ryWhile many have attributed American promiscuity to the sexual revolution of the 1960s, the incidence of premarital sexual intercourse was increasing for decades prior to the 1960s and has continued to rise since then (Smith, pg 30-35). At the same time that levels of premarital intercourse were rising, the age of first intercourse was falling. Half of all teens, age 15 to 19, have had sex according to a survey of the Department of Health and Human services compared with 29 percent in 1970 (Carr, par 1). As the age of first marriage was also rising, this indicates that men and women are spending longer and longer periods of their sexual lives outside marriage, increasing the likelihood that they may have numerous sexual partners (Smith, pg 1).Some Teens are Practicing Safe SexOne problem specific to teens is relative to their concept that they are invincible. Conversely, there is some evidence that the message of fear has been taken to heart. Jessica Bina, a 17-year-old senior at West Chicago High School, indicated that sex worried her. “’The only thing that’s kept me from having sex is the consequences and that the consequences are so great. Religion is not a factor. AIDS worries me.’” (Carr, par 9), Donald Suggs (1) wrote about a different category of teen—those who are thrown into sex work by circumstances—many of whom do not have the power to protect themselves. Youthful prostitutes indicated that whether or not they were protected was largely determined by the rules set by pimps. If a girl was lucky, her pimp would wish to protect his investment and require that condoms were used (Suggs, par. 13)).Changing Adult AttitudesFor most teens, the scenario described by Suggs does not apply and society must begin to address the problem of education and availability of protection. Piccione and Scholle (par. 35-36) indicated that members of Congress and state officials believed that probl...
