Frightful Teen Ignorance About Sex
By Nicole Martin
The Telegraph - London
news.telegraph.co.uk
7-17-1
[Brit Teens seem as ignorant as American teens. Must be the work of the "great" State run schools, eh? - Terrence]
Some young people believe that closing their eyes while having sexual intercourse will guard against pregnancy, a survey of doctors said yesterday.
Others think that if a girl stands on a telephone directory or drinks milk during sex, or jumps up and down after it, she will be safe.
Making love in a boat or in the bath, or drinking rum and coke, are also regarded by some as reliable forms of contraception.
Doctor magazine asked 2,200 GPs to list the old wives' tales about pregnancy cited by their young patients.
Almost three quarters said that ignorance about contraception was to blame for the teenage pregnancy rate in Britain, the highest in western Europe. Many said that teenagers were too embarrassed to approach doctors and family planning experts for advice.
In 1999 there were 98,700 conceptions among women under 20. Almost 8,000 were among girls under 16 and 2,271 among girls of 14 or under. Sexually transmitted infections among young people have increased in the past decade, with one in 10 suffering from diseases such as chlamydia and gonorrhoea.
Jan Barlow, the chief executive of Brook, a charity which advises on sexual health issues, said: "Too often young people tell us that the information they are given about sex is too little, too late and that it is too biological. They need plain speaking and impartial information." |
