There is no way for you to know if someone you are with has an STD, unless they tell you, and that’s assuming they even know they have an STD. Most people who have an STD have no symptoms of an infection. STDs are highly contagious and many have no known cure. And don’t be fooled, STDs are transmitted by all forms of intimate sexual conduct. Many STDs, including Herpes II, HIV/AIDs, Hepatitis B and HPV have NO cure.

There are more than 25 STDs, with 1 out of every 4 Americans having an incurable STD. Every day 8,000 U.S. teens will be infected with an STD. 10 million 14-25 year olds will be infected with an STD this year – that’s two-thirds of all new cases.

Between 1994 and 1998 the rate of teenage girls contracting HIV rose by almost 117%. One-fifth of all AIDs cases in the United States are caused by HIV infections contracted during the teenage years.

The most prevalent STD today is the human papilloma virus (HPV). 99.7% of all cervical cancer worldwide is caused by HPV. Each year, 5,000 American women die from HPV/cervical cancer.

The US Department of Health and Human Services has concluded that condoms do not prevent the transmission of most sexually transmitted diseases, including HIV, gonorrhea, chlamydia, syphilis, HPV and genital herpes. The only 100% effective protection is for you and the person you marry to have saved themselves for marriage.

THE TRUTH ABOUT TEEN PREGNANCIES

The United States has the highest teenage pregnancy rate of all developed countries, with over 1 million teen pregnancies each year. A 1997 national study revealed that of the 7th and 8th grade girls who had ever had intercourse, 1 in 9 became pregnant. Of the 9th through 12th grade girls who had ever had intercourse, 1 in 6 became pregnant.

63% of teenagers who had engaged in sex wished they had waited longer.

An estimated 1 million teenagers will become pregnant this year. That number has increased 430% since 1960. As a result of those pregnancies, 20% of the 1.3 million US abortions each year are performed on teenagers.. 84% of all U.S. abortions are performed on unmarried women.

Aren’t YOU and your FUTURE worth the wait?