{"id":1613,"date":"2008-03-13T21:39:25","date_gmt":"2008-03-13T21:39:25","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.covchurch.org\/newswire\/?p=1613"},"modified":"2010-12-22T12:30:15","modified_gmt":"2010-12-22T17:30:15","slug":"6164","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/blogs.covchurch.org\/newswire\/2008\/03\/13\/6164\/","title":{"rendered":"New Teenage Study – A \u2018Wake Up\u2019 Call to Churches"},"content":{"rendered":"

CHICAGO, IL (March 13, 2008) \u2013 The results of a study that found one in four teenage girls has at least one sexually transmitted disease (STD) is only mildly surprising and serves as a wake-up call to churches, says Ginny Olson, co-director of the Center for Youth Ministry at North Park University and the author of Teenage Girls: Exploring Issues Adolescent Girls Face and Strategies to Help Them.<\/a><\/em>
\n
\n\u201cI\u2019m surprised, but not real surprised,\u201d says Olson. \u201cWe\u2019ve been heading in this direction for some time.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) study released Monday found that an estimated 3.2 million girls in the United States between the ages of 14 and 19 – about 26 percent of that age group \u2013 is infected with at least one of the most common STDs: human papillomavirus (HPV), chlamydia, herpes simplex virus, and trichomoniasis.<\/p>\n

According to the CDC, the infections could prove dangerous to the girls as they get older, leading to health issues that include cervical cancer, infertility and pelvic inflammatory disease. The diseases also can affect unborn children. Chlamydia, for example, is the leading cause of infant pneumonia and conjunctivitis (pink eye). For more information on each of the diseases, visit the CDC website<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Olson says the problem is frequent among teens who attend church as well as those who do not. Churches and parents will have to broaden their approach to dealing with sexual issues, and discuss them more frequently to keep teens safe, she believes.<\/p>\n

When the church talks about sex, it must talk about more than just the moral implications or the dangers of getting pregnant, Olson explains, adding, \u201cWe need to be broadening our definition of sex, which is different from our teenagers\u2019 definition.\u201d<\/p>\n

Olson says studies have frequently shown that many teens do not consider oral sex to be sex. \u201cThere\u2019s not the sense that they\u2019ve crossed any boundaries,\u201d Olson says. \u201cIt\u2019s not at that level.\u201d<\/p>\n

The practice has become so prevalent, teens often view the practice as \u201cfirst\u201d or \u201csecond base,\u201d Olson says. Teens don\u2019t realize STDs can be contracted through oral sex, she adds.<\/p>\n

Parents also must talk with their children about sex \u201cearly and often,\u201d says Olson. \u201cOne conversation is not enough. It\u2019s got to take place at different times.\u201d<\/p>\n

Olson says she understands that parents often feel uncomfortable discussing sex with teens. She suggests that parents consider talking with their daughters about how the girls can help keep a friend from engaging in sexual activity. \u201cThat makes it easier to discuss.\u201d Churches also can connect reluctant parents with parents who are able to discuss the issues easily with their children in order to learn ways of communicating with teens.<\/p>\n

When teens do contract a transmitted disease, churches can lead in offering grace, Olson says. \u201cGirls can feel like they\u2019ve condemned for life, that they can never be forgiven. That\u2019s just not true.\u201d<\/p>\n

Olson is concerned that the study focuses only on girls. \u201cYet again, we\u2019re making the girls out to be the \u2018bad ones,\u2019 \u201d she says. \u201cWhere are the boys? The girls are getting these from somewhere.\u201d<\/p>\n

Report This Post<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

CHICAGO, IL (March 13, 2008) \u2013 The results of a study that found one in four teenage girls has at least one sexually transmitted disease (STD) is only mildly surprising and serves as a wake-up call to churches, says Ginny Olson, co-director of the Center for Youth Ministry at North Park University and the author of Teenage Girls: Exploring Issues Adolescent Girls Face and Strategies to Help Them.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1613","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\nNew Teenage Study - A \u2018Wake Up\u2019 Call to Churches - Covenant Newswire Archives<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"http:\/\/blogs.covchurch.org\/newswire\/2008\/03\/13\/6164\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"New Teenage Study - 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