After pouring through thousands of pages of healthcare reform, I was certain that I would at last come across a topic that so desperately needed attention.  With nineteen million new cases of STD infections each year in the U.S., it seemed natural that there were be an entire section, or at least a paragraph, devoted to this critical topic.  After finally coming across it, I nearly wish that I hadn’t.  The entire amount that our government plans on spending on this pandemic is one hundred and fifty million dollars.  That may sound like a lot, but it’s less than half a buck per person.

While most of you are sure to think that this doesn’t affect you, you are wrong.  Over half of these infections hit people between the ages of 15 and 24.  That means that they are your children, your grandchildren, your cousins, or perhaps even your friend.  And in situations where you don’t even know or come across the person who is recently infected, you’d be surprised to find out how many times it’s your tax dollars that go for their treatment.

While one hundred and fifty million might seem like a lot, it’s not even ten percent of what sexually transmitted diseases cost our healthcare system each year.  With nearly $16 billion spent to fight the effects of these diseases, it would only make sense to spend a much larger percentage in order to fight them off before they even happen.  Since these diseases can be as silent as they are deadly, a proactive approach is an absolute necessity.

STD testing, along with a willingness for more open and honest talk regarding STDs, can be a simple and effective way to fight this epidemic.   We need to stop arguing about whether or not sexual education is the right thing to do, and start worrying about what message we want to send.   If you talk with most teenagers who are considering to become sexually active, the majority of them will tell you that their major concern is an unwanted pregnancy.   What they also need to be concerned with are the many different life threatening conditions that STDs bring to play.

Whether we like it or not, sex is here to stay and we might as well accept it. The advent of the birth control pill has granted many people a false sense of confidence and has made them feel that they have done enough towards the goal of sexual responsibility .  The truth, however, is that it’s also opened up a Pandora’s box of other issues that are still seldom ever talked about.  If we look at the continent of Europe, we can get a better picture of what possible changes might benefit our nation.   They are much more sexually active, and much more sexually open too.  However, they have also seen their STD rates decrease at a much faster rate than the US.

Just last year $400 million was placed into the stimulus bill to provide for STD testing and HIV testing.   However, both parties somehow lost their nerve and quickly took it out.   Regardless of your political beliefs, this is one investment that can have a return for our nation that would make any corporate executive salivate .  Until then, however, we will continue to pay the price for this and other similar past decisions.