Stats and Facts

Stats & Facts

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.

Most sexually active teens wish they had waited . . .

8 out of 10 girls
80%
6 out of 10 boys
60%

source: Game Plan

Condoms & Pregnancy

Sexually Transmitted Diseases

  • STDs are mostly bacterial or viral infections, and are contracted through sexual activity.
  • STDs can be contracted through any kind of sexual activity - not just intercourse.
  • Bacterial and other non-viral STDs can be cured with medication.
  • Viral STDs can be medically treated, but they cannot be cured.
  • 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!
  • 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).
  • 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.
Sources: The Medical Institute for Sexual Health and Game Plan

Coercion, Drugs, & Rape

  • 7 out of 10 women who had intercourse before the age of 13 say it was unwanted or non voluntary.
  • Up to 18% of youth aged 13 to 19 report that they were drinking at the time of first intercourse.
  • 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."
  • 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.
  • 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.
  • 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. 
Source: The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University

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.

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.

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