"The Unreported News: Safety in Abstinence" (B.C. Courier Times, 12/28/09)

The unedited submission....

On November 17th , the Courier Times published part of an AP story:

• "Sexually spread diseases continue to rise, with reported chlamydia cases setting yet another record in 2008, government health officials said Monday. Last year there were 1.2 million new cases of chlamydia, a sometimes symptomless infection that can lead to infertility in women. It was the most ever reported, up from the old record of 1.1 million cases in 2007. Better screening is the most likely reason, said Dr. John M. Douglas Jr. of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention."

Does this constitute the gist of what the Courier Times gleaned from the CDC's November 16th update? It appears to suggest that STDs may only SEEM to be spreading – that society may have just improved at identifying/recording. As the Supremes once sang, "Gray skies are gonna clear up, put on a happy face."

Unfortunately, the CDC did NOT bring good news on November 16th:

• "Sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) remain a major public health challenge in the United States. CDC estimates that there are approximately 19 million new STD infections each year — almost half of them among young people 15 to 24 years of age. The cost of STDs to the U.S. health care system is estimated to be as much as $15.9 billion annually….


• "Untreated STDs can lead to serious long-term health consequences, especially for adolescent girls and young women"[i]

The CDC reports at least 19 million NEW STD infections each year - almost half among those in the 15 - 24 years of age range. While financial costs are astronomical, the consequences to individuals - particularly to young females - can be dire.

In the face of devastating data, we are not called to bury our heads and "Wipe off that full of doubt look." Things have indeed become steadily worse. There were 348,613 TOTAL STD infections reported in 1958.[ii] A half century later, 19 million NEW STD infections are reported each year. There are 54.5 times more NEW STD infections per year, than there were OVERALL STD infections in 1958! This is MAJOR news – especially for those in the 15 to 24 years age range and the people who care about and love them!

The CDC’s November 16th report goes on to acknowledge that:

• "The most reliable ways to avoid infection with an STD are to abstain from sex...or to be in a long-term, mutually monogamous relationship with an uninfected partner"[iii]

It is noteworthy that the CDC acknowledges the BEST ways to avoid STDs are abstinence or “a long-term, mutually monogamous relationship.” Isn’t that part of the same basic message our great-grandparents conveyed to our grandparents? There was profound wisdom, in much of what was tossed aside during the Sexual Revolution.

Rather than deny what’s happening and glibly “put on a happy face,” we can boldly look at reality and give future generations time-tested truth about marriage and sexuality, which will lead to genuine happiness. On November 17th, two documents were released by the U.S. Catholic Bishops on these topics. As per “Marriage: Life and Love in the Divine Plan,” the bishops remind us that

• “marriage is…a natural blessing and gift for everyone in all times and cultures. It is a source of blessing to the couple, to their families, and to society and includes the wondrous gift of co-creating human life….The importance of marriage for children and for the upbringing of the next generation highlights the importance of marriage for all society.”[iv]

As per “Life-Giving Love in an Age of Technology,” the bishops confirm that

• “willingness to beget and raise children together, is essential to married love ….Procreation and the unity of the couple are…intrinsic blessings or aspects of marriage….they should not be separated….Our ability to cooperate with God in generating a new human being is not just a bodily function. It is a personal gift from God—exclusively shared by husband and wife, who thereby share responsibility for bringing this new child into the world in a uniquely personal way….some means used to have a child revere and respect this great gift while others do not.”[v]

[i] CDC, Sexually Transmitted Diseases in the United States, 2008 <www.cdc.gov/std/stats08/2008survFactSheet.PDF>
[ii] CDC, Cases of sexually transmitted diseases reported by state health departments and rates per 100,000 civilian population: United States, 1941-1993 <http://wonder.cdc.gov/wonder/STD/OSTD3202/Table_1.html>.
[iii] CDC, Sexually Transmitted Diseases in the United States, 2008 <www.cdc.gov/std/stats08/2008survFactSheet.PDF>
[iv] United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, Marriage: Life and Love in the Divine Plan <www.usccb.org/laity/LoveandLife/MarriageFINAL.pdf>.
[v] United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, Life-Giving Love in an Age of Technology <www.usccb.org/lifegivinglovedocument.pdf >