One could almost be forgiven for thinking that there is a conspiracy to hide the medical consequences of permissive behaviour from the public at large. EN asked a practising GP to explain the facts. (Some readers may find the details offensive - for which we apologise.)
The dangers and difficulties associated with indiscriminate sexual activity are frequently down-played. One currently popular text on the psychology of adolescence blithely asserts that 'the figures do not support commonly prevailing mythology' that sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) are increasing. This is simply untrue.
In a recent British Medical Journal review on the sexual health of the nation, Professor Michael Adler states that latest figures on STDs 'confirm that no real reduction has been seen nationally'.1 In fact, the three most common conditions (anogenital warts, chlamydia and herpes) show no decrease since 1988, with the first two conditions actually showing a recent increase. In the UK some 580,000 people are treated with a new STD every year, over 20,000 of them teenagers.
