Why do girls need Preventing Adolescent Pregnancy (PAP)?
In recent years, great strides have been made in reducing teen pregnancy rates. Unfortunately, less attention has been given to other risks associated with early and risky sexual behavior, namely infection of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs). In the United States, 8,000 teens contract a new STD daily and 61% of young people 13-19 infected with HIV are women. Even more startling is the increase in the Human Papillomavirus (HPS) in recent years. HPV is 5 times more common than all other STDs and studies show that 46% of teenage girls contract HPV during their first sexual encounter. These statistics serve as proof that something must be done. Educational programs for young women are a must, but they have to have a comprehensive approach to truly be effective. Most teens do not consider oral sex to be “sex” and nearly 1 in 4 female youth believe that they are not at significant risk of contracting an STD until they have been with more than 20 partners.
