NEWS:CDN Sex education promotes risky behaviour
cassia...@my-deja.com
Sex education promotes risky behaviour
Latest study shows shocking transmission rates of human papillomavirus
By Rory Leishman
The Journal of the Canadian Medical Association made headlines last week
with a report that one in five Canadian women aged 19 to 24 is now
infected with the human papillomavirus (HPV) -- an incurable sexually
transmitted disease that is the leading cause of cervical cancer.
What has gone wrong? For more than 20 years, young Canadians have been
relentlessly exposed to explicit sex education in the public schools,
yet rates of out-of-wedlock pregnancy and venereal disease are higher
than ever.
The explanation is simple and incontrovertible. Instead of inculcating
the principles of sound sexual morality in young students, public health
agencies and the schools have been fostering the illusion of safer
sexual promiscuity through contraception.
In a pamphlet entitled, It's Your Health -- Condoms, Health Canada
advises that, "although no form of protection is 100 per cent safe, the
proper and consistent use of condoms can significantly reduce the risk
of unwanted pregnancy and the transmission of sexually transmitted
diseases (STDs) and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) which causes
AIDS." Having said that, the pamphlet asserts: "The condom that works is
the one you use -- every time!"
Such claims are dangerous, false and misleading. They are imperilling
the lives of millions of Canadians.
Nowhere in Health Canada's condom pamphlet is there any mention of HPV.
That's a reckless omission. In another pamphlet, What Everyone Should
Know About Human Papillomavirus (HPV), Health Canada reports that HPV
"is now estimated to be the most common sexually transmitted infection
(STI) in the United States." There is no known cure for HPV. Men who
contract the infection are liable to come down with ugly, itchy and
painful genital warts. In women, HPV can also "slowly progress to
cervical cancer," reports Health Canada. "Studies show that in cases of
women with cervical cancer, (more than) 90 per cent test positive for
HPV." On the prevention of HPV, Health Canada equivocates: "condoms do
not provide absolute protection because HPV is transmitted through skin-
to-skin contact, and the virus is small enough to pass through a
condom."
In a research report posted on the Health Canada Web site, Professors
Alice Litwyn of the University of Toronto and John Sellors of McMaster
University are more candid. They explicitly warn: "Barrier
contraceptives, which have been successful in reducing transmission of
many sexually transmitted diseases, do not appear to be effective in
preventing HPV infection."
HPV is insidious. In the early stages, there is often no evidence of
infection. A man might use unbreakable condoms 100 per cent of the time,
yet still contract HPV and unknowingly pass it along to all of his
sexual partners.
Health Canada and the public schools should stop the coverup on HPV.
They should start a massive campaign to inform young Canadians that
there is no reason to believe condoms can protect anyone against HPV --
one of the most common and carcinogenic of sexually transmitted
infections.
In an article in the British medical journal, The Lancet, Prof. John
Richens points to a larger failure of safer sex propaganda: "It is hard
to show," he says,"that condom promotion has had any effect on HIV
epidemics."
That's stunning. Why has the worldwide promotion of condoms had no
demonstrable impact on reducing rates of HIV infection? One key factor,
opines Richens, "is a risk-compensation mechanism: increased condom use
could reflect decisions of individuals to switch from inherently safer
strategies of partner selection or fewer partners to the riskier
strategy of developing or maintaining higher rates of partner change
plus reliance on condoms."
This obsessive promotion of condoms could serve mainly to increase risky
sexual behaviour that results in more disease and death from sexually
transmitted infections.
Pope Paul VI warned in his prescient 1968 encyclical, Humanae Vitae,
artificial means of birth control denigrate women and promote death-
dealing sexual promiscuity. Time and experience are proving him right.
To protect our young people from potentially lethal sexually transmitted
diseases, parents, teachers and clerics should concentrate on telling
the truth: Sexual intercourse outside of marriage is reckless, perilous
and wrong.
Rory Leishman (rlei...@home.com) is a London freelance writer. His
column appears Fridays.
Sent via Deja.com http://www.deja.com/
Before you buy.
Judy
cassia...@my-deja.com wrote:
>
> http://www.canoe.ca/LondonOpinions/15n1.html
(snip)
>
> To protect our young people from potentially lethal sexually transmitted
> diseases, parents, teachers and clerics should concentrate on telling
> the truth: Sexual intercourse outside of marriage is reckless, perilous
> and wrong.
Good thing no older people have sex outside of marriage. It's only the
young people who need to know this.
-Judy
--
Drive carefully: 90% of people are caused by accidents.
IleneB
Gosh, could it have anything to do with the constant media bombardment
of 12-year-old-style sniggering sexsexsex hubba hubba snigger wink
nudge?
Nah.
Ilene b
In article <8ptao2$q06$1...@nnrp1.deja.com>, <cassia...@my-deja.com>
quoted:
naomi
>http://www.canoe.ca/LondonOpinions/15n1.html
>
>Sex education promotes risky behaviour
>Latest study shows shocking transmission rates of human papillomavirus
>By Rory Leishman
<snip>
>To protect our young people from potentially lethal sexually transmitted
>diseases, parents, teachers and clerics should concentrate on telling
>the truth: Sexual intercourse outside of marriage is reckless, perilous
>and wrong.
>
Oh yeah, THAT's gonna work.
Better truth: ANY sexual intercourse is potentially risky. Condoms are
safeR, but nothing is totally safe. Then, inform them of what condoms
can and can't do. I've no idea if HPV can pass through a condom, and I
highly doubt it, that sounds like religious propaganda. The skin to
skin part is true, and the same holds true of HSV (herpes.) Then let
THEM decide what level of risk they are willing to accept. (I think if
you told teenagers that 20% of North American adults are genital HSV
carriers, 85% of them are oral HSV carriers (transmissible to genitals
through oral sex), and that up to about 40% of North American women
carry HPV, that might just be more effective than "Don't do it, it's
immoral.")
Life is risk. None of us can live a risk-free life, even INSIDE of
marriage- these viruses can lay dormant, not showing symptoms for
years, and then BAM the virus goes active, you don't know it, and your
partner gets infected. It's just life, and risk, and FACTS that would
help put an end to the fearmongering and stigma attached to certain
STDs.
naomi
Software Slut
>I think if
>you told teenagers that 20% of North American adults are genital HSV
>carriers, 85% of them are oral HSV carriers (transmissible to genitals
>through oral sex), and that up to about 40% of North American women
>carry HPV, that might just be more effective than "Don't do it, it's
>immoral.")
Or else they would think that it is no big deal to get herpes. I know
that the first time I had a cold sore I was very young - so obviously
I must have gotten it from my mother. Perhaps a lot of the kids
already have HSV?
Jason G
>(I think if
>you told teenagers that 20% of North American adults are genital HSV
>carriers, 85% of them are oral HSV carriers (transmissible to genitals
>through oral sex), and that up to about 40% of North American women
>carry HPV, that might just be more effective than "Don't do it, it's
>immoral.")
Or, perhaps, they would realize that while the above diseases are annoying,
they are not life threatening or debilitating. They can take precautions, ask
partners for tests for more dangerous diseases like HIV and hep-c, and then
decide what level of risk they want to take.
Thankfully, HPV and HSV, being the most common and easily contracted, are also
the least harmful.
--
Jason G
"Racing is a disease cured only by poverty."
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Jennifer Landry
>
>Gosh, could it have anything to do with the constant media bombardment
>of 12-year-old-style sniggering sexsexsex hubba hubba snigger wink
>nudge?
>
>Nah.
Could it be LACK OF FUCKING PARENTING??? I tell ya, I have NOT been
scoring points with the moomies at school. Twice now, once in Psych
class and once in English, someone has brought up how the "media is
making our children more violent/sexual/etc" and I have popped right
and informed them that they are operating with a false correlation.
The media (in this particular case, by media I mean the school
presentations on safe sex) is NOT at fault here. The fact that
parents are too fucking lazy/busy/pig-ignorant/whatever to TALK to
their kids themselves and RESTRICT their opportunities to get into
trouble is PURELY to blame. And in the case of other media, like
movies, tv, music, I resent the push to censor things because of this
parental ineptitude. If I want to go see Highlander:Endgame, I want
to be able to do it without having some screaming meemie freak out in
the theater the first time someone gets beheaded because they didn't
have enough sense to actually do a little research and find out what
the film was about. If I want to listen to Eminem (not that I do, I
don't care for him much) I want to be able to do it without hearing
Tipper Gore freaking out about the lyrics. If I want to watch
NYPDBlue I don't want to hear whining about the swearing and nudity
from some goddamn fundy. If you don't like it, DONT WATCH. If you
don't want your little crotch critters to see/listen to something,
DONT LET THEM! But no....so much easier to let the gubmint control
the kids.
Jennifer
Jennifer Landry -- http://www.gis.net/~dlandry1
mailto:jdla...@mail2.gis.net
"Friends don't let friends breed"
CF+++(<--want!!) TK++ TPI++ A++
IleneB
There is a link between herpes virus and cervical cancer. In women.
Ilene B
In article <39c2c6d8$1...@goliath2.newsfeeds.com>, Jason G
naomi
(Jason G) wrote:
>In article <39c2a7c8....@news1.execulink.com>, nm...@execulink.com (naomi) wrote:
>>(I think if
>>you told teenagers that 20% of North American adults are genital HSV
>>carriers, 85% of them are oral HSV carriers (transmissible to genitals
>>through oral sex), and that up to about 40% of North American women
>>carry HPV, that might just be more effective than "Don't do it, it's
>>immoral.")
>
>Or, perhaps, they would realize that while the above diseases are annoying,
>they are not life threatening or debilitating. They can take precautions, ask
>partners for tests for more dangerous diseases like HIV and hep-c, and then
>decide what level of risk they want to take.
>
>Thankfully, HPV and HSV, being the most common and easily contracted, are also
>the least harmful.
>
Exactly. Although some strains of HPV increase the risk of cervical
cancer, these are usually not the same strains that cause visible
genital warts, and the problem is only detected through a Pap smear.
Another reason for sexually active women to go through this annoying,
painful and humiliating process every year. But HSV has NO known
elevated cancer risks. The only risk with HSV is that if the virus is
active and open lesions are present, you're at higher risk for
blood-borne diseases like HIV- but you shouldn't be having sex with
open lesions anyway!
The kind of bullshit propaganda floating around about these illnesses
only serves to increase the stigma, and the trauma to sufferers when
they are diagnosed. If people knew how very common these conditions
are, that might be reduced, but doctors don't want to release the
information on asymptomatic transmission for fear of "diagnosing
people with an illness with so much stigma." Pisses me off, because
what about the people who are already diagnosed and putting up with
the stigma, and what about the importance of providing accurate
information about how minor these conditions really are?
See http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/nm/20000323/sc/health_herpes.html
for more info (hope this link still works.)
naomi
naomi
>
>There is a link between herpes virus and cervical cancer. In women.
>
>Ilene B
>
I've heard conflicting information on this. It's been theorized that
the link is indirect- that women with herpes are more susceptible to
have HPV as well, and it is the HPV that causes the cancer. I wish I
could provide you with a source off the top of my head, but I'll try
to look one up. This is one that none of the professionals seem to
agree on. :P
naomi
>
>In article <39c2c6d8$1...@goliath2.newsfeeds.com>, Jason G
><jrgusenet_REMOVE@THIS_yahoo.com> wrote:
>
naomi
wrote:
>On Fri, 15 Sep 2000 23:12:07 GMT, nm...@execulink.com (naomi) wrote:
>
>>I think if
>>you told teenagers that 20% of North American adults are genital HSV
>>carriers, 85% of them are oral HSV carriers (transmissible to genitals
>>through oral sex), and that up to about 40% of North American women
>>carry HPV, that might just be more effective than "Don't do it, it's
>>immoral.")
>
>Or else they would think that it is no big deal to get herpes. I know
>that the first time I had a cold sore I was very young - so obviously
>I must have gotten it from my mother. Perhaps a lot of the kids
>already have HSV?
Most of them do. Most cases of HSV1 are contracted by children from
kisses from adults. By adulthood, 85% of North Americans have it. HSV1
is transmittable to the genitals through oral sex- it's still type 1,
but shows up in a different place than usual, and 30% of genital
herpes cases are type 1 contracted in this way.
Most people that have herpes don't know it, because their symptoms
aren't severe- especially those that have already had cold sores, so
their body already knows how to handle the virus. A primary infection
in someone with no previous exposure is a serious illness, but
recurrences are not necessarily severe. But the degree of annoyance
that herpes can create in a person's life varies depending on
lifestyle and that particular person's response to the virus. For many
people, it really IS no big deal. It certainly shouldn't be the
"social leprosy" that it's been stigmatized as for so long. Yes, it's
an illness best avoided, but EVERYONE who engages in ANY sexual
activity of any kind is at risk for contracting it. So we either wrap
ourselves head to toe in latex, or just accept the minimal risk of
asymptomatic transmission.
naomi
Jason G
>>
>> HPV is insidious. In the early stages, there is often no evidence of
>> infection. A man might use unbreakable condoms 100 per cent of the time,
>> yet still contract HPV and unknowingly pass it along to all of his
>> sexual partners.
>>
>snip
>
>OK, medical people--please explain this--assuming of course the condoms
>never break.
I'm not a medical person, but quite simply, a condom does not cover the entire
genital area. HPV and herpes are SKIN diseases (well, manifested
epidermally.) Not fluid-related, like gonorrhea or HIV.
nina_...@my-deja.com
hysterical rhetoric about plain ol' herpes. (Like that trick about
calling it by another name; if the author just called it herpes, he'd be
more easily recognized as the overblown hysteric he is.)
Jeez, people can die of the flu too,
or even a bad cold, but millions of North Americans get flus and colds
every year. It must be because of immoral sex education! This is a
continental emergency!!
In article <39c2f698....@news1.execulink.com>,
nm...@execulink.com (naomi) wrote:
>
> The kind of bullshit propaganda floating around about these illnesses
> only serves to increase the stigma, and the trauma to sufferers when
> they are diagnosed. If people knew how very common these conditions
> are, that might be reduced, but doctors don't want to release the
> information on asymptomatic transmission for fear of "diagnosing
> people with an illness with so much stigma." Pisses me off, because
> what about the people who are already diagnosed and putting up with
> the stigma, and what about the importance of providing accurate
> information about how minor these conditions really are?
>
tangozebra
rab...@hotstar.net says...
> In the excellent book "Sexually Transmitted Diseases" by Dr. Lisa Marr
What does this book say about the likelihood of transmitting asymptomatic
Herpes and Genital warts while using a condom?
TZ
IleneB
Not cause, but correlate. I thought. Have I fallen to a wide myth?
Ilene B
In article <mzUw5.11073$Kp6....@cac1.rdr.news.psi.ca>, Rabbit
<rab...@hotstar.net> wrote:
> it states
> that herpes does not cause cancer.
Kent
: There is a link between herpes virus and cervical cancer. In women.
As opposed to cervical cancer in men, which is NOT linked to Herpes...? :)
Kent