Today's Daily Women's Health Policy Report covered the results of a survey released in conjunction with World Contraception Day yesterday that I found extremely disturbing - more young people worldwide are having unprotected sex, compared with three years ago, and they know less about contraception. The study -- commissioned by Bayer Healthcare Pharmaceuticals and endorsed by 11 international non-governmental organizations -- surveyed more than 6,000 young people in the U.S. and 25 other countries about sex and contraception.
According to the study, the number of young people in the U.S. who engaged in unprotected sex increased by 39% since 2009, while the rates in Britain and France increased 19% and 111%, respectively. The study also found that many young people lack adequate knowledge about effective contraceptive options, raising concern about the quality of sex education in schools.
About 50% of survey respondents in Europe indicated that they receive sex education in school, compared with about 75% of respondents in the U.S., Asia Pacific and Latin America. Many respondents indicated that they had received misinformation about contraception and were too embarrassed to ask a health care professional for contraception
How many more young people will suffer the consequences of our country's inability to take ownership of the fact that sexuality is a part of people's lives and that honest, accurate information can save lives?
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