College Sex Scene

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Recently, a young woman was convicted of filing a false claim of rape against two football players at a nearby university. She was given a relatively short sentence after admitting that rather than rape, it was a consensual sexual encounter that she later claimed was rape to somehow impress a potential boyfriend. 

After the trial the two young men claimed that their lives had been ruined by the woman’s accusation. They had been kicked off the football team and lost their scholarships. Actually, it would appear that the lives of the three participants in this act of consensual sex had all been damaged in one way or another. It’s also possible that the lives of the families involved had also been badly damaged.

However, the damage could have been even greater. A recent article in the Connecticut Mirror, an online daily news source, indicated that there has been an alarming increase in sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) in Connecticut and the nation over the past twenty years. The article referred to a study released by the Center for Disease Control (CDC) that showed that Connecticut’s problem was part of a nationwide problem. 

The state’s spike in gonorrhea, syphilis, and chlamydia cases coincides with “steep and sustained” increases seen nationwide from 2013 through 2017, in an analysis released this week by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Preliminary data indicates that there were 3913 cases of gonorrhea in Connecticut in 2017, an increase of 37% from 2013. In that same period the national count increased by 67%. Also, syphilis cases were up 76% nationwide and doubled in Connecticut from 56 to 110. Finally, reports of chlamydia, the most common STD were up 22% nationwide but 39% in Connecticut which still had a total of 17750 reported cases.

The CDC attributed more than 70% of syphilis cases to gay, or bisexual men having sex with other men. This would appear to be a new phenomenon. In Connecticut, for example, reported cases of syphilis among men and women in the year 2000 were relatively the same. But since then, the rate among men has “skyrocketed.” 

Chlamydia, the most common STD, is most prevalent in young people under the age of 25. Health officials are devoting most of their attention to education and screening in high school. Still, they admit that their resources are overtaxed by the sheer volume of cases. Complicating matters is the fact that the antibiotics used to treat these diseases are no longer effective as the various bacteria have developed resistance. 

The effects of STDs can be devastating both physically and mentally. They are highly infectious and easily spread by sexual contact. The results of these infections are more than painful. They can often cause infertility, and even when they don’t, a mother can spread the disease to her newborn baby. 

The CT Mirror article quoted a Connecticut medical official on the reasons why infected people are reluctant to come forward and seek treatment.

Some people might feel bad when they have an STD because it is perceived that they did something wrong or they had sex with the wrong person or it is their fault,” she said. “Instead of expecting people to come to us, we need to do a better job of going to where they are, both in-person and online, to provide them the knowledge they need so they have the best information to make informed decisions for themselves.

It is hard to know what to make of this well-meaning statement. I know that there is a new morality today, and that many young people are not very religious. But from a medical or scientific point of view those infected with STDs did do something wrong, they did have sex with the wrong person, and it is their fault.

What sane person would have any kind of sex with a person known to be infected with an STD, or known to have been infected in the past? Who would take such a chance? What kind of person infected with an STD would risk infecting someone else?

Isn’t it clear that the only real way to avoid STDs outside of sexual abstinence is a monogamous sexual relationship? Multiple sex partners dramatically increase the risk of infection no matter what kind of “protection” is employed. Maybe it’s old-fashioned but even if you’re not concerned with your spiritual well-being, your physical well-being might depend on waiting for the right person to come along.

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