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It would be a good thing to think that our young daughters and nieces are not engaging in sex at a young age, but studies have shown that young women are indeed having sex as young as 12 years old.
Since we know that 12 is an extremely young age to be having sex, it can be safe to say that many of these girls that are having unprotected sex and many don’t know to be careful due to their inexperience.
What is a parent to do? How do they inform their daughters that not having sex before they are older and more mature is perhaps the best option when there is so much peer pressure? Also, how can a parent talk to their daughters about birth control and sexually transmitted diseases? It is not an easy subject to discuss, but is one that has to be handled. Statistics show that young women are being infected with STDs more often, so something has to be done.
The simple fact is, teens are having sex daily in America. Here is an article that ran in Time Magazine a few years ago. This article was sort of a wake up call to parents and teens. The link is: http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,993659,00.html.
There are so many ways to help teens make the right decision and to be careful with their health. Knowledge and awareness is the best way to prevent STDs. For more information on teen sex and diseases, go to: http://health.discovery.com/centers/teen/relationships/sexstds.html. Young girls don’t have to risk their health just to fit in.
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I think it is sick to pretend that rape and incest do not exist.
HPV vaccine does not mean you have to have sex. It is a vaccine against a virus which causes cancer. You need to have it *before* you begin sexual activity. Therefore the earlier, the better.
June 10, 2009 - 1:57amThis Comment
It IS amazing how young girls and boys are these days when they begin sexual activity. I hear a lot of parents poo-pooing the HPV vaccine, Gardasil, for their daughters because they do not consider their daughters to be sexually active. Unfortunatly this is the entire point that they are missing. Gardasil has been approved by the FDA for use in young girls as early as the age of 9. They need to be vaccinated BEFORE sexual activity is anywhere on their radar. The HPV vaccine is a PREVENTATIVE measure, not a curative treatment.
The National Cervical Cancer/HPV Coalition always recommends for parents to get informed regarding Gardasil and take the information to their childrens doctor(s) so they may collectivly make an educated decision as to whether the vaccine is right for their child. But they must also understand the longer they wait, the greater at risk their daughters are. The vaccine is currently in clinical trials for use in young men as well. We may hear something within 2009 about Merck placing approval before the FDA for the use in young men, probably in the 9 year old to 26 year old range as well. It is an amazing tool that will help keep sons and daughters healthy in one more area of their lives.
Thank you for your informative article.
March 31, 2009 - 5:04pmShaundra Hall
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