccination and prevention. Only about half of the girls in the study acknowledged having sex. Some teens define sex as only intercourse, yet other types of intimate behavior can spread diseases. Among those who admitted having sex, the rate was even more disturbing: 40 percent had an STD. The overall STD rate among the 838 girls in the study was 26 percent, which translates to more than 3 million girls nationwide, researchers with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found. The teens were tested for four infections: human papillomavirus, or HPV, which can cause cervical cancer and affected 18 percent of girls studied; chlamydia, 4 percent; trichomoniasis, 2.5 percent; and genital herpes, 2 percent.

• JJ Commentary: Our media-inspired, promiscuous generation is reaping the corruption of the flesh as Biblically expounded in Galatians 6:8

A Promiscuous Society

WASHINGTON — Congressional Democrats say they will pull the plug on abstinence-only sex education when a $50 million grant expires on June 30, a move sparking outrage among social conservative groups. Democrats would still include money for abstinence teachings in schools, but would combine it with comprehensive sex-ed programs that would teach about birth control and other safe sex methods. States currently pay for abstinence-only education in public schools by matching $3 for every $4 they receive from the federal government. Congress initially approved the Title V funding as part of welfare reform.

Rep. John Dingell, D-Mich., chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, said Wednesday that the decision to stop funding for the program wasn't difficult at all. "Abstinence-only education seems to be a colossal failure," Dingell said, according to the Associated Press. Dingell backed that statement with a recent study by Mathematica Policy Research Inc. that showed students in four abstinence-only education programs were equally likely to have sex at the same age as those not in abstinence programs. "With all we know about how to prevent teen pregnancy and reduce sexually transmitted diseases, it is high time to redirect the millions of federal dollars that we squander every year on abstinence-only education to programs that actually work," said Rep. Diana DeGette, D-Colo.

• JJ Commentary: No program to reduce teenage sexuality will work within a culture that glorifies sexuality by promoting it in heavily in movies, TV, magazines, advertisements, et. al. We need to change the cultural mindset first before such programs would have any tangible result.

God Out, Devil In

Almost all Americans have premarital sex, says a report published Tuesday that analyzes federal data over time and suggests programs focusing on sexual abstinence until marriage may be unrealistic. The study, which used statistics from the 1982, 1988, 1995 and 2002 National Survey of Family Growth, asked about 40,000 people ages 15-44 about their sexual behavior and traced the trends in premarital sex back to the 1950s. Of those interviewed in 2002, 95% reported they had had premarital sex; 93% said they did so by age 30. Among women born in the 1940s, nearly nine in 10 did. At the same time, people are waiting longer to marry; 2005 data show median age at first marriage is just over 25 for women and 27 for men.

• JJ Commentary: Hmm. The 1950s. Back when abortions weren’t legal and prayer was still in the schools. Think there might be a connection? You betcha. Kick God out, welcome the devil in

Pee in Peace

Soon, restrooms at the University of Arizona will come in at least three varieties: men's, women's and "gender neutral". The UA has adopted a "Statement on Restroom Access" to make relieving oneself a bit less stressful for transgender people and other folks who feel uncomfortable with standard gender labeling. While not an official policy, the statement, when read to a meeting of the UA's Faculty Senate, was presented as another step in keeping with the university's policy of non-discrimination. The action moves the UA to the front of the line as the first Pac-10 school to have such a statement, said Jeanne Kleespie, assistant vice president for equal opportunity and affirmative action.

• JJ Commentary: Makes you feel proud of Arizona, doesn’t it? No, I didn’t think so. But I think it doesn’t go far enough. After all, do we want gay men sharing the rest room with heterosexual men? If we want to pee in peace, we need heterosexual and homosexual restrooms as well.