TODAY’S STD THREAT

By Bob Strock

Recently, Pastor Jim Grabo of Covenant Community Church in Fort Walton Beach was ministering on relationships and he reflected back on the 1960’s and the “Summer of Free Love.” Many of us were teenagers during this era and can remember the time that he was describing. The fact is, there were a lot of issues contributing to emotional upheaval during the sixties such as the Vietnam War, the Cuban Missile Crisis, and the assassinations of President Kennedy and Martin Luther King. Whether from rebellion or just looking for a different or better life, many young Americans started the Free Love movement – “Love the one your with.” It influenced the lifestyles, the music, and really set a pattern for that generation. During this time STD’s were not a major concern because basically there were only two, Gonorrhea and Syphilis, and both were curable.  

Now, flash forward from the 60’s to the present and let’s examine how things have changed. During the last forty or so years, sexual promiscuity led to the development and spread of between 25 and 30 STD’s, many of which cannot be cured [Teen Sex, The Rules Have Changed/ Incurable Epidemic,  http://www.stdepidemic.com/research.cfm]. To compound matters, we are finding that though the use of condoms has successfully reduced the pregnancy rate among teenagers, the STD rate is continuing to rise. In other words, condoms are no longer an effective method of preventing the contraction and spread of STD’s. Although they continue to study this, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for HIV, STD and TB Prevention determined that there is no clinical proof that condoms are effective in reducing the risk of many STD’s.  

Believe it or not, it gets worse; Dr. Paul Warren reports that psychiatrists have connected the increase in suicides and suicide attempts among teens to sexual promiscuity. According to Warren, sexually active boys are two times as likely as their non-sexually active counterparts to become depressed. With girls, it is three times more likely. An even more shocking statistic is that sexually active teen age girls are three times more likely to attempt suicide and sexually active boys are a staggering eight times more likely than their peers who are practicing abstinence. Warren says that teens are depressed because of sexual activity and not knowing that, they use sex to try to get over their depression. Of course this does not work  but becomes a vicious cycle with the sex leading to more depression and eventually the teen may become suicidal. 

Many parents feel guilty coaching their children about abstinence because they were sexually active in their teens. However, consider this, though it was not the best choice at that time, now it is a life threatening choice. A nationwide study has shown that 25% of sexually active teens are carrying an STD and many do not know it because they are not exhibiting symptoms. Today more than ever, it is critical that we educate our teens thoroughly on the consequences of sexual promiscuity. This is no longer just a moral issue but now is one that threatens the future of our children and their children. Abstinence until marriage, the Biblical model, is the only way our children can be safe. 

[March 2007 for Family Life Ministries of NW FL, Inc. First Fruits Newsletter]