STDs on the Rise Again – Demonstrating the Continued Societal Decline of Sexual Morality in America

In addition to the COVID-19 pandemic and the emerging Delta strain, health officials are warning about an increase in sexually transmitted infections (STIs/STDs). This news isn’t a surprise, as STIs have been increasing over the last several years, but it is a reflection of the growing decline in sexual morality in America.

Though the official numbers are not in for 2020 yet, experts are expecting a spike in infections as people continue to leave their pandemic bubbles. While many are excited about the opportunity to reconnect with friends and family, others are looking for more amorous adventures. Those that do may not find themselves with COVID-19, but an STI, which could have lifelong implications.

For 2019, the latest year data is available, the United States marked six straight years of infection increases, which is rather baffling since it’s easier than ever to access contraception and sex education is getting more and more graphic. But this generation’s understanding of relationships, especially sexual relationships, is changing.

Dr. Hunter Handsfield of the University of Washington said, “People currently in their teens and 20s, I think, there are different attitudes and beliefs about what constitutes a committed relationship and what doesn’t.”

It’s an astute observation, and it’s obviously a reflection of the country’s moral decline.

No longer is sex something between a husband and wife, it has become something that is purely transactional and done outside of any type of relationship.

For example, on the dating app Tinder, a man or woman can pick and choose the gender of their choice for a sexual interaction on any given Friday night. Names can be exchanged, but even that’s no longer necessary.

Sex has become about an almost nameless and faceless exercise in the pursuit of a brief moment of ecstasy, before returning to the day.

This is the result of a Planned Parenthood style of sex education that teaches preteens, teens and young adults how to have sex and encourages them to experiment with their sexuality and the number of partners. As a result, younger generations might be better educated on issues related to sex and contraception but are less likely to actually utilize safe sex practices.

The rise in STIs is a reflection of this change in perception.

Now, instead of a disease like syphilis on the decline, it’s on the rise, even congenital syphilis.

In just the city of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, “the number of people diagnosed with syphilis in the city has increased by nearly 300% compared to pre-pandemic levels. Most of the increase in syphilis cases is in females of reproductive age. The City of Milwaukee has also reported higher numbers of congenital syphilis, or syphilis cases where an infected pregnant person passes syphilis to their fetus.”

Dr. Ryan Westergaard, the Chief Medical Officer for Bureau of Communicable Diseases, called the situation “alarming.”

And it’s not just Wisconsin.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported in April that the number of syphilis cases among newborns has “nearly quadrupled between 2015 and 2019.” This is despite an announcement from 2000 stating that we were close to eradicating the disease entirely in this country.

Young people now make up 61% of chlamydia cases and 42% of gonorrhea cases, which is becoming more and more difficult to treat in some instances.

Sex is not an activity without consequences, and every STD that a young person gets impacts their fertility, which could negatively impact the country’s already falling birth rates. That’s not a reflection of sex education, which organizations like Planned Parenthood champion, but a decline in the morality of the country and the simple belief that sex is more than physical, it’s relational, and something best represented in a marital relationship.

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