Talk about burying the lede

Posted by Thad

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More than half of American teens ages 15 to 19 have engaged in oral sex, increasing to nearly 70% for those who are 18 and 19, according to the largest federal study of the nation's sexual practices.

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One of the most shocking statistics now is that the incidence of teen gonorrhea in the United States is 70 times that in the Netherlands and France," he said. "We are paying a big price for shutting down discussion.

- Thad

Comments

[coturnix]

One big difference between this study and the previous one is that the older study (a couple of years ago?) found that about 98% of the instances of oral sex were performed by girls on boys, while in the new study the equal number of boys report giving oral sex.

[ol cranky]

And yet CWA will find some way to claim the increase in gonorrhea is related to the availability of birth control (that refusal to comprehend or accept science or learn how to properly analyze any study comes in quite handy for them).

[Matt]

Is there a big increase in oral gonorrhea, too? I don't ask as a joke- most STD's can be contracted in the mouth as well, though I don't know specifically about gonorrhea. I'd expect the rates for that are up, too.

[rob helpy-chalk]

while in the new study the equal number of boys report giving oral sex.

Progress!

[Nathan Williams]

Interesting. The NYTimes version didn't mention gonorrhea or other STDs at all.

[ol cranky]

Matt:

let's just say gonorrhea can cause a sore throat - that's the first thing my general microbiology professor announced on our first day of class, he never had a problem getting our attention. "Genital" herpes can also be caught orally (and "oral" herpes can be found on the genitals) - if you get it in both locations, they call it Herpes Duplex (nod to Tim Kazurinsky of SNL)

[Njorl]

I thought catching genital herpes orally was called 'slerpes'.

[ol cranky]

Njorl:

I was looking for the transcript of the skit. . . all I can remember is herpes duplex and, if you get it from the Jolly green giant, Le Seurpeas

[Mister Nice Guy]

Unfortunately, the sex-negatives have a herpes complex that keeps them from thinking rationally about it -- which is where that shocking disparity in disease rates comes from.

[ghostcatbce]

Under certain circumstances, TB can act as a STD. Something everyone should keep in mind, given that there's a drug resistant strain of it going around.

[herpes virus]

Obviously, the best is to use condoms for oral sex as well. But I think this is even less acceptable than using condoms for regular genital sex.