Parents and teachers have been working adamantly to determine the best way to curb teen pregnancy and sexually transmitted disease (STD) rates. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported in 2009 that an estimated 8,300 young people between the ages of 13 and 24 were diagnosed with HIV/AIDS. This is an extremely dangerous infection, and this statistic shows that students are in need of more information regarding the importance of safer sex.
Recently, the Washington Post spoke to Amy Schalet, an assistant professor of sociology at the University of Massachusetts who has written a book in which she claims that American parents need to be more realistic when it comes to their children’s sexual habits. Schalet says that in the Netherlands, teen pregnancy rates are extremely low compared to the U.S. and she believes that this is due to the progressive way that the Dutch view teenage sexual development.
“One of the statistics that I point out is that in the Netherlands, 6 out of 10 teenage girls are on the pill at first intercourse (versus only about 1 in 5 in the U.S.),” said Schalet, quoted by the Post.
Her book is likely to draw controversy, but perhaps it will inspire the U.S. to examine countries with low STD rates to see how America can emulate what these areas are doing right.
Tags: AIDS, HIV, sexually transmitted disease, STD
