The Sexual Revolution of the 60's provided men and women the freedom to engage in sexual intimacy with no strings attached. Frivolous concepts such as wedding vows, love, and lifetime commitments were no longer a requirement.

By the 70's, this new sexual freedom was causing a significant increase in the only two STDs of the day, syphilis and gonorrhea. It was obvious something had to be done. The proposed solution: Safe Sex.

The proponents of this movement deserve a round of applause because they did an outstanding job of getting their message out. If you don't believe it, ask any teenager how to have "Safe Sex." They will immediately respond, "Use a condom!" Yes, Americans heard the message loud and clear. The problem is - it didn't work.

America is now dealing with an epidemic of over 25 significant STDs. Many have no cure and several are deadly. Despite this fact, doctors, teachers, even politicians have continued to promote the safe sex message.

"I believe condoms are part of the solution to the HIV / AIDS crisis, and I encourage their use by young people who are sexually active. You've got to protect yourself... Forget about taboos. Forget about conservative ideas... It's the lives of young people that are put at risk by unsafe sex, and therefore protect yourself." -General Colin Powell to America's young people via MTV, Spring 2002

Question: If condoms are an effective solution, why isn't the STD epidemic going down instead of up?

The following information may provide some answers to that question.

On July 20, 2001 the National Institute of Health (NIH) released a report entitled, "Scientific Evidence on Condom Effectiveness for Sexually Transmitted Disease Prevention." This report was based on an accumulation of all the major scientific articles that had been published prior to June 2000. Unless you were paying close attention, you may have never heard about the results of this report. It began with the numbers of new cases of STDs for the year: 63,000 new cases of HIV/AIDS, 70,000 of syphilis, 650,000 of gonorrhea, 1 million of genital herpes, 3 million of chlamydia, 5 million of trichomoniasis, 5.5 million of human papilloma virus. And then came the bombshell. The 28 member panel of experts reported that there is “no clinical proof” of the effectiveness of condoms in preventing genital herpes, syphilis, human papilloma virus,  trichomoniasis or chlamydia. The report did state there is evidence that condoms give some protection for men in preventing gonorrhea, but there is no proof of their effectiveness for women. It also stated there is proof that when condoms are "always" used they provide 85% protection against HIV / AIDS which is about a one in six chance. Russian Roulette anyone?

The report clearly stated that observers should not jump to the conclusion that condoms do not work. It simply means previous research was not conducted in a way to determine if condoms do or do not prevent STDs. It would seem after 30 years and with 3 billion dollars spent, the national "Safe Sex" campaign would have all kinds of scientific evidence that condoms prevent STDs. How embarrassing for our government, the medical field, and all the proponents of condoms. And how sad for all those who are dealing with infertility problems, recurring blisters, sores, cervical cancer, or have lost their life all because they believed a thin layer of latex would protect them from the exploding STD epidemic.

Several new scientific studies have been published since June 2000. Taking these new studies into account, the following statements reveal what can now be said in regards to condom effectiveness:

·        The chance of getting herpes is reduced by only 40 percent when a condom is used 65 percent of the time or more.

·        The chance of getting syphilis is reduced by only 29 to 50 percent when a condom is used 100 percent of the time.

·        The chance of getting Chlamydia and/or gonorrhea is reduced by only 50 percent when a condom is used 100 percent of the time.

·        There is no evidence that a condom will reduce the chance of HPV, the most common STD in America, even when a condom is used 100 percent of the time. (Although there might be some reduction of risk of HPV associated diseases including warts in men and cervical cancer for women.)

·        The chance of getting HIV is reduced by 85 percent when a condom is used 100 percent of the time.

·        Although there are over 20 other significant STDs there is not enough scientific data to say whether or not condoms reduce the risk of these diseases.

In other words, with all the scientific data available, it seems the best we can say right now is:

     Condoms reduce SOME of the risk of SOME of the problems SOME of the time.

To call this "safe sex" is a gross exaggeration. Can you imagine the FDA approving a drug without scientific proof that it can stand up to its claims?

As a result of these findings, our government has begun to change its stand regarding condoms including the web site for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). A year ago the CDC touted condoms as highly effective in preventing HIV and other STDs when used consistently and correctly. The December 2, 2002 CDC Fact Sheet on Male Latex Condoms and STDs stated the following:

"Correct and consistent use of the male latex condom can reduce the risk of SID transmission. However, no protective method is 100 percent effective, and condom use cannot guarantee absolute protection against any STDs."

The CDC Fact Sheet on Hepatitis dated August 7, 2002 states: "The efficacy of latex condoms in preventing infection with Hepatitis B Virus (HBV) is unknown, but their proper use may reduce transmission."

Studies show condoms must be used 100 percent of the time to provide any amount of protection except in the case of HIV and herpes. In which case, it appears that using condoms most of the time may give some protection. To find individuals who use condoms 100 percent of the time over a number of years is next to impossible. Even though many of today's young people use condoms in the beginning of a relationship, the condom is often tossed aside after the relationship is established.

So how long does it take for a relationship to become established? According to a recent study, it typically takes today's youth 21 days. By the end of this three week period, the couple feels comfortable with each other. They are building trust within their relationship and feel they know each other very well. As a result, condoms become a nuisance and are no longer used. It appears these couples aren't aware most people with

STDs have no symptoms and therefore have no way of knowing they have an STD. If one of them has previously had any type of sexual contact with someone else, there is a very real possibility they have one or more STDs without knowing it. Perhaps this helps explain why 8,219 teenagers in America become infected with an STD everyday.

But why has our country desperately clung to the Safe Sex message for 30 years while the epidemic continues to escalate? Is it because the only real solution to the problem is a pill that is just too tough to swallow for many Americans? No one can deny that the only way to prevent STDs is sexual abstinence until marriage and then to remain committed to that person for life. If "AMIFM" (Abstinence until Marriage and Faithfulness inside Marriage) were to suddenly become the national campaign to wipe out the STD epidemic, then politicians, doctors, lawyers, CEO's, teachers, moms and dads across America would be expected to live this lifestyle. From the President of the United States to the students in middle school, people would be expected to control this powerful sex drive.

Self-control or Condoms? As Colin Powell stated: It's the lives of young people that are put at risk by unsafe sex.

What do you think America will choose?

What will you choose?

This article from Aim For Success “Tips Newsletter” Feb-Mar 2003

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