Good News First
Which would you rather hear? Good news first, bad news to follow? I always opt for the bad news, and then the good news might just ameliorate the effect of the bad news. Conceivably. On the other hand, it depends on the type of news, doesn't it? If you really love your mother, you're devastated at the news of her death, and the news to follow, that you're the sole inheritor doesn't sound so wonderful. On the other hand, if you've had the misfortune of being brought into the world by a selfish harridan you may not mourn her passing too much, and take comfort in inheriting her wealth.
Human nature being what it is, and how we perceive things often being a relative thing, someone else's good news might be your bad news, and vice versa. So it's kind of nice to read that in Canada, unlike what prevails in the U.S. and England, teen-age pregnancy rates are on the decline. This, despite studies indicating that the average age for first sexual encounters remains at 16.5 years for both genders, while data still suggests that 12% of boys and 13% of girls experience sex by age 14 or 15. Wow, you think, (I do, anyway) that's kind of young for such a mature activity.
But human beings are curious about so many things. And the sex drive, combined with hormone-developing bodies in young people leads to a lot of experimentation. It was ever thus. And some societies and cultures just seem to handle this phenomenon of nature better than others. Early, arranged marriages in various countries, recognizing the powerful pull of sex on a struggling physical maturity sought to stave off the misfortune of unattached pregnancies, although the social and emotional efficacy of those practises may be questioned.
In any event, far more information about sexual information is now available to young people. And not only through the discomfort of sharing that information in a classroom. Popular magazines and the media offer advice, as well as medical sites found on the Internet. Health-care providers are less loath to advance needed information when parents find it inconvenient or embarrassing to do so. The end result is that in our more open society the needed information is there.
Thus a decline in the teen pregnancy rate. A brief upswing between the years 1988 and 1994 succumbed to a steep decline among younger teens by more than half. There are also regional differences, with PEI the lowest, the Prairie provinces, Quebec and the three Territories with higher rates. Regardless, Canada's teen pregnancy rate is now half those of the U.S. and England and Wales, although they've been slipping there also.
Good news, right?
At the other end of the spectrum, the rate of sexually transmitted infections is increasing exponentially among young people. While young women now find contraceptive services more readily available, they're still obtaining insufficient information about arming themselves for protection against STIs. The Public Health Agency of Canada has released figures showing rates of chlamydia, HIV, gonorrhea and syphilis are highest among females, ages 15 to 19, and 20 to 24. Staggering.
Unprotected sex with multiple partners is one reason given. And another appears to account largely for young women beyond their teens who establish monogamous relationships and eschewing condoms. While younger, sexually active teens seem to be more consistent condom users than older teens, mostly because, it would appear, their relationships are fleeting and unstable.
That's life, you get the good and the bad. And that's human nature, self-indulgent and carefree when we're young.
Nothing bad will ever happen to us.
Human nature being what it is, and how we perceive things often being a relative thing, someone else's good news might be your bad news, and vice versa. So it's kind of nice to read that in Canada, unlike what prevails in the U.S. and England, teen-age pregnancy rates are on the decline. This, despite studies indicating that the average age for first sexual encounters remains at 16.5 years for both genders, while data still suggests that 12% of boys and 13% of girls experience sex by age 14 or 15. Wow, you think, (I do, anyway) that's kind of young for such a mature activity.
But human beings are curious about so many things. And the sex drive, combined with hormone-developing bodies in young people leads to a lot of experimentation. It was ever thus. And some societies and cultures just seem to handle this phenomenon of nature better than others. Early, arranged marriages in various countries, recognizing the powerful pull of sex on a struggling physical maturity sought to stave off the misfortune of unattached pregnancies, although the social and emotional efficacy of those practises may be questioned.
In any event, far more information about sexual information is now available to young people. And not only through the discomfort of sharing that information in a classroom. Popular magazines and the media offer advice, as well as medical sites found on the Internet. Health-care providers are less loath to advance needed information when parents find it inconvenient or embarrassing to do so. The end result is that in our more open society the needed information is there.
Thus a decline in the teen pregnancy rate. A brief upswing between the years 1988 and 1994 succumbed to a steep decline among younger teens by more than half. There are also regional differences, with PEI the lowest, the Prairie provinces, Quebec and the three Territories with higher rates. Regardless, Canada's teen pregnancy rate is now half those of the U.S. and England and Wales, although they've been slipping there also.
Good news, right?
At the other end of the spectrum, the rate of sexually transmitted infections is increasing exponentially among young people. While young women now find contraceptive services more readily available, they're still obtaining insufficient information about arming themselves for protection against STIs. The Public Health Agency of Canada has released figures showing rates of chlamydia, HIV, gonorrhea and syphilis are highest among females, ages 15 to 19, and 20 to 24. Staggering.
Unprotected sex with multiple partners is one reason given. And another appears to account largely for young women beyond their teens who establish monogamous relationships and eschewing condoms. While younger, sexually active teens seem to be more consistent condom users than older teens, mostly because, it would appear, their relationships are fleeting and unstable.
That's life, you get the good and the bad. And that's human nature, self-indulgent and carefree when we're young.
Nothing bad will ever happen to us.
posted by Pieface @ 6:15 PM
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