Monday, December 1, 2008

Myth" 4: Teens Are the Problem continued...

Squires says one of the biggest myths in the U.S. is that abstinence until marriage will keep people from getting HIV.

"The fact is that many young people are sexually adventuresome. Just telling them not to have sex won't help them," she says.

And there's another U.S. myth, Squires says. That's the myth that teaching young people about safe sex will make them promiscuous.

Dickinson agrees, and says that safe-sex education should start early.

"There needs to be openness in discussions about sexual behaviors and the consequences of sexual behavior. And it needs to start early in the home," he says. "Education is the most important weapon we have for this particular disease as well as for many other diseases. It is sad that we have the tools and the know-how to stop HIV since the '80s, when we first learned how it is transmitted."

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