Overpopulation and STD - Thin Sheaths On - Essay Example

With the opposing viewpoints of pro-life and pro-choice though, there is a glaring promise with appropriate education and the use of barrier contraceptives. Why educate? Illiteracy causes people to take things for granted. People do not understand how overpopulation can be perilous to human survival in terms of the competition for food and resources. With that, family planning programs fail to penetrate the society’s outlook, and the excessive rise of the human population results from irresponsible parenthood and unwanted pregnancies.

Furthermore, without appropriate education, STD cases continue to rise significantly especially among the young adult population worldwide. Sex education varies widely across nations. Some countries start to introduce topics of conception as early as 7 years old, while few countries still debate on the extent of how much is to be taught considering its ethical aspect to their culture and religion. Contraception, for instance, faced great controversy and garnered criticisms as to its moral and ethical impact.

Debates usually arise when the use of contraceptives is taken into consideration. One online article by Kelly Shircliff strongly points out that “contraceptives are anti-life”. . Unlike abortion, barrier methods need not be tagged with an ethical dilemma since any union of sperm and ovum does not occur. And unlike anti- ovulate drugs, condoms do not interfere with the body’s natural processes. Furthermore, the use of condoms prevents transmission of infection by preventing actual contact with secretions in the reproductive tract of both partners.

In fact, in an interview by Peter Seewald, Pope Benedict XVI said that “there may be a basis in the case of some individuals, as perhaps when a male prostitute uses a condom…” Simply speaking, the pope himself considers using condoms as protection against the “evil of HIV infection”. Undeniably, this pressing issue cannot be solved by hypocrisy. Meanwhile, according to the Center for Disease Control, reportable sexually contracted infections affect more than 15 million Americans per year and account for almost one-third of the reproductive mortality in the United States.

This is ultimately alarming since the country’s manpower is affected which in turn impairs development. In addition, the total cost of health care on STD cases reaches from $9.3B to $15.5B in the mid-1990s (Chesson et. al. 11). Spending this huge amount of money could have been prevented had the government taken effective preventive measures, that is, by promoting the use of condoms. While drafting the proposal, the government may face the criticisms of the conservative, religious and political parties of the society.

Taking it from a positive perspective, a feasible and acceptable policy will likely be formulated.

First, condoms must be made readily available and less expensive to target consumers. The government may purchase condoms from manufacturing companies and in turn, sell them to the public at a practical price. The result of people being responsible for their own health will ultimately reduce cases of STD hence; the health sector can save billions spent on these cases annually.

Second, dispensing must be regulated to limit only to those of legal age and married couples. This is to inculcate the idea that the government does not support pre-marital sex, especially among minors. This is a vital policy in order to gain a positive image among the various political groups and eventually gain acceptance from the conservative sectors.

Third, the use of condoms must also be advertised in major forms of media for the purpose of education. Proper instruction regarding the usage of condoms is extremely important to prevent it from breakage and slipping, among others. Condoms break infrequently (2 per 100) during sexual intercourse unless used incorrectly (Ignatavicius and Workman 1889).

Lastly, sex education should be incorporated appropriately into the school curriculum. It should emphasize that the best way to prevent unwanted pregnancy and STDs is still abstinence. By doing this, everyone must be responsible for his own acts and well-being.

Indeed, both issues of overpopulation and the rise of STD cases can be managed effectively by appropriate sex education and condom usage, along with carefully analyzed mechanisms of implementation. With the promising outcome, we would not hear stories of broken dreams and we would not see unwanted pregnancies and children suffer from hunger. We have to use what we already have. With that, our right senses tell us that the best solution for this in addition to education definitely lies on those thin sheaths.