Is it Worth the Risk for One Night?
Here’s a scary thought: you meet this cute girl at a club. She dances with you for two hours then you sit and talk over drinks until the club’s closing time. She’s sweet, cute, smart, sexy… and just as you’re reluctantly pulling on your jacket, she says “I can’t believe I’m actually saying this to a guy I just met but… could I go home with you?” You’re so happy you could burst! (Hopefully, you won’t, just yet.)
So you take her to your place. She asks for the tour and you’re just suave enough to show her the bedroom last… where you two park for some late-night small talk… and a little kissing… and lucky you, she’s taking off your pants! You have the presence of mind to mention a condom but she tells you she’s on the pill… or she just had her period… or don’t worry about it, you’ll just pull out. She’s says she’s clean (and she seems it!) and you know you’ve been tested so you go for it.
That attitude is actually life threatening. Here are some frightening statistics for you from SIECUS (Sexuality Information & Education Council of the United States: www.siecus.org) based on a study conducted a few years ago. Of the 139 HIV-positive youth (that is, younger than 22 years of age at HIV diagnosis or younger than 25 years of age at study), a good number were not responsible about protecting their partners:
Risky behaviors included unsafe sexual contact (unprotected anal, genital, or oral intercourse), exchange of sexual favors for money or drugs, and needle sharing. Women who became pregnant and individuals who contracted sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) were also considered engaging in risky behavior. FINDINGS
• 28% of young men exhibited evidence of risky behaviors after HIV infection; for example, 22% reported having unprotected same-sex sexual contact. • 66% of young women exhibited evidence of risky behaviors after HIV infection; for example, 61% reported unprotected heterosexual sexual contact. • 15% of young men and 18% of young women reported contracting an acute STD. |
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The adults studied showed considerably less risky behavior, but it’s still cause for major concern:
Researchers compared these findings to data collected from 2,880 HIV-positive adult participants in the same study. (Adult was defined as 22 years old or older at HIV diagnosis or 25 years old or older at study entry). • 16% of adult men engaged in risky behavior; for example, 12% of adult men reported unprotected sexual contact with a member of the same sex. • 39% of adult women reported engaging in risky behavior; for example, 38% reported unprotected heterosexual sexual contact. • 4% of adult men and 14% of adult women reported contracting an acute STD. |
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Whose job is it to worry about protection?
The guy’s - he’s the one who has to wear the condom.
The girl’s - she’s the one who has more of a risk of contracting an infection.
Any partner who knows they’re infected, so they don’t risk transmitting it
Anyone who isn’t 100% certain of their status or their partner’s.
So is it worth it to risk it all for one night with a hottie? Whose job is it to deal with this, anyway? Let us know what you think .
Please email your opinions to feedback@nigerianmetro.net and get it printed in the next edition.
