|
|
Article: Ignorance Is Bliss, And Then You Get an STD
- Article from:
- The Washington Post
- Article date:
- April 2, 2008
- Author:
-
|
Copyright informationThis material is published under license from the Washington Post. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Washington Post. (Hide copyright information)
|
It seems like a lifetime ago, but spring used to be the perfect
excuse for me to write lightheartedly about sex. From mating rituals
on display at the National Zoo to cherry blossom courtships around
the Tidal Basin, this was truly the season to be jolly.
Not so much anymore.
When I was teenager, there were basically two venereal diseases
to worry about: syphilis and gonorrhea. Now we fret about a bunch of
such infections, and they are gathered under a more serious-
sounding classification: sexually transmitted disease, or STD.
For today's teens, the instinctual quest for sex carries the risk
of unspeakable pain. In the age of AIDS, the very act that gives
life could end up being a death ...