Private MD News

Chaplain: Sex education key to STD crisis

Category: Sexually Transmitted Diseases

A university chaplain has spoken out concerning the national STD crisis and has made a suggestion on how to combat the increasing number of cases that seem to pile up each year: more education.

Lloyd Steffen, a Lehigh University chaplain, told the school's newspaper Brown & White that Congress should pass the Responsible Education About Life Act to increase the amount of sex education in the country.

"An abstinence-only approach to sex education has a lot of difficulties, the main one being that it doesn't work," Steffen said.
While health officials have agreed that abstaining from sexual activity is the best way for people to avoid contracting STDs, it may not be entirely realistic to implement.

Past studies have shown no evidence that abstinence-only programs caused any reduction in sexual behavior among teenagers, according to a report from National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy. In contrast, it was found a comprehensive program did more to deter teens from sex.

In terms of sex education, many health officials have suggested STD testing become a routine practice among teenagers and young people in an effort to stop the spread of diseases such as gonorrhea and chlamydia.