Stats and Facts

Statistics

This section throws around a lot of numbers, but remember we aren’t dealing with just numbers…we’re dealing with individuals.  We’re dealing with you.

Also, realize that the consequences of sex can be even more painful then pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases.  You see, condoms were designed to protect you from getting pregnant, and sometimes they do.  Condoms might prevent you from getting SOME sexually transmitted diseases…sometimes they do.  But condoms DO NOT protect your heart; they DO NOT protect your future; they DO NOT protect your dreams.  But you can, and all it takes is one decision:  The decision to go against the lie.

Abstinence offers 100% protection against STDs and pregnancy.  It also protects your heart.  Remember, all it takes is one decision:  The decision to go against the lie.

• Among sexually active teens, 8 out of 10 girls and 6 out of 10 boys say that they wish they had waited to have sex.  (Game Plan)
  • MORE… 7 out of 10 women who had intercourse before the age of 13 say it was unwanted or nonvoluntary. (The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University)
• 88% of 15 to 24-year-olds say that people their age drink or use drugs before having sex at least “sometimes” – 50% say this happens “a lot.” (The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University)
  • MORE… When it comes to date rape among college students, alcohol used by the victim, perpetrator, or both, has been implicated in 46 – 75% of the incidents. (The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University)
• The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) found that in typical use for just ONE YEAR, condoms failed 14% of the time in preventing pregnancy and diaphragms failed 20% of the time. (See the whole study)
• 29% of sexually active 15 to 24-year-olds say that they have “done more” sexually than they had planned while drinking or using drugs. (The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University)
  • MORE… Up to 18% of youth aged 13 to 19 report that they were drinking at the time of first intercourse. (The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University)
• Teens who use alcohol are seven times more likely to have sex than those who do not, while those who use illicit substances (e.g., drugs) are five times more likely. (The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University)
• According to The Medical Institute for Sexual Health, STDs accounted for 87 percent of all cases among the top ten most frequently reported infections in the U.S. during 1997. Five of the top 10 reportable infectious diseases in 1997 were either exclusively or largely transmitted during sex, including the top four (chlamydia, gonorrhea, AIDS and syphilis).  (The Medical Institute for Sexual Health)
• The Medical Institute for Sexual Health also says that there are more than 68 million current STD infections among Americans. Each year, 15.3 million new STD infections occur, including more than 3 million infections in teens.  It is estimated that 20% of all Americans age 12 and older are infected with genital herpes.
• According to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, The United States has the highest teenage pregnancy rate of all developed countries.  About 1 million teenagers become pregnant each year; 95% of those pregnancies are unintended, and almost one third end in abortions. (The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
  • 19% of adolescents who have had sex get pregnant each year. (The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University)
• A study of male college students who used condoms consistently found that one in three were exposed to pregnancy or STD risk in the prior month due to either incorrect use or condom failure.  (The Medical Institute for Sexual Health)

• Quick Facts about sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) (contributed by Game Plan)
  • STDs are mostly bacterial or viral infections.
  • They are contracted through sexual activity.
  • Bacterial and other non-viral STDs can be cured with medication.
  • Viral STDs can be medically treated, but they cannot be cured.
  • STDs can be contracted through any kind of sexual activity – not just intercourse.
  • The United States has the highest STD rates of any country in the industrialized world.
  • Every day in America, 42,000 people get an STD…that’s one every two seconds.
  • 10,500 teenagers get an STD every day…that’s one every eight seconds.
  • Until the mid 1970s there were two primary STDs.  Today there are more than 25!

  Think about it…
  People will sometimes say that there are more STDs because people are having unprotected sex.  However, condom usage has increased dramatically over the past 20 years.  As condom use has increased, so has the spread of STDs.  In other words, STDs aren’t increasing because of more unprotected sex.  STDs are increasing because of a rise in multiple sexual relationships.

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