STD rate high with teenagers

From the traditional days of teenagers saving their virginity, to teenagers seen on the Maury Povich show discovering their child’s father, it should come as no surprise that one out of every two black girls ages 14-19 has a sexually transmitted disease, according to the Centers for Disease Control.

The report, sponsored by the CDC and conducted by theNational Center for Health Statistics, took a national sample of 838 young women. The study did not include syphilis, HIV or gonorrhea.

What could be the contributing factor for almost half of young black women having a STD?

The media could be a cause. Because people constantly tune into the sexual activity that is featured on TV, a teenager watching television every day may feel as if there is a subliminal message in her life telling her to have sex.

This study shows that more black teenagers are sexually active than in previous years.

The community is not properly educating the youth about sex.

It could also be said that some teenagers are promiscuous and do not think about the consequences of having sex. These girls trust people too quickly.

They don’t have the mature mindset to handle sex. If they did, why would society and parents try to prevent teenagers from engaging in sex?

It is alarming to see that half of 838 young women have contracted an STD. If this continues, imagine what the statistics could be next year.

Latasha Edwards for the Editorial Board.