Editorial: Transmitting the right information

Lost in the tawdry cacophony over former New York Gov. Elliot Spitzer's hypocritical use of prostitutes was an even more important story about sex that affects far more people.

According to a study released Tuesday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, one in four teenaged girls - 26 percent - have a sexually transmitted disease.

But even more troubling is that the CDC report found only about half the girls surveyed admitted having sex. If that is accurate, it means more than 40 percent of young women between the ages of 14 and 19 who choose to have sex are engaging in unprotected and potentially life-threatening encounters out of either fear or ignorance.

As one would expect, blacks had a higher incidence of STDs because of a lack of education, quality care and other prevention strategies. But before suburbanites get too comfortable, the survey shows that 20 percent of white girls had at least one STD.

Some of the STDs researchers diagnosed, such as human papillomavirus or HPV, can cause cervical cancer and infertility as the girls get older, causing lifelong problems they never expected from a momentary lapse in judgment.

While some pointed to the report as proof that the Bush administration's focus on abstinence-only programs is an abject failure, it does show that parents, physicians and school officials need a multi-pronged approach to educate teen girls to the dangers of sexual encounters at an age at which they are wholly unprepared to deal with it.

We do not agree with those seeking mandatory vaccinations for HPV for teenaged girls but that three-course serum should be available if, after informed consent, the parents and the teens want it.

We also need to release the bonds on doctors who fear that discussing STDs with teen patients or testing them violates confidentiality and they would be forced to tell parents. The American Academy of Pediatrics supports confidential teen screening, as do we.

And though abstinence is a desired course for both boys and girls at that emerging age, we need to be more realistic in understanding not all will abstain. Condoms and responsible and informed approaches to sex education in the schools, where most of the information is learned anyway, should be widely available alongside the abstinence-only programs.

The report revealed some stunningly bad information being passed around to teens. CDC officials said many girls believe the withdrawal method can be an effective preventative measure while some have embraced the urban myth that vaginal cleansing with Coca-Cola can kill STD germs. They also believe other activity other than intercourse such as oral sex, which can be equally risky in transmitting diseases, does not constitute having sex.

If revelations like that don't jar parents and officials into realizing the importance of open dialogue and honest approaches, our heads are in the sand.