ADVOCATES FOR YOUTH

New Data on STDs in Americans under 25 Highlight Need for Honest Sex Ed, Frank Talk

Youth Panel Urges Bush Administration to "Get Real" About Sex Education

WASHINGTON, DC—Citing new STD data and recommendations released today by a blue ribbon panel of experts and youth educators, James Wagoner, President of Advocates for Youth, praised the call for comprehensive, science-based sex education that encourages abstinence and teaches about condoms.

"With STDs, the stakes are just too high to talk only about abstinence," said Wagoner. "Over 27 million people between the ages of 15-24 have had sex, and they need all the facts—including medically accurate information on condoms—to protect their health."

A new report—Our Voices, Our Lives, Our Futures—released today by the School of Journalism and Mass Communication at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill contains the first national estimates on new infections among Americans ages 15-24 for eight major STDs: chlamydia, genital herpes, gonorrhea, hepatitis B, HIV/AIDS, HPV, syphilis, and trichomoniasis. It also outlines strategies that can help to stem the STD epidemic in the U.S., drawing on the latest research as well as the experiences of those who will be most affected—youth.

"The most important thing to realize is this: we've got to get real about sex to deal with STDs," said Shawn Carney, 17, a member of the youth panel. "Abstinence is, of course, the only 100 percent effective prevention strategy. But with 70 percent of young people having sex by the age of 18, we need to hear about more than abstinence. We need to know how to prevent STDs when we do have sex later in life."

"Sex education—whether from a parent or a teacher—isn't about abstinence or contraception. It's about both," said Miriam Szatrowski, 24, a member of the youth panel. "We need to embrace a realistic approach to sex education that includes information about abstinence and condoms because—together—they are our best defense against STDs."

Advocates for Youth is a national, nonprofit organization that creates programs and supports policies that help young people make safe, responsible decisions about their sexual and reproductive health.

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Note to Editors and Producers: For more information or to set up an interview with adolescent sexuality experts, please contact Bill Barker at (202) 419-3420.

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