Adolescent Sexual Activity Rates: Many young people engage in sexual risk behaviors that can result in unintended health outcomes. For example, among U.S. high school students surveyed in 20151

41% have had sexual intercourse.
30% have had sexual intercourse during the previous 3 months, and, of these
43% did not use a condom the last time they had sex.
14% did not use any method to prevent pregnancy.
21% drank alcohol or used drugs before last sexual intercourse.
Only 10% of sexually experienced students have ever been tested for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV).*
CDC data show that lesbian, gay, and bisexual high school students are at https://www.cdc.gov/healthyyouth/disparities/smy.htm
Sexual risk behaviors place teens at risk for HIV infection, other sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), and unintended pregnancy:
Young people (aged 13-24) accounted for an estimated 22% of all new HIV diagnoses in the United States in 2015.2
Among young people (aged 13-24) diagnosed with HIV in 2015, 81% were gay and bisexual males.2
Half of the nearly 20 million new STDs reported each year were among young people, between the ages of 15 to 24.3
Nearly 230,000 babies were born to teen girls aged 15–19 years in 2015.4
Discussion Questions:

Should high schools be able to dispense contraceptives to students? Why or why not?
What cognitive and emotional developmental issues are at play when tweens and teens make the decision to have sex?
Should school address these issues if they are going to give our contraceptives? If so how should they do this?
What role should parents play in sex education, including pregnancy and HIV?
Support your answer with a solution to the societal problem.

Sample Solution